Rio Tinto has committed $150 million to create a Center for Future Materials led by Imperial College London to find innovative ways to provide the materials the world needs for the energy transition.

The ‘Rio Tinto Center for Future Materials’ will fund research programs to transform the way vital materials are produced, used and recycled, and make them more environmentally, economically and socially sustainable.

Under the partnership, Rio Tinto and Imperial will together define a set of major global challenges that need to be addressed. These will form the basis of the first research programs the Center pursues, in partnership with a selection of international academic institutions.

The Center will be established in the second half of 2023, with the first research programs funded in 2024. Rio Tinto will contribute $150 million over 10 years to fund the Center.

The $150 million commitment has been made in Rio Tinto’s 150^th anniversary year. It will be delivered in 10 annual instalments and will fund research that empowers diverse, inter-disciplinary teams to deliver innovative, and transformative solutions with environment, society, and governance at their core.

The Center will complement an Innovation Advisory Committee of global experts in their fields that Rio Tinto recently established to accelerate its innovation portfolio and provide external insights and guidance on emerging and disruptive technologies.

The Innovation Advisory Committee includes members with experience in academia, industry and government.