Advanced Materials in the UK

Major clusters

• Manchester

  Materials, health innovation, digital and the largest media cluster outside London

• Birmingham & the West Midlands

  Automotive, batteries, quantum sensing and a deep manufacturing supply chain

• Sheffield & Rotherham

  Applied manufacturing research at a scale few countries have

• Liverpool City Region

  Infection research, biomanufacturing, materials chemistry and a Freeport

• Teesside & the Humber

  Hydrogen, carbon capture, offshore wind and heavy industrial capability

• Belfast

  Cyber security, advanced composites, fintech and screen production

• Cardiff & South Wales

  Compound semiconductors, steel and materials, and broadcast production

Emerging & supporting clusters

• Cambridge

  Research density, silicon IP and life sciences at unusual concentration

• Oxford

  Quantum, vaccines, space and a major national laboratory campus

• Southampton & Portsmouth

  Maritime engineering, defence, photonics and marine autonomy

• Cornwall & Plymouth

  Marine technology, Earth observation, geothermal and critical minerals

• Nottingham & Derby

  Aerospace propulsion, rail engineering and sustainable chemistry

Universities & research

University materials institutes, national graphene and composites facilities and Catapult centres.

Investment

Long development timelines mean patient capital, corporate partnership and grant funding dominate.

Government support

Several Investment Zones list advanced materials among priority sectors.