Watch recordings from Materials Research Exchange (MRE2026). This flagship event for advanced materials research and innovation brings together the community of researchers and innovators and provides an excellent opportunity for manufacturers and end users to gain an excellent understanding of what the UK can offer in terms of advancements in materials research and innovation in one place. Opportunities to showcase advanced materials developments to panels of investors are a core part of MRE.

Other rooms were not recorded: contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Materials team to receive copies of slides if you are interested in any of the presentations.

What’s on?

Prepare to be amazed as MRE 2026 delves into a diverse range of materials, from critical minerals, biomaterials, textiles, polymers, metals, glass, 2D materials, composites, sustainable, smart and functional materials, and more. These materials are not just theoretical concepts but critical building blocks for real-world applications, including energy, space, construction, packaging, marine, automotive, and low carbon technologies.

MRE is a catalyst for progress. Through cross-cutting presentations, thought-provoking panel discussions, sustainable product design concepts and an investor showcase brimming with potential, MRE fosters an environment of knowledge-sharing and cross-sector interactions. MRE is where the UK’s research and innovation excellence in materials meets the world of UK product manufacturers, designers and forward-thinking investors.

This is your chance to connect with the materials community to collaborate, exchange ideas, and adopt the latest advances in materials science.

Advanced Materials for the Future Conference

Returning in its 12th year, MRE’s Advanced Materials for the Future. Full of new insights about material research and innovations taking place across the UK.

Find targeted seminars on a range of cutting-edge areas and across several sectors. This event enables collaboration between industry and academic/research communities.

Investor Showcase

If you are an investor, we will have an exclusive Investor Showcase on day 1, where you can see first-hand how materials innovation converges with commercial opportunity. This event offers the chance to network with selected founders and look into the pipeline of hardware and materials solutions coming from the UK’s leading universities and businesses. Join us to see what’s happening across these themes:

• Materials for the energy transition (applications in Batteries, Renewables, Hydrogen, Nuclear)
• Materials for Space & Extreme Environments
• Material solutions to recover or reduce critical materials
• Materials from new feedstocks (e.g. bio-based, waste streams)
• Enabling hardware technologies to improve materials production or processing

Who should attend?

MRE brings an opportunity to network with over 1500 delegates from the materials community: researchers, academics, industry, government, investors and innovators from various fields to explore and discuss cutting-edge developments in materials science and technology. This is a unique opportunity to witness the UK’s world-leading capability in new materials discovery, development and application, and meet with potential collaborators. The event is designed to enable closer collaboration between industry, investors, designers and the materials research and innovation community.

Agenda