What Specific Innovations does

SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre is a publicly funded UK research centre led by Swansea University and accredited by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as one of six Innovation and Knowledge Centres (IKCs). Founded in 2011 at Baglan Energy Park with operations centred on the Swansea University Bay Campus, SPECIFIC's mission is to deliver Active Buildings that generate, store and release their own heat and electricity from solar energy, addressing the fact that buildings account for nearly 40% of UK energy use and global carbon emissions.

The centre's technology stack integrates printed perovskite photovoltaics (including a world-first roll-to-roll manufactured carbon-electrode perovskite solar cell developed in 2023), thermal and electrical energy storage, functional industrial coatings for steel and glass substrates, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), and intelligent building energy management systems with carbon-intensity-aware control. Core IP is embodied in six full-scale demonstrators — the Active Classroom (2016), Active Office (2018), Active Homes Neath, the SHED engineering testbed, Y Twyni and the POD — together with the open-source Active Building Toolkit (six-principle design framework and RIBA-stage checklists).

Revenue is generated through multi-year programme grants from EPSRC, UKRI, the Welsh Government and the EU (Horizon Europe), supplemented by industry-sponsored collaborative research contracts and EngD/PhD studentships with multi-national corporates (Tata Steel, NSG Pilkington, Akzo Nobel, Cisco, Power Roll, Armor) and SMEs. Direct commercialisation occurs via spin-out companies such as BIPVco (founded 2015, now manufacturing at 20MW/year capacity), with active programmes operating across the UK, India, Mexico, Rwanda, South Africa, China, Australia and Brazil.

Name

Specific Innovations

Legal name

SPECIFIC Innovation & Knowledge Centre

Website

https://specific-ikc.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre is a UKRI-accredited research centre led by Swansea University that develops, demonstrates and commercialises building-integrated solar, thermal storage and coatings technologies through Active Building demonstrators and industry-sponsored collaborative research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clean Energy Research and Active Building Demonstration Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622), Facilities Support Services (56121)

SIC

Non-Operating Establishments (9995), General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Education & Research Facility Construction (Schools, Universities, R&D) (IMAFACAE)

Keywords

• Active buildings research
• Printed photovoltaics development
• Building-integrated solar
• Thermal energy storage research
• Industrial functional coatings

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Talbot

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. UK Government / EPSRC / UKRI research grants: Core funding as a UK Innovation and Knowledge Centre accredited by UKRI; multi-year programme grants including a £6m ATIP EPSRC programme grant (Application Targeted and Integrated Photovoltaics) led by SPECIFIC and Swansea University with Imperial College London and Oxford University.
2. EU / Horizon Europe research funding: EU grants including a £6m further EU investment in 2020 and the Horizon Europe APOLLO project on solar PV recycling with 18 European partners.
3. Welsh Government funding: Direct funding from Welsh Government including the £7m SUNRISE network programme.
4. Newton Fund international research grants: Newton Fund grants (e.g., Institutional Links grant ID 332397170) supporting international collaborations such as the Mexico-UK perovskite PV project.
5. Industry-sponsored collaborative research and studentships: Industry partners (e.g., Power Roll, Armor, BIPVco, Tata Steel) sponsor collaborative research contracts, postdoctoral researcher time, lab consumables, and 3–4 year EngD/PhD studentships.
6. Technical consulting and product development services: SPECIFIC provides facilities access (e.g., the SHED), engineering support, data acquisition/validation studies, and product performance evaluation to SMEs (Rotaheat, measurable.energy, etc.) on a project basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

SPECIFIC is a UK Innovation and Knowledge Centre accredited by UKRI and led by Swansea University that researches, demonstrates and supports early commercialisation of Active Building technologies. It operates a portfolio of full-scale demonstrator buildings (Active Office, Active Classroom, Active Homes Neath, SHED, Y Twyni, POD) backed by six applied-research programmes covering printed photovoltaics, electrical and thermal energy storage, industrial coatings, building energy systems and circular economy, delivered through sponsored collaborative research contracts, studentships, and technical consulting to industry and public-sector partners.

