ViridiCO2 is a new, globally innovative spin-out from the University of Southampton that aims to provide transformative technology to the chemical manufacturing industry by implementing solutions that directly use carbon dioxide (CO2) to make chemical intermediates that find use in everyday items, such as the foams inside furniture, electrolytes for batteries, or fibres for clothes.

Through intensive research efforts carried out during a recent PhD project, a new catalyst technology has been discovered that is capable of directly inserting carbon dioxide into chemical intermediates. This provides not only a method for **directly utilising CO2 from anthropogenic emissions** but reduces our petrochemical reliance by replacing fossil-fuel based starting materials with CO2, saving vital natural resources. Through implementation into the UK and international chemical industry, our technology offers the potential to advance chemical manufacturing in the UK, reducing lead times of industrially important materials. This bolsters the UK's manufacturing capability and lessens reliance on international imports, transitioning towards a more circular supply chain and makes for a more sustainable nation.

To successfully bring this technology to market and make efficient CO2 utilisation a reality, we must ensure sustainable quantities of the catalyst technology is available, and a seamless supply chain is available to chemical manufacturers. Through engagement with industrial contacts during a 3-month market validation process, supported by InnovateUK's ICURe programme, we have identified a series of chemical manufacturers that could implement our technology into their production process, enabling them to produce chemicals directly from CO2\.

Through this InnovateUK funding call, we aim to accelerate the technology readiness level the ViridiCO2 catalyst technology by effectively scaling to pilot-level, developing continuous production capability that seamlessly produces the catalyst. This, in turn, will allow us to validate the effectiveness of our catalyst technology to provide tailored chemical intermediates for chemical manufacturers.

Demonstrating this capability is critical for the implementation of carbon capture utilisation (CCU) technology, as it will lay the foundation for industrial-scale CCU to be tested, accelerating our capability to provide the UK with world leading technology that actively contributes towards the UK's strategy to mitigate greenhouse emissions and reach net-zero by 2050\.