This one day conference will consider Advances in Protective Clothing through the latest innovations in materials science and design.

The Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers are accepting applications for their 2012 Venture Prize. The Royal Society are also accepting nominations for a range of awards.

The FOAMS® 2012 conference will be held September 12-13 in Barcelona, Spain.

Two physicists have been knighted for their work in developing graphene, a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon that is stronger than steel.

Clothes usually get dirtier as you wear them, but in the future taking your t-shirt out of the drawer might actually clean it. Engineers have developed a type of cotton that is able to clean itself in response to sunlight.

The ability of small businesses to borrow money is a key to economic growth, particularly in manufacturing and engineering. Government plans are in place to increase lending to businesses, but it is being questioned whether greater credit availability is actually allowing companies to borrow more.

Winners of the IOM3 2011 Special and Publication Awards were presented with their medals and prizes at an Awards Lunch at the Institute's London office

The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, worth £1m, has been launched by David Cameron to celebrate work that benefits society and to inspire young people to become engineers.

The difficulties and sheer breadth of characterisation were among the topics discussed at Advances in Measurement of Nanomaterials and Their Impact on Man and the Environment, held on September 14 in Oxford, UK.

We would like to draw your attention to a prestigious new award to recognise outstanding contributions to research in chemistry and materials science, the £50,000 AkzoNobel UK Science Award.