England's northwest is at the centre of a wide-ranging programme of investment in materials technologies that will help the UK meet its energy challenges.

The Technology Strategy Board and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council will invest at least £10 million in 16 innovative research and development (R&D) projects.

A third of these involve companies that either have significant presences in - or are based - in the northwest. These are Pilkington Technology Management, Rolls-Royce, Bayer Material Science and the University of Liverpool.

The projects include R&D in areas such as bio-based natural fibre insulation; new materials for energy tidal turbines; a new manufacturing process to produce cellular vacuum insulation; and sustainable power cable materials technologies.

Technology Strategy Board director David Bott said: "The technologies will bring enormous economic benefit in future and will have global potential."

According to the Northwest Regional Development Agency, the region is Europe's leading producer of advanced materials.

In May, it was reported that a new material developed in Manchester could help drive the next generation of high-performance hydrogen cars.

Scientists at Organic Materials Innovation Centre were awarded £150,000 to explore how a special polymer can capture and recover carbon dioxide as it is released into the atmosphere.