To deliver a step change in our understanding of materials impacting safety, reliability, sustainability and performance across bp operations, enabling improved utilisation of existing, and access to new resources.
To be a benchmark for university-industry partnerships delivered through a diverse, inclusive, integrated, synergistic collaboration serving as a catalyst for deepening and extending the ICAM network.
To provide a platform to access, convene and develop leading-edge skills in the advanced materials field primarily for bp, but extending across the broader energy industry and associated supply chains.
Innovation – Discovering and developing new and more efficient technologies and processes
Excellence – Enduring high standards of safety and technology management
Collaboration – Creating a community with common purpose and mutual trust
Capability – Building skills, capacity and infrastructure
Impact – Delivering solutions that make a real difference to bp and the industry
Sustainability – Driving sustainability, encompassing climate and the environment
Inclusivity – Striving to maintain a diverse, inclusive, and open environment
Recognising the critical dependence of the energy sector on new materials, the International Centre for Advanced Materials was set up by bp with a $100m investment in autumn 2012.
Built upon a hub and spoke model this project brings together world-leading strengths of four universities to create an international centre of excellence in advanced materials research.
Our Partners
Collaboration is at the centre of the ICAM working model. Teams across the five partners work seamlessly to address a range of global energy industry challenges. These challenges include efficient and sustainable electrocatalysis, operating in harsh environments, and supporting the development of advanced fuels and lubricants. The complementary strengths of each partner have already been blended into an ever growing set of research projects.
ICAM has links to five EPSRC Centres for Doctoral Training. The Centres are hosted by the UK partner universities, generating over 300 PhD students with a federal approach adopted for the running and sharing of materials training.
What makes this international partnership special is the collaborative nature of the programme, with university-based scientists interfacing directly with bp staff across the world allowing direct education. University and bp staff have “day-to-day” involvement in the research projects, helping to transfer pioneering knowledge across continents.
The academic partnership between The University of Manchester, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, combines game-changing capabilities in structural materials, corrosion, separations, surfaces, deposits and self-healing materials.
The research programme at ICAM is guided by our Directors, the Governance Board, and the Project Management Board, composed of individuals from our partner institutions.
Our alumni carry out research at some of the most prestigious international universities and work at some of the most innovative companies in the world.
Collaborate with ICAM through either studying or working at one of our partner instiutions.
View the opportunities to study for a PhD with one of our university partners.
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We are always looking for talented and passionate people to work as part of our team.
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