The UK government has published its Net Zero Research and Innovation Framework.
Coming a week before the UN COP26 conference in Glasgow, and produced under the guidance of the Net Zero Innovation Board, the framework sets out research and innovation priority areas for the next five to 10 years aimed at supporting the delivery of the UK's Net Zero Strategy and carbon budget commitments.
As might be expected, the framework identifies key areas for research and innovation in Power, Industry and low-carbon hydrogen supply, Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) and Greenhouse Gas Removal (GGR), Heat and buildings, Transport, Natural resources, waste and F-gases, and aims to take a whole-systems approach in recognition of the inter-related nature of the challenges (and opportunities) the move to Net Zero represents.
The report highlights that innovation is key in reducing the cost of the net zero transition, fostering the development of better products and removing the barriers to adoption, however it also highlights that technologies needed to deliver almost half of the CO2 reductions required to reach net zero by 2050 are still in prototype phases. Continuing technological innovation is therefore key to achieve the government's targets and IP is expected to play a central role in supporting and incentivising this growth.
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