Advanced materials | Research beacons | The University of Manchester Advanced materials 700 Highest concentration of materials experts at any UK university. £885m Invested in state-of-the-art facilities in the last 10 years. Lab-to-market Providing partners with a pathway to scale up. Ecosystem model Supporting progress and prosperity through relationships with local, national and global partners. 500+ Businesses supported by the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre to accelerate lab-to-market development. 300+ Businesses supported by the Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub to create solutions for plastics use and end of life. £1.7bn Innovation partnership with Bruntwood SciTech, Sister (formally ID Manchester), boosting research and development, and creating more than 10,000 jobs. Research translation Multi-million pound partnerships, like the Manchester Biomedical Research Centre and Christabel Pankhurst Institute, translating research into products and services. Pioneering systems From the Industrial Revolution to Graphene City, we develop materials systems to support sustainability, AI, quantum and digital, and health. Materials innovation Driving inward investment, supporting levelling up and consolidating the UK's position as a technology superpower. World-firsts In a world-first clinical trial, a brain implant made of graphene is demonstrating graphene's potential in enabling high-precision surgeries. Metallurgy expertise Manchester's leading experts ranked in the top 25 globally for metallurgical engineering. Most cited academics Four Manchester materials researchers ranked in global top 1% of most influential academics. Developing game-changing materials to enable transformative technological advancements Our researchers partner with industry to unlock potential. Whether this is discovering game-changing materials like graphene, real-world applications with commercial impact, accelerating technology readiness, or boosting productivity and reducing carbon footprint in the foundation industries, we’re embracing opportunities, mitigating challenges and ensuring the UK’s reputation as a technology superpower. We’re creating transformative interdisciplinary solutions to tackle some of the biggest global challenges. These include clean energy and net zero; climate action and clean water; good health and wellbeing; industry; innovation and infrastructure; and sustainable materials and responsible production. With our partners we’re developing new materials, while making existing ones lighter, stronger, more sustainable and cheaper to produce, all to underpin sustainable and circular solutions to global challenges. Our research covers The home of graphene research with more than 300 people working on 2D materials across 30 academic groups. Covering a broad range of research areas, from scalable routes towards graphene and related 2D materials, to energy and biomedical applications, and multifunctional composites for aerospace. Connected Institutes and Centres delivering semiconductor materials and device development for energy, photonics and quantum technologies. Internationally leading researchers delivering novel materials chemistry spanning biomaterials through to catalysts and bioanalytical spectroscopy. Discover research highlights Developing advanced polymers and multi-functional composites as foundations for a sustainable future. Creating innovative textile materials, technologies and products, from biomedical devices to advanced composites for space technology. Supporting a sustainable future and circular economy through the development of high performance, durable and efficient construction products. Discover research highlights Developing and improving the properties and performance of metals and alloys for demanding environments. Enhancing efficiency by increasing operational temperatures, enabling materials to withstand harsher environments and allowing for more accurate predictions of life span. Home to the largest community of metallurgists in the UK. Discover research highlights Accelerating the discovery, manufacture and translation of new materials. Pioneering new therapies and diagnostic technologies in collaboration with partners worldwide, helping to speed up the translation to clinical trial. Discover research highlights Bringing science and engineering together with humanities and social science to embed socio-economic and business perspectives into research. Delivering interdisciplinary research on sustainable business models and socio-technical transitions. Providing holistic expertise to support partners in considering real-world application when making impactful decisions. Discover research highlights Key research hubs and centres Department of Materials Home to a pioneering research community of 300+ PhD students, 90+ academics and 80+ postdocs. Globally renowned for research excellence in biomaterials, coatings and ceramics, fashion marketing and management, metallurgy and corrosion, nano and functional materials, polymers and composites, and textiles and apparels. Hosting an unrivalled network of facilities including the Electron Microscopy Centre (EMC), one of the largest in the UK, the International Centre for Advanced Materials (ICAM) and NXCT at the Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility. Discover more Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre Accelerating lab-to-market development, enabling companies to fast-track technology readiness levels and get new graphene-based products to market quickly. Commercialising innovation and helping companies to secure the competitive edge required to reach their economic potential. Giving access to world class facilities and resources, supported by internationally renowned academics and experienced applications engineers. Discover