Product overview

SPECIFIC is a UK Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) accredited by UKRI and led by Swansea University, delivering a portfolio of full-scale Active Building demonstrators and a coordinated set of applied-research themes rather than a single commercial software product. The portfolio combines physical demonstrators — The Active Office, The Active Classroom, Active Homes Neath, The SHED, Y Twyni and The POD — together with the Active Building Toolkit for designers, and research programmes covering Printed Photovoltaics, Electrical Energy Storage, Thermal Storage, Industrial Coatings, Building Energy Systems, Circular Economy and Electric Vehicle Integration. The demonstrators are used both to validate SPECIFIC's own breakthroughs (such as the world's first completely roll-to-roll printable perovskite solar cell and an air-quality/CO2 monitor invented by the team) and to provide testbeds for partner products such as BIPVco's Metektron PV roofing, Naked Energy solar-thermal/PV, measurable.energy smart sockets and Rotaheat devices. SPECIFIC also collaborates with the £36m Active Building Centre and the £7m SUNRISE network to translate these technologies into wider deployment and into developing-nation applications such as the OASIS Solar project in India.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Active Buildings: The SPECIFIC concept/brand for buildings that intelligently integrate on-site renewable generation, storage and release of heat and electricity (formerly 'Buildings as Power Stations'). Includes demonstrators such as the Active Office and Active Classroom.
• Active Building Toolkit
• Active Classroom
• Active Office

Products and services

• The Active Office A two-storey modular demonstrator office at Swansea University Bay Campus, built by Wernick with Innovate UK funding, that was the UK's first energy-positive office. It integrates BIPVco Metektron PV roofing, a Naked Energy combined solar thermal/PV façade, battery storage, smart import/export controls, and carbon-intensity-aware optimisation, serving as a working testbed for partners and visitors.
• The Active Classroom SPECIFIC's first full-size building demonstrator, completed in 2016 at Swansea University Bay Campus. It pre-commercial technologies combined with established ones, including a transpired solar collector feeding an ASHP and MVHR, a BIPVco Metektron PV roof, an NSG PV window, novel electrical storage (initially saltwater batteries, later flow batteries), novel construction methods and electric underfloor heating developed at SPECIFIC.
• Active Homes Neath A 'Homes as Power Stations' social-housing development in Neath led by Neath Port Talbot Council and Pobl Group with SPECIFIC technology, providing 16 new homes (eight 2/3-bedroom houses and eight 1-bedroom apartments) on the former Hafod Care Home site, designed as a low-cost energy-positive pilot using integrated renewable technologies and energy-efficient materials.
• The SHED A large industrial building at SPECIFIC used as a long-term testbed for new energy technologies since 2011, and used as the engineering test facility for partner products such as the Rotaheat Pico (30 kW) and Micro (250 kW) devices.
• Y Twyni An Active Buildings demonstrator developed within the Active Building Centre programme, used to showcase building-integrated solar and storage technologies.
• The POD An Active Buildings demonstrator developed within the Active Building Centre programme to showcase building-integrated solar and storage technologies.
• Active Building Toolkit A free toolkit for designers and developers, comprising an Active Building Code of Conduct, an Active Building Design Guide aligned to six core principles, an induction overview, Glossary, Technology Showcase, Case Studies and RIBA-Plan-of-Work stage checklists, with additional monitoring specifications and an energy dashboard specification in development.
• World's First Completely Roll-to-Roll Printable Perovskite Solar Cell A world-first research breakthrough: SPECIFIC's team (Dr David Beynon and colleagues) developed a low-cost scalable carbon ink formulation enabling the world's first completely roll-to-roll printable perovskite solar cell, using carbon electrode ink instead of gold and compatible with flexible substrates for building-integrated, portable and aerospace applications.
• Air Quality Monitor (CO2 monitor) An air-quality monitor invented by the Swansea / SPECIFIC team (Matt Carnie credited) to help protect the public from carbon dioxide dangers in indoor environments.
• World's First Thin-Film Tin Selenide Thermoelectric Generator A world-first research breakthrough: SPECIFIC working with Swansea University Engineering and Queen Mary University of London produced the world's first thin-film tin selenide thermoelectric generator, expanding the centre's portfolio beyond solar PV.

