A plan to establish Scotland’s central belt as a global leader in sustainable electronics manufacturing and design has received a £5.5 million boost.

The Responsible Electronics and Circular Technologies Centre (REACT) will share in £25 million from the UKRI’s Accelerating the Green Economy programme along with four other new centres.

The programme aims to accelerate the green economy by supporting research and innovation that unlocks solutions essential to achieving net zero in the UK by 2025.

It’s one of five strategic themes from UKRI aiming to harness the full power of the UK’s research and innovation system to tackle large-scale, complex challenges.

REACT is the UK’s first sustainable electronics centre and will drive the transition to net-zero by addressing the environment and economic challenges facing the industry.

The University of Glasgow will lead and coordinate the four-year project in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, and the Compound Semiconductor Catapult in Scotland.

They will also promote adopting green technologies through collaboration between academia, industry and policymakers.

There have been significant challenges for the electronics industry, including large amounts of Waste Electrical and Electonic Equipment (WEEE), high emissions and widespread use of Critical Raw Materials (CRMS) such as gold, palladium and indium which are all materials with limited reserves.

However, in Scotland, the industry is vital to regional economy, driving economic growth, environmental commitments and national security.

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There are more than 130 companies and 10,300 employees contributions to an annual turnover of almost £3 billon, but the industry is aware it has to adapt.

Professor Jeff Kettle from the University of Glasgow, who will lead and coordinate the REACT Hub, said: “The Centre will unite leading researchers to drive the industry’s transition toward a net-zero economy. Its primary focus will be developing solutions to reduce electronic waste, minimise reliance on critical raw materials (CRMs), and reduce carbon footprints.”

The REACT team brings extensive expertise across various areas, including electronic materials, design, manufacturing, and assembly, environmental impact, supply chain management, and business modelling.

Professor Bing Xu of Heriot-Watt University said: “REACT will leverage its partnerships to translate research into practical applications, boosting both the region’s and the UK’s global competitiveness in the sector.”

REACT will collaborate with SMEs in the region to develop demonstrators and market-led solutions and provide skills training. 

Prof Jason Love of the University of Edinburgh said: “REACT will bring together industrial partners as well as the supply chain of companies and proactively communicate to the wider public, driving change at a governmental level.”

The University of Glasgow will also play a key role in the Centre for Net-Zero High Density Buildings, which is another centre supported by the funding.

Professor Gioia Falcone from the University’s James Watt School of Engineering will lead their contribution to the centre, which is setting out to investigate how densely-populated urban areas can be made more energy efficient.

The centre  has received £4.5 million from UKRI, with a further £1.1 million in support from industry, education, the public sector and the community.