St Helens gets £15mln for the future of glass

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is investing £15mln in an experimental glass furnace facility in St Helens, UK. The, facility will be capable of producing 30 tonnes of glass a day for R&D into products such as bottles, jars or windows.

Located on the former United Glass site, and run by Glass Futures Ltd, a not for profit company, the project provides users with access to a scaled-down manufacturing facility for making process improvements. Research undertaken at the facility will focus on improvements in energy and resource efficiency, alternative raw materials, productivity improvements and training.

This funding represents the largest single item from UKRI’s Transforming Foundation Industry (TFI) Wave 3 Challenge budget of £66m across four years. The TFI programme aims to help energy-intensive foundation businesses to share expertise, adapt to new technology and create new innovations to help reduce their carbon footprint.

Alongside UKRI funding and the support of St Helens Borough Council, land owner and developer Network Space is seeking a further £9m grant from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and securing private sector investment to support the construction costs of the facility. The global glass industry will provide a combined £20m in resource, time and equipment to support the future operation of the R&D facility.