Express your interest in the next phase of the Supergen Bioenergy Hub

We are engaging with our stakeholder community to express interest in being part of the next phase of the Supergen Bioenergy Hub which will run from November 2023 as a new impact focused Hub funded by UK Research and Innovation.

Our academic community has been offered the opportunity to apply for two roles under the new formation of the Hub and we are delighted to announce the following researchers are now working with us to develop the new Hub:

Hallett (Imperial College London) will support research incubation and commercialisation, Sneddon (University of York) will support industrial knowledge diffusion and Thornley (Aston University) enabling frameworks and policy.
Roeder (Aston University) – Maximising sustainability trade-offs of bioenergy deployment and scale-up enabling innovation economic growth and societal benefits.
Watson (University of Glasgow) – Improving scale-up efficiency and deployment rate of thermochemical processing and biorefineries through experimental design, adaptive models and machine learning techniques.
Holland (University of Southampton) – Geospatial land-use frameworks and ILUC.
Blanco-Sanchez (Aston University) – Optimisation of low carbon hydrogen production from biomass gasification.
Li (University of Strathclyde) – Development and Demonstration of Hydrogen Production from Direct Biomass Electrolysis.
Paul (University of Glasgow) – BECCUS net negative hydrogen technology from MSW via high pressure gasification.
Siouris (University of Sheffield) – Aero-engine system modelling capacity and combustion characteristics for bio-derived sustainable aviation fuels.
Yuan (University of Sheffield) – rDME – process optimization, efficiency and economic enhancement.
Short (University Surrey) – A Decision-support Software Platform for the Anaerobic Digestion Industry Leveraging Artificial Intelligence

There will also be a strong focus on public engagement and perceptions in recognition of the contested nature of Bioenergy deployment. For further academic opportunities to be involved, please email Emma Wheeley at supergen-bioenergy@aston.ac.uk

For our non-academic and industry stakeholders, we are inviting Expressions of Interest and this may involve a place on the Advisory Board, reviewing proposals, a project for collaborative funding, or hosting or undertaking secondment opportunities. Please send an email of interest to Rebecca Fothergill, Stakeholder Engagement Manager at: r.fothergill@aston.ac.uk. The deadline for submissions is 13 March 2023.

The process below is now closed and for information purposes only.

Academics can apply for a:

1. Cross-cutting role that will deliver impact by impartially supporting horizon scanning, evidence gathering, technical potential, economic and environmental impacts of new/developing technologies. Apply using the online form here – this form is now closed.

2. Technology development role that will involve matching your academic skills and knowledge to a particular project or challeng.e that the industry/sector faces, which could be replicated or scaled-up to deliver impact. Apply using the online form here – this form is now closed.

Non-academics cannot receive direct funding under this programme but can contact us directly to explore how we can help accelerate your bioenergy implementation at supergen-bioenergy@aston.ac.uk

Application Process and timelines

1. You can apply for one or both opportunities by completing the online forms available.
2. Deadline for submissions is midday on 17 February 2023.
3. All submissions will be reviewed and successful applicants will be contacted by the Supergen Bioenergy Hub team and invited to a proposal building meeting on 21 February at Aston University in Birmingham.

This process follows on from our stakeholder consultation events which took place on 24, 25 & 27 January in person and online to inform our community of the upcoming UKRI proposal and gather input on the needs of academia, industry and policy in the field of bioenergy and how we can work together effectively in the future.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and if you have any questions, please contact us directly at supergen-bioenergy@aston.ac.uk