Versarien plc (LON:VRS), the advanced materials engineering group, has told DirectorsTalk that it has won a single supplier competitive tender for the ongoing supply of nanomaterials, including the Company’s graphene, to the Centre for Process Innovation Limited. The evaluation of the tender was based principally on the quality and specification of the graphene to be supplied with additional marks awarded for price and delivery.
The CPI, established by the UK Government, is a technology innovation centre and the process arm of the UK Government’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult. The HVMC is a strategic initiative that aims to revitalise the UK’s manufacturing industry. Overseen by the Technology Strategy Board, the HVMC consists of seven centres, including the CPI, with over GBP200 million of government investment.
Versarien will be supplying up to 1.2 kilograms of graphene in a variety of forms, including the Company’s proprietary brand, Nanene, to the CPI.
Additionally, Versarien has won the tender to supply the nanomaterial, few hexagonal layer boron nitride, to the CPI. This is a significant new product developed by Versarien subsidiary 2D Tech Ltd with multiple potential applications. Whilst structurally similar to graphene, it has very different properties and can be used in areas where graphene is not suitable, in particular, where the electrical conductivity or chemical reactivity of graphene is an issue.
These are all materials produced by Versarien’s subsidiaries 2D Tech Ltd and Cambridge Graphene Ltd. The tender documentation provides a framework agreement under which purchase orders will be issued by the CPI as they require the Company’s materials for the varied projects they are involved with.
Neill Ricketts, CEO of Versarien, commented: “We are very pleased to have been successful in all the tenders we entered into to supply the CPI with our nanomaterials after a competitive process. This provides further significant independent validation of the quality of the materials we are able to supply and we are now moving from supplying graphene in quantities of a few grams to kilogram sized orders.
“The CPI is at the forefront of UK manufacturing innovation, bridging the gap between large global companies and technologies to provide a route for scaling technologies to the levels needed by corporates. We anticipate that the inclusion of our materials in products they are working on will significantly enhance their properties. For Versarien this is an important route for the commercialisation of products enhanced by graphene and other related materials.
“We continue to receive record levels of enquires from potential purchasers of our products globally and look forward to making further announcements as appropriate.”
