The latest Elemental Newsletter highlights a busy and successful period across the Hub, showcasing new collaborations, funding opportunities, skills development activities, and strategic context shaping our work.
As national policy shifts toward sustainable and secure critical-mineral supply chains, our bio-based, circular-economy research is more relevant than ever. These developments open up new opportunities for members to engage, from research projects and funding bids to training and career development, while contributing meaningfully to the UK’s strategic goals.
In this issue:
- UK–US Critical Minerals Research Grants Awarded– Eleven new transatlantic collaborations have been funded under the “Catalysing New UK-US Critical Minerals Research Partnerships” scheme, strengthening international cooperation in sustainable critical-minerals research.
- Strong Hub Activity & Research Output– Multiple work packages are delivering research updates and publications. The community is growing and contributing to advances in bio-based metal recovery and circular-economy approaches for critical materials.
- Skills & Capacity Building- A “Finance Essentials” workshop was run recently to help researchers understand commercialisation pathways, supporting those planning to translate research into impact or spin-out ventures.
- New Funding & Career Opportunities- The newsletter highlights several funding calls, including a fully funded PhD opportunity via the Yorkshire Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership (YBDTP), and upcoming calls from major funders such as Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
- Alignment with National Strategic Context- The recently launched UK Critical Minerals Strategy underlines growing national commitment to domestic supply, recycling, and sustainable resource management, reinforcing the societal relevance of the Hub’s research.
Explore the full newsletter and get involved: Link to Newsletter.