compoundsemiconductor.net, Oct. 07, 2024 –
A new £5.5 million initiative aims to establish Scotland's Central Belt as a leader in sustainable electronics manufacturing and design.
The University of Glasgow will lead and coordinate the four-year project in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, and The Compound Semiconductor Catapult in Scotland.
The Responsible Electronics and Circular Technologies Centre (REACT) is one of five new centres announced across the UK which will share in £25M from UKRI's Accelerating the Green Economy programme.
It will drive the transition to net-zero electronics, addressing both the environmental and economic challenges faced by the industry, while promoting the adoption of green technologies through collaboration between academia, industry, and policymakers.
The Compound Semiconductor Catapult in Scotland will providi access to cutting-edge equipment and world-class expertise to support start-ups, SMEs, large organisations, and academia in advancing compound semiconductor technology integration.
The electronics industry is primarily driven by technical and economic considerations, often neglecting sustainability principles. This has led to significant challenges, including large amounts of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), high emissions across the supply chain, and widespread use of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) such as gold, palladium, and indium—materials with limited reserves.