A highly competitive first round of the UK-HyRES and Henry Royce Institute SPRINT funding programme will award up to £50,000 per project to early-career researchers across the UK, with the Henry Royce Institute (Royce) and UK Hydrogen Research and Innovation Network (UK-HyRES) jointly backing 17 projects from a field of 86 applications.
The Henry Royce Institute, the UK’s national institute for advanced materials research and innovation, will fund nine of the successful projects through its Royce Hydrogen Accelerator (RHA), while UK-HyRES will back a further eight. Each award provides up to £50,000 (at 80% FEC) to advance cutting-edge research spanning hydrogen production, storage, distribution and use, as well as ammonia and alternative liquid fuels.
Proposals were evaluated on research quality and impact, the strength of partnerships, and clear plans for mentoring, delivery, and future development into larger-scale initiatives.
A powerful partnership across research networks
Professor Rachael Rothman, Co-Director and Environmental Theme Lead at UK-HyRES, said the partnership reflects a shared commitment to advancing both hydrogen innovation and the next generation of research talent.
“The Henry Royce Institute and UK-HyRES share common goals in advancing the materials necessary for widespread adoption of hydrogen, as well as supporting the research leaders of the future to develop their careers.
“It was fantastic to see the quality of applications to our joint early-career researcher SPRINT call, and I am very excited to see how the projects and researchers themselves develop over the coming months.
“This kind of joint initiative, where successful projects can draw on the networks and expertise of both organisations, is really important to help find clean energy solutions, and I’m looking forward to further collaboration with the Royce Hydrogen Initiative going forward.”
Bob Sorrell, CEO of the Royce Hydrogen Accelerator, further emphasised the importance of cross-network collaboration in accelerating hydrogen materials research and supporting emerging research talent.
“This first SPRINT funding competition has shown the value of bringing our national hydrogen networks together around a shared challenge. By working in partnership with UK-HyRES, the Royce Hydrogen Accelerator has helped support a genuinely exciting portfolio of projects that reflect both the strength of the UK’s emerging hydrogen research talent and the scale of opportunity in this field.
“The quality of responses to the call reflects not only the calibre of the ideas coming forward, but also the importance of creating collaborative routes for early-stage research to develop into larger-scale opportunities. Through the Royce Hydrogen Accelerator, we are helping to ensure that the UK has a pipeline of compelling, de-risked hydrogen materials opportunities that are ready to scale with the right investment, moving promising research closer to real-world application and strengthening the technologies and partnerships needed to deliver a clean energy future.”
Strong responses from the research community
The inaugural SPRINT call attracted significant interest, with a total of 86 applications submitted from across the UK, underscoring both the depth of emerging talent in the hydrogen sector and the significance of the funding opportunity on offer. The awards span a wide range of disciplines, including materials science, electrochemistry, bioengineering, combustion, and systems design, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of hydrogen research.
Expanding the reach of the network, the programme brought new institutional involvement, including the University of Nottingham and Queen Mary University of London, bringing the total number of participating universities from 17 to 19.
Supporting transformative research careers
A defining feature of the SPRINT programme is its focus on researcher development alongside scientific innovation.
Each project includes clear plans for mentoring, skills development, and career progression, ensuring that awardees gain not only funding but also the support needed to establish independence and build long-term research trajectories.
Sibimol Luke, Chair of the ECR Network at UK-HyRES, reflected on the importance of this support:
“As an early-career researcher myself, I know how transformative this kind of support can be. Funding like this is often a real turning point for an ECR, building momentum at a critical career stage and enabling researchers to grow in confidence and independence.
“I’m really pleased to see UK-HyRES continuing to provide dedicated funding for ECRs and supporting them to establish their own place within academic research.”
One of the funded researchers, Luke Woodliffe, added, “I’m very grateful to UK-HyRES for the SPRINT award. It’s a wonderful opportunity for early-career researchers such as myself to gain experience in managing our own research project, and to experiment with some exciting novel science!”
Linlin Yang, Research Assistant at the University of Oxford and another of the successful SPRINT awardees, also commented, “I am very pleased to receive SPRINT funding to support my research on ammonia combustion and its contribution to the UK’s decarbonisation efforts. It is a privilege to contribute at a time when practical low-carbon solutions are urgently needed.
“This award is particularly meaningful for early-career researchers, as it enables independent research, strengthens expertise in zero-carbon technologies, and supports long-term career development.”
Next steps for the SPRINT programme
Funded projects are scheduled to begin between April and June 2026, with all research to be completed by 31 December 2026.
As these projects get underway, they will contribute not only to advancing hydrogen technologies but also to shaping the next generation of research leaders in the UK.
With strong demand, a high calibre of applications, and a growing network of collaborators, the SPRINT initiative represents an important step in strengthening the UK’s hydrogen innovation ecosystem, supporting both scientific excellence and the people driving it forward.
Developing expertise across the hydrogen value chain
UK-HyRES-funded projects include:
- Defect-Tuned Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) in Hydrogen Charged Environment, Open New Path for Hydrogen Valves – Sepideh Aliasghari, University of Manchester
- Living Semiconductors for Green Hydrogen: Biosynthesis and Self-Regeneration of Nanoparticles at Engineered Bio-Abiotic Interfaces – Lin Su, Queen Mary University London
- Tracking Electrochemical Degradation in PEM Water Electrolysers – Connor Sherwin, University of Oxford
- Next-Generation Green Methanol: Enhancing Biogas Conversion through Solid Oxide Cells – Shu Wang, University of St Andrews
- Nanoconfined Reactive Hydrides for Advanced Solid-State Hydrogen Storage – Luke Woodliffe, University of Nottingham
- Energy-Efficient Hydrogen Purification: Engineering Nanopores in Atomically Thin Membrane – Shiqi Huang, University of Bath
- Enabling Zero-Carbon Ammonia Engines through Multiple Spark Ignition – Linlin Yang, University of Oxford
- HySPIN: Spin-Isomer and Adsorption Interactions in Hydrogen Systems – Rajan Jagpal, University of Bath
Royce-funded projects include:
- Hydro-Oxy: Delivering Technical-Grade Catalyst Bodies for Sustainable Chemical Synthesis – Richard Lewis, Cardiff University
- Hydrogen-Compatible In-operando Fibre-Optic Temperature Monitoring MgH₂ Solid-State Hydrogen Storage – Hongnan Zhang, University of Bristol
- From Natural Gas to Ammonia: Enabling High Ammonia Combustion in a Radiant Wall Burner – Jordan Davies, Cardiff University
- Novel Poly(ionic Liquid) Anion Exchange Membranes for Green Hydrogen Production – Josh J. Bailey, Queen’s University Belfast
- Engineered Membrane with Microfluidic Structures to Manage Electrolyte Transport in Zero-Gap Water Electrolyser – Vinothkannan Mohanraj, Coventry University
- AQUASTOR-Aqua-Ammonia Storage Tank for On-Demand Ammonia and Hydrogen Release – Ramin Mehdipour, University of Nottingham
- Developing Sustainable Anode Materials for PEM Water Electrolysis – Yang Li, University of Oxford