Rio Tinto, a global mining company, has pledged $150 million to establish the ‘Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials’ in partnership with Imperial College London. The center aims to conduct research programs to transform the production, usage, and recycling of vital materials, making them more sustainable from environmental, economic, and social perspectives. The initiative is part of Rio Tinto’s commitment to support the energy transition and find innovative solutions to meet the world’s material needs.
The partnership with Imperial College London will identify major global challenges related to materials for the energy transition and drive research efforts to address them. The center is set to launch in the second half of 2023, with the first research programs funded in 2024. Over the next decade, Rio Tinto will contribute $150 million to support the center’s activities and foster collaborative research between industry and academia.
Rio Tinto’s CEO, Jakob Stausholm, emphasized the importance of research and development in achieving the goal of net zero emissions and highlighted the significance of collaboration between industry and academic institutions to drive innovation.
Imperial College London’s Vice Provost for Research and Enterprise, Professor Mary Ryan, highlighted the need for sustainable approaches to extracting, processing, and reusing resources and expressed the university’s commitment to developing resource and energy-efficient solutions that align with environmental and societal values.
The Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials adds to Rio Tinto’s longstanding support for research and innovation. It reflects the company’s dedication to finding solutions that are environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and economically viable, while also marking the company’s 150th anniversary.
