On 3-4th September 2025, leading members of the ZERO Institute took part in the Royce National Conference, themed Unlocking UK economic growth through materials innovation, in Manchester. The Royce biennial conference is a staple in the industry/academia nexus in materials innovation.
Robert Weatherup and Robin Morris, both from the Oxford department of Materials and members of the ZERO Institute Leadership Team, co-organised the Energy Solutions conference strand, which focussed on efficient and sustainable energy generation, storage, transmission and usage, towards net-zero goals.
In the afternoon session, delegates enjoyed a keynote talk from ZERO Institute and Oxford visiting academic Graham Smith from the National Physical Laboratory, NPL.
Rowena Brugge of Cambridge-based battery technology company Nyobolt, highlighted the value of collaboration and access to specialist facilities, including those hosted at the University of Oxford, in a session chaired by ZERO Institute’s director Paul Shearing.
The ZERO Institute team enjoyed collaborating with Royce, in helping to organise and run the engaging energy solutions session at their national conference.
(Robin Morris, ZERO Institute and Royce Institute)
The Manchester-based Henry Royce Institute is the UK’s national institute for advanced materials research and innovation. It works to tackle global challenges, from energy for future cities to decarbonisation and new recyclable materials, by providing access to state-of-the-art equipment, facilities and skill development. The Royce Institute is a partnership of the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Imperial College London, the UK Atomic Energy Authority and National Nuclear Laboratory, and two associate universities, Cranfield and Strathclyde.
Contributing to national and global world-class research at the research-industry nexus is a core component of the ZERO Institute’s vision of shaping the transition to a just and fair global zero-carbon energy system, through research that unifies technology, policy, and people.
Photo credit: The Henry Royce Institute