more National Graphene Institute Working in partnership with industry to develop transformative solutions Investigating the latest cutting-edge science in 2D materials, supported by leading equipment and scientific expertise. Home to the largest academic cleanroom facilities in Europe, providing researchers with the capability to work with 150 different types of 2D materials. Discover more Henry Royce Institute Giving industry and academics access to more than £150 million worth of equipment. Offering key ‘make and test’ technologies, supported by dedicated platform leads, to drive agile and cost-effective materials discovery and application. Providing SMEs with supported access to new technologies and processes. Discover more Christabel Pankhurst Institute £25 million initiative between the University, NHS, business and local government to develop innovative solutions to pressing health and care challenges. Acts as an external flagship for the University’s rapidly expanding health technology portfolio. Provides support across the translational pathway, from application to funding, regulation, clinical trials, commercialisation and deployment. Discover more Tomorrow Labs Discover the cutting edge facilities where you can access the expertise and equipment you need to address your material innovation needs. Find out more about Tomorrow Labs News See all news Show previous news story Show next news story The ICAM Renews Collaboration Framework Agreement with Expanded Scope The International Centre for Advanced Materials (ICAM) is pleased to announce the extension of its well-established academic–industry collaboration framework agreement broadening its scope to include a wider range of topics including materials, chemistry, catalysis, biosciences, and subsurface, with a focus on enabling technologies that support bp’s ambition to deliver energy to the world, today and tomorrow. Large area MoS₂ reduces energy loss in magnetic memory films Scientists at the University of Manchester have discovered that placing magnetic films on atomically thin molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) fundamentally changes how they lose energy, a finding that could bring 2D‑material spintronics a step closer to real devices. Manchester researchers challenge misleading language around plastic waste solutions Researchers from The University of Manchester have found that terms used to discuss solutions to the plastic waste crisis are misleading, and obscure genuine discussion of sustainability. Exhibition to showcase Digital Futures' research themes A new exhibition opens on the Ground Floor of The Nancy Rothwell Building to celebrate the University’s digital research activity and strategic opportunities. First atomic‑scale images of monolayer transition metal diiodides Researchers at The University of Manchester's National Graphene Institute have now achieved the first atomic‑resolution imaging of monolayer transition metal diiodides, made possible by creating graphene‑sealed TEM samples that prevent these highly reactive materials from degrading on contact with air. The study, published in ACS Nano, demonstrates that fully encapsulating the crystals in graphene preserves atomically clean interfaces and extends their usable lifetime from seconds to months. His Excellency, President of Saudi Water Authority, visits The University of Manchester to strengthen UK–Saudi water research collaboration His Excellency Eng. Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Abdulkarim, President of the Saudi Water Authority (SWA), visited the National Graphene Institute (NGI) and the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) at The University of Manchester as part of the Water Research Community (WRC) Meeting 2026, held in Manchester. HydroGraph and GEIC expand collaboration to drive the graphene age HydroGraph Clean Power Inc. and the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) are strengthening their collaboration as HydroGraph moves from a Tier 2 to a Tier 1 member. This milestone builds on a relationship forged in 2023 and reflects the remarkable progress achieved since then, underscoring Manchester’s status as the Home of Graphene. CDT in 2D materials of Tomorrow part of the TechExpert pilot 2DMoT CDT is part of the UK TechExpert pilot offering enhanced stipend of £10,000 above the UKRI minimum stipend of ca. £21,000 to students eligible for home fee status. Join us and help grow the UK’s national capability in advanced materials, part of the UK’s modern industrial strategy. Events Interdisciplinarity &: 2026 Series - Research Ethos: Speed-Networking 13 May 2026, 2.30pm-4.30pm Each research discipline has its own ethos—distinct ways of asking questions, applying methods, and communicating ideas. This diversity can sometimes feel like a barrier to colla.. Training course on in situ experiments and digital volume correlation 10 - 11 June 2026, Digital Volume Correlation (DVC) is a powerful experimental technique that computes 3D full-field displacement and strain maps from volumes images acquired during a deformation pro.. All events Connect with us For business Leverage our expertise, facilities and network to develop solutions to your challenges. Gain access to some of the brightest minds working across our research pathways to help you make change happen. Contact our business team Search our research database Use Research Explorer to access publications, activities and more. Search researcher profiles and connect with fellow experts. Search our research database For policy work Connect with our researchers to build relationships, explore areas of interest and enhance your understanding of pressing policy challenges. Access high quality policy articles and publications from our academics. 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