The funding means that Swansea can set up a centre called COATED2, which will train researchers on how to develop new functional coatings for products. 

For example, new coatings on steel and glass mean that everyday buildings can generate, store and release energy, effectively turning a building into its own power station.

COATED2 is a £6.5 million project, including the £2.5 million of funding announced today , which follows a successful bid to the EPSRC.  It will be led by Dr James Sullivan and Dr Dave Penney from the College of Engineering at Swansea University.

Major companies work with the Swansea team, including Tata Steel, BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, and NSG Pilkington, one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of glass.

Picture:  Professor Dave Worsley of the College of Engineering, at SPECIFIC, a project which is developing coatings for buildings allowing them to generate, store and release energy.

Some of the areas where Swansea researchers are already working, which are set to be boosted by today’s funding, include:

• More efficient batteries which can store energy generated from photovoltaic coatings for use throughout the day.
• New coatings for coins, making them more durable, in a project with the Royal Mint
• Coatings for spacecraft which generate electricity from heat, in a project with the European Space Agency
• Smart packaging for retail products using large area plastic electronics

Picture: Crystals of a new material that can be used to generate electricity from heat, a project which Swansea researchers are working on with the European Space Agency.  Copyright James Sullivan

‌Dr James Sullivan, director of the COATED2 centre, said:

"Today’s news is a real boost for our research, for the University and for our industry partners.   It recognises that here at Swansea we have a team with an international reputation for their work on coatings and materials.

This work – which covers everything from reducing corrosion to improving energy efficiency – is playing an important part in tackling some of the major issues of our time, such as energy supply and sustainability.  

We’re already working with some major companies and other leading universities, including Imperial College London, and these relationships will now grow with our 40 new researchers on the COATED2 project.

The project will not only spur the growth of new products and industries but also train the leaders of industry for the future."

David Willetts, UK Government Minister for Universities and Science, said:

"The Government will be investing in a further 900 students through an additional 19 Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs), bringing our total investment in CDTs to £390 million.  

In addition, universities, industry and other charitable partners will be adding a further £174 million to support the training of tomorrow’s scientists and engineers. The combined public and private investment amounts to £764 million."

Professor David Delpy, Chief Executive of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), said:

"The support of the academic and industrial communities has been tremendous and we would not have been able to fund these new centres without their cooperation. These new CDTs will provide training and advances in research in many areas of science and engineering including quantum technologies, manufacturing, robotics, energy and sustainability.”