Fuel cell catalyst scale-up a

RNS Number : 6788N

Ilika plc

16 June 2010

 



Ilika plc

("Ilika" or the "Company")

Fuel cell catalyst scale-up agreement

Ilika and ITRI to scale up and commercialise next generation fuel cell catalysts

Ilika plc (AIM:IKA), the advanced cleantech materials discovery company, has signed an agreement with Taiwan's premier not-for-profit R&D organisation, the Industrial Technology Research Institute ("ITRI"), to scale-up and commercialise jointly the next generation fuel cell catalysts. The Company believes this agreement will be a vital component of the energy industry's efforts to develop consumer-friendly fuel cell technology.

Since initially developing and patenting a lower cost, platinum-free fuel cell catalyst in 2006, Ilika has undertaken further development of the compound and is now confident that it offers cost and availability benefits relative to competing technology.

ITRI possesses state-of-the-art integrated abilities in fuel cell technology, including material and device development, manufacturing, application and evaluation, and has agreed to enter into a non-exclusive collaboration to scale-up Ilika's catalyst materials.

Under this agreement the parties aim to have samples available to potential customers in approximately 18 months. ITRI will meet the cost of this scale-up work. Thereafter catalyst material should be available for large scale supply during the following 12 months.

The parties have also agreed to co-operate in the commercialisation and marketing of the new catalyst, taking full advantage of their global network of potential users.

Ilika's Chief Executive, Graeme Purdy, said, "This agreement is a great example of how Ilika develops innovative materials that solve complex industrial challenges together with our partners and shares in the commercial upside that these technological advances make possible.

ITRI is a world leader with renowned capability in the field of fuel cell catalysts. We are very pleased it has agreed to enter into this agreement."

The global market for fuel cells is growing rapidly, with sales in Europe alone expected to grow to €3.6 billion by 2016. Catalysts make up about 40% of the cost of a typical fuel cell.

Dr. Jonq Ming Liu, Vice president and General Director Of Material and Chemical Research Labs, ITRI, concluded, "ITRI hopes to establish more opportunities for international cooperation and technology transfer, and we are delighted to have this opportunity to work with Ilika."

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For more information contact:

Ilika plc Graeme Purdy, Chief Executive Steve Boydell, Finance Director	[phone]
Nomura Code Securities Limited Phil Walker / Christopher Golden	[phone]
Pelham Bell Pottinger Archie Berens/ Olly Scott / Francesca Tuckett	[phone]

About Ilika

Ilika (AIM: IKA) is an advanced materials company which accelerates the discovery of new and patentable materials using its unique high throughput technologies (''HTT'') process for identified end uses in the energy, electronics and biomedical sectors. This process enables hundreds of scalable materials to be made in a single, automated operation and subsequently tested for key properties.

Traditionally, materials development has been a slow and arduous task, with manual, sequential methods used to make samples of material that are then tested for suitability. On average, it takes between 7 and 10 years to move from an initial discovery through to the first commercial prototype. Experiments carried out by the Company can be executed 10 to 100 times faster than using traditional techniques.

The Company focuses on three principal sectors and has a number of active development programmes addressing markets within each sector:

Energy - developing innovative new materials for Lithium-ion batteries for vehicles for Toyota; developing high capacity hydrogen storage materials with Shell Hydrogen and Johnson Matthey through joint development programmes; developing cheaper alternatives to Platinum electrodes for use in fuel cells through a grant-funded project with the Carbon Trust; developing new materials for use in fuel cells for the transport sector for a major vehicle manufacturer; and carrying out in-house research on film photovoltaic solar cells.

Electronics - developing lead-free piezoelectric materials through a joint development programme with CeramTec; and developing phase change memory materials for high capacity memory.

Biomedical - developing polymers to enable the filtering of somatic stem cells from blood with a major global supplier of filters; it has been selling its Cryoskin and Myskin products for the treatment of burns and wounds in the UK through a specialist distributor and intends to commence clinical trials of its corneal bandage candidate.

The Group's commercialisation strategy is to enter into joint development or licensing agreements with large multinational companies which are seeking to commercialise products developed using the intellectual property created through jointly-funded programmes. Current commercialisation partners include large multinational companies such as Toyota, Shell, Johnson Matthey and CeramTec.  The Company generates revenues from three sources: licensing and milestone payments from joint development programmes; fee for service from contract research projects; and from sales of Cryoskin and Myskin.

www.ilika.com

About ITRI

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is a not-for-profit R&D organization engaging in applied research and technical services. Founded in 1973, ITRI has played a vital role in transforming Taiwan's economy from a labor-intensive industry to a high-tech industry. Numerous well-known high-tech companies in Taiwan, such as leaders in the semiconductor industry TSMC and UMC, can trace their origins to ITRI.

Innovative Research

ITRI is a multidisciplinary research center, with six core laboratories, five focus centers, five linkage centers, several leading labs and various business development units. The six fields ITRI focuses on include Information and Communication; Electronics and Optoelectronics; Material, Chemical and Nanotechnologies; Biomedical Technologies; Advanced Manufacturing and Systems; and Energy and Environment. ITRI has aggressively researched and developed countless next-generation technologies, including WIMAX wireless broadband, solar cells, RFID, light electric vehicles, flexible displays, 3-D ICs and telecare technologies. In addition, ITRI's Flexible Electronics Pilot Lab and Nanotechnology Lab provide international-level research platforms where R&D can be conducted jointly with partners. ITRI has also seen significant growth in intellectual property business and new ventures in recent years and is devoted to creating a model that would make Taiwan manufacturing even more competitive in the international arena.

Fostering Entrepreneurship and CEO Leadership

ITRI employs 5,800personnel, including 1,112 who hold Ph.D.s and 3,206with master's degrees, resulting in an average of five patents produced every day. By disseminating both technology and talent, ITRI has led the technology industry into the 21st century and has cultivated 70 CEOs in the local high-tech industry. In addition to its headquarters in Taiwan, ITRI has branch offices in the California Silicon Valley, Tokyo, Berlin and Moscow.

 

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