Goal 17 – Partnerships for the Goals

The pursuit of this goal will be vital for achieving fuel diversification, conserving natural resources and improving energy security across the world.

In understanding Goal 17, we can see many ways in which we are positive contributors. Here we’ve highlighted just one key example which typifies how our products are accelerating the march towards affordable, clean energy worldwide.

We know first-hand the role partnerships can have in the creation of new technologies and unlocking new applications. M&I Materials is renowned for working in partnership with academic institutions, standards bodies, materials suppliers, government agencies and critical infrastructure operators worldwide.

Partnerships are significant because:

• Our customers directly benefit from the expertise, perspectives and new ideas generated from our partnership communities.
• Collaborative partnerships accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices and technologies that benefit society.
• Our customers have the reassurance of working with a company embedded with leading institutions who are renowned for innovation and market leadership.

Partnerships of all kinds can be effective vehicles for developing new and improved products, better applications knowledge and for bringing about the kind of changes a sustainable future will depend on. Collaboration has long permeated every aspect of our business and we want that to continue. Here are some examples of how, and why, partnerships are central to M&I Materials:

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER PARTNERSHIPS

We are routinely engaged in Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programmes with leading academic bodies worldwide. These include University of Manchester, Liverpool JM, Budapest, Berkley University, The University of Southampton and others.  Our collaborations with the academic world help drive R&D programmes and support our customer’s projects.

PROFESSIONAL & STANDARDS BODIES

Over decades, we have developed close ties with industry bodies such as the IEC, IEEE, ASTM, BIS, Cigré and many others. Through this work, we have been able to contribute to improved electrical and safety standards globally. Going forward we will continue to play a key role in the adoption of sustainable materials in our core markets worldwide.

INDUSTRIAL COLLABORATIONS

Our record is one of industry-firsts, working with brands like Siemens, Vestas, Faraday Future and utilities providers all over the world. We support OEMs to improve asset performance and we support EPCs in building sustainable substations. In 2021, our Innovate UK project, i-CoBat (Immersion Cooled EV Battery) won The Engineer’s Collaborate to Innovate award.

MATERIAL INNOVATION

Materials Science is at the heart of what we do, and we believe it will help to deliver on the promise of a more sustainable future. By working with pioneers like Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), together with our R&D programmes, material innovation will drive new products and market adoption.

Our newest innovation, MIVOLT, is enabling a step change in electric vehicle (EV) rapid charging, in turn helping to broaden the appeal of EVs. This range of biodegradable dielectric fluids provides immersion cooling for EV batteries and charging points.

To test and validate how MIVOLT can benefit EV batteries, M&I Materials led the i-CoBat project, which included engineering consultants Ricardo PLC and the University of Warwick, as part of the government’s Faraday Battery Challenge. The optimised immersion cooling delivered with MIVOLT was benchmarked against “best-in-class” cold plate cooling.

In the i-CoBat project charging times were reduced by 43%, exceeding the project’s target of a 20-30% reduction.

Results of the project also indicate that MIVOLT can extend battery life. Against the market leader an 8% improvement was recorded.