SCHEMA annual report highlights industry partnerships and sustainable leaders programme
5 October 2025
In 2025-26, SCHEMA moved from establishing foundations to demonstrating initial results and the strength of collaborations. Our growing Hub now brings together 20 SCHEMA funded PDRAs, >50 affiliated researchers, 24 Co-Investigators and a network of >40 companies, creating a diverse interdisciplinary community. We launched the first Early-Stage Commercialisation Projects, supporting four manufacturing technology translation collaborations between our researchers and industry partners including Ceres Power, Unilever, Scott Bader and TOPSOE.
SCHEMA researchers have contributed to 34 publications, including 22 this year, alongside 12 intellectual property developments comprising ten patent developments and two examples of new know-how.
These early results demonstrate both the quality of the science emerging across the Hub and its potential to translate into new technologies and manufacturing approaches. The achievements of our wider community have been recognised nationally and internationally, with SCHEMA Co-Investigators receiving major distinctions from the Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering, Royal Society of Chemistry and AAAS (see our news highlights). These awards reflect the wider contribution of our researchers to sustainable chemistry and materials science.
A main focus of this report is our industry collaboration. We give updates on partnerships highlighted in our report for 2024-25 e.g., Naturbeads, Scott Bader, and TOPSOE and then release our new Case Studies:
- Advancing Bio-based Polymer Manufacturing through Catalyst Innovation with TotalEnergies Corbion.
- Unlocking biomass-derived diol manufacturing with heterogeneous catalyst innovation with Honeywell Technologies and Johnson Matthey.
- Bio-Inspired Catalysis to Unlock Renewable Chemicals from Biomass with Hydregen
- From Renewable Sugars to Sustainable Polymer Ingredients: Accelerating Commercialisation Through Supply Chain Collaboration with Croda, Syensqo, and Reckitt Benckiser.
Our case studies highlight the impact to sustainable manufacturing of chemicals and materials delivered with our strategic partners. These range from developing innovative catalysis and processes to transform CO2 and biomass into key chemical intermediates like alcohols, to designing renewable, high-performance polymers for varied applications, from durable yet recyclable resins and adhesives for use in transport, electronics and construction, to degradable water-based formulations for use across many consumer and industrial products.
We have also continued to invest in our researchers, delivering training in intellectual property, entrepreneurship, equality, diversity and inclusion, communication and fellowship applications. Our Early Career Researcher Forum continued with monthly researcher-led meetings, and our first Hub industrial visit to Ceres Power provided an insight into manufacturing and technology development. Our strategic partner network continued to grow, with eight new partners joining this year and contributing £400,000 in additional leveraged support.
Download our annual report here.