Tata Steel and the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) are establishing a three-year research and innovation partnership to accelerate the development and industrial adoption of sustainable and recycled materials. The initiative will connect universities, researchers and industry participants in the United Kingdom and India, supporting innovation in circular materials while creating economic and strategic opportunities in both countries.
The programme is backed by nearly £1.9 million in funding from the UK government, alongside £1 million from Tata Steel. Participating projects will also receive additional funding equivalent to at least half the value of their grants, enabling research teams to advance technologies through industrial investment, technical expertise and commercial development opportunities.
The partnership regarding circular materials comes as both countries seek to reduce carbon emissions and environmental impacts while addressing increasing infrastructure demand. By promoting resource-efficient materials and production processes, the initiative aims to strengthen circularity and improve the resilience of supply chains for critical materials and minerals. UK-India policy missions will also facilitate knowledge exchange and generate market intelligence in these areas, building on earlier cooperation with India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE).
Subodh Pandey, Vice President, Technology, R&D, NMB and Graphene at Tata Steel, said “The support by the UK government, and partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering, not only presents an opportunity to move promising research towards real industrial application, which we can all benefit from, but also to build lasting and meaningful relationships so we can continue to accelerate the development and adoption of lower-carbon, more circular approaches to construction and manufacturing.”
Professor Ravi Silva CBE FREng, Director of the Advanced Technology Institute at the University of Surrey and Chair of the Academy’s Transforming Systems through Partnership programme, said “This partnership with Tata Steel embodies that ambition. By bringing together institutions and expertise from India and the UK, it will strengthen long-term collaboration and help meet growing infrastructure needs through the practical adoption of sustainable, circular and energy-efficient materials and processes. In doing so, it will contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals by linking engineering innovation with more resilient, resource-efficient and sustainable systems.”
The partnership will operate through RAEng’s Transforming Systems through Partnership (TSP) programme, with grants scheduled to begin in April 2027 and run for three years. Over more than a decade, the programme has supported more than 300 collaborative projects connecting universities and industry internationally and established a network of over 800 awardees.
The initiative is expected to fund up to 15 research and innovation projects, with individual grants ranging from £100,000 to £150,000. Each project will be jointly led by an academic or research partner from the UK and India and must demonstrate a clear route to industrial application, entrepreneurship or wider practical impact.
Beyond financial assistance, Tata Steel will provide participating teams with access to industrial expertise, mentorship from senior professionals, and relevant laboratories and facilities. Projects with commercialization or spin-out potential may also receive mentoring and incubation support. The specific assistance will be tailored to each project’s requirements, helping researchers progress from development towards practical implementation.