June 30th July 1st 2025
The Surrey Ion Beam Centre and the Advanced Technology Institute jointly hosted a
successful two-day UK-India Conference on Advanced Semiconductor Materials for
Sustainable Technologies at the 5G/6G Innovation Centre, University of Surrey. The event
brought together over 80 leading multidisciplinary experts from academia, industry, and
government to foster bilateral collaboration in semiconductor research, with a focus
on sustainable technologies and skills development.
The conference opened with welcome addresses by Professor Tim Dunne, Interim Vice-
Chancellor of the University of Surrey, and Professor J.N. Murthy from the Indian
Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Trivandrum. A key highlight of the
opening session was the launch of a dual degree Master’s programme in semiconductor
technologies in partnership with Manipal University, designed to nurture future talent in
sustainable semiconductor development.
Read more about the new UK-India dual degree programme
The conference featured over 30 distinguished speakers—15 from prominent UK
institutions including Cambridge, Swansea, and the Henry Royce Institute, and 15 from
leading Indian institutions such as IISc Bangalore, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, and Manipal
University. The speaker lineup was curated to reflect Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
(EDI) principles, balancing early-career researchers with senior academics.
Key themes explored included:
- The strategic importance of semiconductors in clean energy, digital
infrastructure, and supply chain resilience - The interdisciplinary nature of semiconductor research and its applications
- Opportunities and challenges in UK-India research collaboration
The conference concluded with a high-level panel discussion featuring representatives from
the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), India’s Department of Science and
Technology (DST), and the Ayushman National Research Foundation (ANRF) chaired by
Prof Satheesh Krishnamurthy. The panel addressed critical topics such as collaboration
challenges, funding mechanisms, and ensuring mutual benefits for both nations.
Attendees engaged in vibrant networking sessions and poster presentations that
showcased cutting-edge semiconductor research across multiple application domains.
The event not only facilitated meaningful partnerships but also sparked new collaborative
ideas and interdisciplinary research themes poised to make a tangible impact in both
societies.
More information about the event can be found at: https://ukindiasemicon.co.uk
