Britain can become a global leader in metamaterials if it acts now to turn its research into commercial products, and the Ministry of Defence’s chief scientific adviser has welcomed a new government roadmap setting out how, according to the Institute of Physics.
Metamaterials are engineered materials whose properties come from their internal structure instead of their chemical composition, which lets them respond to energy in ways conventional materials cannot. British-developed examples are already being applied to knee implants, impact protection, fifth generation connectivity, noise reduction and electric vehicle batteries, and the field holds potential for earthquake shielding, wireless charging, targeted ultrasound and cloaking against radar and the human eye.
Professor Tim Dafforn, chief scientific adviser at the Ministry of Defence, said: “MOD is encouraged by this government signal designed to translate metamaterials opportunities created by the world-leading UK academic base, to drive commercialisation in this important dual-use emerging technology domain.
“In line with the Strategic Defence Review and UK Industrial Strategy, this strongly supports UK freedom of action, resilience, and advantage economically and for defence and national security, at a time of heightened global uncertainty.”
The Metamaterials Commercialisation Roadmap, published by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, warns that the global race to commercialise the technology is already running and that Britain’s window is closing, with countries across Asia, Europe and North America competing for the economic and national security benefits. Earlier research by the Institute of Physics found Britain ranked third in the world for academic papers on metamaterials, behind only China and the United States, but fourteenth for patents.
Tom Grinyer, chief executive of the Institute of Physics, said: “The UK has the outstanding research foundations, underpinned by physics, to be a world leader in metamaterials. What we need now is the ambition and coordination to turn that unique advantage into innovations that deliver the UK’s strategic priorities and economic growth, beginning with a properly developed funding plan from research to commercialisation.
“If we get this right, uniting public and private sectors behind long-term priorities to unlock the scale of investment needed, the UK can lead the way for the next global technology revolution through metamaterials. If we don’t, we risk the UK falling behind and becoming just one part in the pipeline of an extraordinary future.”
Chris McDonald, the Minister for Science, Innovation and Investment, said: “Metamaterials represent a significant opportunity to strengthen the UK’s technology and industrial base, supporting economic growth, and solving societal challenges. Realising this opportunity will depend on our ability to translate cutting-edge research into commercially viable products and new industrial solutions.
“I welcome the publication of the Metamaterials Commercialisation Roadmap and its vision for accelerating innovation, attracting investment and building the partnerships needed to position the UK at the forefront of the transformative potential of metamaterials.”
The roadmap identifies fragmented funding and investment, limited manufacturing scale-up, skills gaps and a lack of standards as the barriers, and sets a ten year plan to build the world’s first integrated manufacturing value chain for the technology, with scaled manufacturing and commercialisation capabilities in place by 2035. It builds on more than £80 million of government investment through the National Materials Innovation Programme.
The Metamaterials Strategy Action Group behind the work includes the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory alongside the business department, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Innovate UK, the Institute of Physics, the UK Metamaterials Network, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult and the National Physical Laboratory.
Professor Alastair Hibbins of the University of Exeter and Dr Claire Dancer of the University of Birmingham, who co-lead the UK Metamaterials Network, said: “Building on the UK’s world-leading academic excellence, research, training, and metamaterials community the launch of the UK Metamaterials Commercialisation Roadmap represents a defining moment, positioning the UK at the forefront of an enabling and transformative technology.
“We see the Roadmap charting a course towards the UK becoming a global leader in commercialising metamaterials research and innovation, contributing to our nation’s security and prosperity. Realising this ambition depends on coordinated community action, driven by the community activities of the UK Metamaterials Network’s c.1300 academic, industry, and government members, to fully harness the UK’s competitive advantage in metamaterials.”
Why would Professor Tim Dafforn be chosen as chief scientific adviser at the Ministry of Defence, he is a specialist in biotechnology, would a physicist not be more appropriate?