Pioneering research key to the new UK Industrial Strategy

MetaHUB, a new research collective made up of universities throughout the UK, is designed to spearhead cutting-edge 3D nanoscale metamaterials science. 

Metamaterials are new forms of engineered materials – designed at the nanoscale – for use in everything from medical sensors to healthier food colourings.

MetaHUB will be supported by £19.6 million in public and private backing.

While £10.5 million comes from UK Research and Innovation’s ESPRC, the hub has secured a further £4.5 million in private investment – showing the value of cutting-edge research as a driver of investment across the UK in support of the Governments newly announced Industrial Strategy.

The overall programme, which includes co-investment from universities, industry partners, and national institutions, means MetaHUB will help drive the UK at the forefront of a transformative field set to redefine the interaction of energy, light, and information with the world around us.

Science Minister Lord Patrick Vallance, who recently launched the hub, said: “Our backing for the MetaHub is an investment, for both today and for tomorrow. We are securing the UK’s leadership in the high-potential field of metamaterials, a new class of materials specially engineered to have new and useful properties. This work is paving the way for future products and innovations that will deliver jobs and growth, in the years ahead.” 

Metamaterials are 3D engineered structures with properties not found in nature, allowing unprecedented control over light, heat, sound, and even the mechanics of materials. MetaHUB’s mission is to use these capabilities to deliver practical solutions in areas that include Green Energy, developing low-energy AI computing, enhanced communications, harvesting waste heat, and renewable power technologies.

Metamaterials also have the potential for sustainable design, advancing detection and clean-up of forever chemicals, polluted soils, and carbon capture as well as pioneering early diagnosis technologies for conditions such as cancer and dementia.

In addition to science and technology, MetaHUB places sustainability and circularity at the heart of its research. The team will work closely with the sustainability and circular economy communities to ensure outcomes are practical, ethical, and scalable.

Andrea di Falco, Professor of Nanophotonics at the University of St Andews who will lead St Andrews contribution to MetaHUB, said: “Metamaterials have been successfully integrated with CMOS technology and manufacturing processes, benefiting from their scalability and cost-effectiveness. However, these systems have inherited certain constraints, most notably their inherently 2D architecture. With this new hub, we aim to redefine how we design, fabricate, and utilise metamaterials in true 3D, unlocking their full potential to address critical technological challenges. By collaborating with UK industrial partners and innovative SMEs, we will drive groundbreaking advancements in ICT, energy, and sensing technologies, paving the way for next-generation solutions.”

With this landmark investment, and the collaboration with around 40 partners (including STMicroelectronics, PepsiCo, QinetiQ, Leonardo, WaveOptics, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, and the Henry Royce Institute), MetaHUB cements the UK’s strategic position in the global race to unlock metamaterials potential for economic, environmental, and social transformation.