Our partnership with the Henry Royce Institute

The Henry Royce Institute is the UK’s National Institute for Advanced Materials Research and Innovation.  

Royce drives progress in the discovery, development and translation of advanced materials to address the most pressing societal challenges and build a sustainable future.  

Its work is delivered through four mission pillars: 

• Enabling national materials research, collaboration, foresighting and strategy 
• Providing access to world-leading facilities and research expertise 
• Catalysing industrial collaboration and accelerating translation 
• Fostering materials science skills development, innovation training and outreach 

With its hub at the University of Manchester, Royce is a partnership of nine leading institutions and two associates.

Royce at Leeds

At the University of Leeds, we lead the Atoms to Devices research area in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and the University of Manchester.  

Atoms to Devices is accelerating the discovery and development of new devices through quantum-scale engineering of materials and interfaces. Our work spans design, thin film deposition, nanofabrication, characterisation and device measurement.  

We focus on the early-stage development of materials for next-generation electronics, telecommunications and sensors, future healthcare and energy solutions. 

We have been proactive in supporting the National Materials Innovation Strategy, the UK Semiconductor Strategy and the National Quantum Strategy within the Atoms to Devices area. We also led the development of the Royce Materials for Energy Transition: Materials for Low-Loss Electronics Roadmap. 

Our experimental facilities 

The Royce Technology Platforms are groupings of cutting-edge facilities and expertise hosted by the Institute’s partners. Each platform enables research and innovation within Royce’s strategic research areas. 

At Leeds, we host the Royce Deposition System, a multi-chamber, multi-technique tool for thin film growth that is unique in the UK and Europe. 

Other experimental facilities at Leeds supported by the Henry Royce Institute include the: 

• Advanced Coatings System and Environmental Tribology Suite Facility
• Leeds Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy Facility
• Leeds Nanotechnology Cleanroom
• Versatile X-ray Spectroscopy Facility

Our dedicated Royce Application Scientist supports cross-cutting projects within our facilities, alongside our team of highly experienced research technical professionals. 

Funding opportunities 

Royce has a range of funding initiatives available for those in academia and industry:

• Facilities access: Academic researchers and SMEs can access many of our facilities through Royce’s equipment access schemes.
• Industrial Collaboration Programme (ICP): Through this flagship funding initiative, Royce enables collaborative research, development and innovation projects that address national materials challenges. The ICP supports proof-of-concept technology translation and facilitates collaboration between businesses, universities, and research and technology organisations (RTOs).
• Undergraduate Internship Scheme: Royce supports researchers, scientists, technical and professional services staff in hosting undergraduate student interns to complete materials projects during the summer months. This is an opportunity for students to gain insights into future career pathways. 

If you’re interested in applying for a Royce funding or equipment access scheme, please email the Royce at Leeds team at royce@leeds.ac.uk.

Skills development 

We are supporting Royce to cultivate a skilled national workforce to advance the UK's technology sector. We are also inspiring the next generation of materials researchers through our extensive regional and national outreach programmes. 

Training courses 

In 2023, we launched the National Training Course in Cleanroom Fabrication Skills in collaboration with the University of Cambridge and the University of Swansea, with funding from Royce.  

The programme offers hands-on experience in ultra-clean processing environments essential for semiconductor manufacturing. It covers techniques including lithography, deposition and etching. These skills are critical for producing next-generation electronics, telecommunications and sensors.  

We also provide training and bespoke company courses in thin film deposition, electron microscopy and surface analysis.  

EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in UK Semiconductor Industry Future Skills 

The University of Leeds offers project opportunities as part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in UK Semiconductor Industry Future Skills (UK-SIFS) in collaboration with Swansea University’s Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials. The CDT will recruit at least 50 PhD students over five annual cohorts between the two sites. 

If you’re interested in applying for any of the training courses, please email the Bragg Centre team at braggcentre@leeds.ac.uk.

Get involved  

If you’re a business, you can find out how we can work together on our Services for business page.