Quantifiable outcome

• £1m initial + £4m follow-on private investment into BIPVco following Active Classroom trial
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

33 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Swansea UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPECIFIC is led by and embedded within Swansea University, co-located with the Materials Science and Engineering department on the Bay Campus. Swansea University holds copyright on all SPECIFIC website text and is the legal/employing institution. SPECIFIC is also based on Baglan Energy Park.
• Tata SteelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-national strategic industry partner; 3-year collaboration launched July 2022 to develop solar roofing panels printed onto steel; co-develops pre-painted coated steel substrate supplied to BIPVco with 30–40 year warranties; ongoing project on perovskite scale-up with Dr Parvazian over the next 3–5 years.
• NSG PilkingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-national strategic industry partner; co-developed a PV window deployed on the Active Classroom and contributed glass/coatings expertise to the Active Building programme.
• Akzo NobelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-national strategic industry partner supporting SPECIFIC's industrial coatings research and Active Building materials programme.
• Oxford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-leading academic partner; collaborates on fundamental and applied energy research including the ATIP Programme Grant.
• Cambridge UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-leading academic research partner collaborating on energy technology research and demonstration activities.
• Imperial College LondonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-lead of the £6m ATIP EPSRC Programme Grant; Professor James Durrant (Imperial) leads the ATIP programme and previously led the £7m Sêr Solar project (2013) with SPECIFIC and Swansea University.
• Transport for WalescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic sector partner; SPECIFIC designed and tested the Active Rail Shelter for Transport for Wales capable of generating enough energy to run essential services in a low carbon manner.
• Pobl GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWelsh housing association partner; collaborated with Neath Port Talbot Council and SPECIFIC on the Active Homes Neath 'Homes as Power Stations' development — 16 new homes on the former Hafod Care Home site as part of the Swansea Bay City Deal.
• Naked EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritish hybrid solar start-up whose combined solar thermal and PV system is installed on the south elevation of the Active Office; raised £17m of new equity in July 2024.
• Wernick BuildingscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal modular construction company that built the two-storey Active Office in 2017 to demonstrate repeatability of the Active Building approach; headquartered a few miles from Swansea University Bay Campus.
• Evergreen Smart PowercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSME partner in the FRED (Flexibly Responsive Energy Demand) project, providing virtual power plant control of domestic EV charging hardware using data from the Active Office.
• BIPVcocoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSME spin-out of SPECIFIC's functional coatings research, founded 2015; Metektron product trialled on the Active Classroom (17kWp, 2016) and the Active Office (22kWp curved PV, 2018); secured £1m then £4m investment; now manufacturing at 20MW/year capacity in Newport, South Wales.
• Power RollcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSunderland-based SME sponsoring an EngD student at Swansea University to integrate perovskites as the active layer in Power Roll's micro-roof electrode film; being incorporated as an official ATIP project partner.
• Armor (Armor solar power films)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench company sponsoring a collaborative research project covering postdoctoral research time, lab consumables and an EngD studentship on OPV scale-up; industrial partner in the ATIP project.
• measurable.energyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPECIFIC ran a 3-month data acquisition and validation study at multiple Swansea sites using m.e smart sockets and Hub software; SPECIFIC's input enabled m.e to add enterprise Wi-Fi compatibility and pursue a KIER pilot at the Active Classroom.
• RotaheatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK SME whose patented technology converts motive power into clean heat at 97%+ efficiency; SPECIFIC provides the SHED facility and engineering support for testing 30 kW and 250 kW Rotaheater devices.
• Solapak Development LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner developing a remote monitoring system for PV and batteries installed at the Kageyo Milk Collection Centre in Rwanda.
• Biofresh Group LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSME partner on a 'Bringing a product to market' webinar collaboration to commercialise a novel decontamination system.
• SurfabilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSurfability UK CIC partner on a 'Running more sustainably' webinar; SPECIFIC helping the organisation understand and utilise their solar tech.
• carbonTRACK LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on the 'Improving an existing product or process' webinar to test carbonTRACK's intelligent energy management systems.
• MyEnergiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmart home EV charging hardware provider for the FRED virtual power plant demonstration at the Active Office.
• Safehouse TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on LoRaWan communications for aggregating local smart sensors used in building monitoring applications.
• University of BathminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner with a PhD student undertaking detailed life-cycle assessments of SPECIFIC's Active Buildings and developing an Active Building rating tool.
• CSIRO (Australia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian research partner; CSIRO team (Hasitha C. Weerasinghe et al.) made the first completely roll-to-roll printed solar module shortly after SPECIFIC's breakthrough on perovskite solar cells.
• CINVESTAV (Mexico)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewton Fund partner since 2017 (Institutional Links grant ID 332397170) assessing viability of using Merida textile industry infrastructure to manufacture low-cost screen-printed PV modules.
• Active Building CentreflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner£36m Industrial Strategy Challenge Funded programme established to enable wider deployment of Active Buildings; SPECIFIC provides input on monitoring specifications and data capture requirements.
• SUNRISE NetworkflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner£7m Sêr Solar-derived network programme led by Swansea University, taking Active Buildings to India and other developing nations.
• APOLLO (Horizon Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorizon Europe project with 18 European partners to improve recycling of solar photovoltaics; SPECIFIC team contributes to PV circular economy research.
• Energy Systems CatapultminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject partner on the FRED Demand Side Response project, providing customer-feedback insights on how mass-market flexibility services could be designed.
• GenGameminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFRED project partner that designed the FRED Mobile App to help homeowners manage demand side response.
• Beckers GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial coatings company that sponsored Dr Chris Batchelor's EngD at Swansea University through the Materials and Manufacturing Academy (M2A), investigating novel coating formulations and resin development.
• Neath Port Talbot CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority leading the Swansea Bay City Deal 'Homes as Power Stations' Active Homes Neath project; partners with Pobl Group and SPECIFIC to deliver 16 Active Building homes.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Oxford PV: UK/Germany perovskite-silicon tandem PV company spun out of the University of Oxford; an emerging commercial peer that translates perovskite PV research from academia into manufactured building-integrated and utility-scale products, sitting downstream of much of the same underlying materials science that SPECIFIC works on.

