£1.6 million for innovative manufacturing in the North West

The businesses are the winners of the Materials and Manufacturing Launchpad, run by the Technology Strategy Board in partnership with the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) They demonstrated the most potential for innovation and growth within the sector and will now benefit from a package of business support from STFC, to accelerate their journey towards commercialisation. The winning companies include: NanoFlex, which has produced the first high performance electrode for electrochemistry; Arcis Biotechnology the developer of a technique for deconstructing cells to release and protect DNA for several hours; ESP Technology, which developed an advanced new materials technology to resolve serious medical complications; LPW Technology, which produced optimised powders for sustainable additive manufacturing; Perceptive Engineering, which improved the repeat use of consumer products across global supply chains;Teknisolar, which enabled the lamination of photovoltaic panels (pictured); and GEM Nutrition, which produced an electronic system that tells users exactly how many calories their body needs. Other winning innovations include an energy-saving air sanitisation device to improve indoor air quality; technology that can recycle and convert carbon dioxide from power plant flue gas emissions into valuable saleable chemical product; and low-cost radiation detectors capable of monitoring all forms of radioactivity, including neutrons. Winners now have six months to court other investors to gain match funding to enable them to complete their R&D projects.