CLIMATES programme impact
Critical minerals underpin almost everything we do, and used in a lot of our everyday products and materials. We use them in our daily lives, whether we are communicating, travelling to work, and in our homes. This brochure celebrates the impact, achievements and benefits of the CLIMATES programme, delivered by Innovate UK in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade.
Martyn Cherrington, CLIMATES Programme Lead, Innovate UK has said “CLIMATES has transformed ambition into capability. By backing innovation-driven growth across rare earth recycling, processing and magnet manufacturing, Innovate UK has helped create the foundations of a resilient, circular UK supply chain – turning critical minerals from a strategic vulnerability into a major industrial opportunity.”
This brochure highlights how the programme has been pivotal in establishing a diverse portfolio of innovative projects, addressing the skills gap and launching a skills roadmap with the Critical Materials Association (CMA), developing international collaborations, building a community to support industrial and policy-focused standards, unlocking private investment, and funding a range of projects delivering important work across the supply chain.
Chris McDonald, Minister for Industry, in his foreword of the brochure says:
“The UK now has all the building blocks of a mines to magnet supply chain. That is a significant shift from where we were only three years ago.
Much of this success is owed to Innovate UK’s CLIMATES programme. It has supplied innovation-boosting funding to magnet manufacturers while building the UK’s resilience in the supply of rare earth elements. With £15 million of funding, CLIMATES has leveraged over £250 million of indicative co‑investment. It has also supported a strategic cohort of companies focused on growth.”
He goes on to talk about some of these companies specifically:
“One of those businesses is Ionic Technologies. With support from the CLIMATES programme, it has developed pioneering rare earth recycling technology, culminating in the world’s first electric vehicle motor built from 100% recycled rare earths.
Meanwhile, CLIMATES support has helped HyProMag to restore UK rare earth magnet manufacturing for the first time in 25 years. The company has developed a world-leading magnet recycling and manufacturing facility at the University of Birmingham.
Find out more about the programme’s activities and the companies it has supported by downloading the brochure today.
Programme
This article is part of Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains.
The CLIMATES programme supports the development of resilient, UK-based supply chains for rare earth elements. It aims to strengthen collaboration across sectors and build robust, circular supply chains ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical materials.