Reach - a non-regulatory announcement

AIM: FIPP

18 December 2025

Frontier IP Group Plc

("Frontier IP" or the "Group")

Portfolio news - Dekiln benefits from £3 million funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering to scale up to industrial production

Frontier IP, a specialist in commercialising intellectual property, today announces that Dr Aled Roberts, chief executive of portfolio company Dekiln Limited (or "Dekiln" or the "Company"), has been named as one of the Royal Academy of Engineering's inaugural Green Future Fellows. The Fellowship brings with it £3 million of funding for Dekiln to use to scale up its kiln-free tile technology to industrial-scale production.

The award has been made as part of The Royal Academy's first Green Future Fellowship programme to support outstanding engineers and innovators to scale solutions that cut emissions, improve resource efficiency and accelerate the transition to net zero.

Dekiln plans to use the funds to establish a pilot manufacturing plant able to produce up to 1,000m² a day, working in partnership with UK-based industrial partners. The Company raised £693,000 at a valuation of £2.69 million in September 2024 in an equity round led by Green Angel Ventures.  It has subsequently completed its first commercial installation and moved into bigger premises. Frontier IP holds a 24.8 per cent equity stake in the Company.

Dekiln's technology creates ceramic-like composite materials by combining plant-derived binders with waste mineral powders, such as recycled gypsum plaster.  The materials look, feel and have similar properties to ceramics, but do not need to be fired or glazed at high temperatures - avoiding energy intensive kilns used produce traditional ceramics.

As a result, Dekiln's tiles have a carbon footprint 94 per cent lower than conventional tiles made with the same equipment. whilst containing more than 95 per cent recycled content.  

The Company was founded by Dr Roberts, who holds a PhD in Materials Chemistry from the University of Liverpool.

In total, The Royal Academy awarded £39 million to 13 Green Future Fellows. The programme is supported by £150 million from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. More details can be found on The Royal Academy's website: https://raeng.org.uk/. Frontier IP chair Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE FREng FRS FMedSci is chair of the Green Future Fellowship Steering Group.* The award to Dr Roberts is subject to agreeing suitable commercial terms.

Frontier IP chair Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE FREng FRS FMedSci, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, chair of the Green Future Fellowship Steering Group, said: "The climate crisis is the challenge of our generation. We need era-defining solutions that address the enormity of the challenge. Many of these solutions exist, but need the dual investment of money and time to make them a success. The Green Future Fellowships support innovators who are pushing engineering boundaries, building bold solutions to climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience. The inaugural Green Future Fellows are pioneering truly advanced technologies and engineering solutions to protect the world we live in." 

Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: "Engineering is playing a critical role in addressing the climate crisis. We are awarding £150 million over the next five years to at least 50 long-term, scalable, commercially viable solutions that will have real-world impact, with each awardee able to develop their solution over a 10-year period.

"This novel and ambitious approach to supporting climate solutions fills a gap in the funding landscape by providing flexible support to talented innovators from any background to convert transformational ideas into climate impact.

"The Royal Academy of Engineering's Green Future Fellowships provide academics, entrepreneurs, innovators and engineers, the space and time to transform their cutting-edge ideas into scalable, commercially viable, technologies to secure a greener, fairer future." 

Dr Aled Roberts, Dekiln Chief Executive Officer, said: "The ambition of the Fellowship is to prove at industrial scale that you can have the same tile without the kiln - dramatically lower carbon footprint and energy costs."

Frontier IP Chief Executive Officer Neil Crabb said: "This substantial award from the country's leading backer of engineering and engineering expertise represents strong validation for Dekiln's unique technology. The Company has already made its first commercial sales, and these funds will enable it to scale up at speed."  

*Frontier IP chair Baroness Brown of Cambridge was not involved in the selection of Dr Aled Roberts for the Fellowship and award of funds.

ENQUIRIES

About The Royal Academy of Engineering's Green Future Fellowship

The Royal Academy of Engineering's Green Future Fellowship supports outstanding engineers and innovators to scale solutions that cut emissions, improve resource efficiency and accelerate the transition to net zero. Fellows receive flexible funding, mentoring and access to the Academy's network to progress high-impact, engineering-led projects from proof of concept to commercial deployment. The programme focuses on innovations with strong potential for real-world adoption and measurable environmental benefit, and it encourages collaboration across industry, academia and the public sector.

Support typically covers technical development, pilot and demonstration activity, independent testing and accreditation, business planning, market development and public engagement. Selection emphasises technical excellence, credible delivery plans, robust pathways to impact, and a commitment to responsible innovation and inclusion. The Fellowship framework is designed to de-risk scale-up while safeguarding research freedom and enabling UK-based economic and societal benefit.

About Dekiln

Dekiln is a Manchester-based clean technology company developing low-carbon, high-recycled-content alternatives to conventional ceramic tiles that avoid kiln-firing

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