Direct peers

• CSIRO Energy: Australia's national science agency with active printed/perovskite PV and building energy research; already collaborates with SPECIFIC (Dr Weerasinghe's team produced the first completely roll-to-roll printed solar module shortly after SPECIFIC's breakthrough), making it the closest direct peer in roll-to-roll printed PV research.
• Centre for Process Innovation (CPI): UK Catapult centre that operates open-access pilot facilities for printed electronics, energy storage and sustainable materials; comparable to SPECIFIC's SPECIFIC pilot production plant and Materials and Manufacturing Academy (M2A) model for scaling lab-scale energy technology to industrial relevance.
• Energy Systems Catapult: UK Catapult centre focused on innovation across the whole energy system, including buildings, storage and demand-side response; a direct peer as a UK innovation centre and existing SPECIFIC project partner on the FRED virtual power plant demonstration, with overlapping remits in building energy systems and flexibility services.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE): Germany's leading applied solar energy research institute, working across PV, solar thermal, building energy systems and energy storage with extensive pilot lines and demonstrators; the most direct international peer to SPECIFIC given overlapping coverage of perovskite PV, building-integrated solar, thermal storage and full-scale building demonstrators.

Broad incumbents

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory leading research on perovskite PV, building-integrated PV, energy storage and grid integration; comparable as a publicly funded renewable energy research centre with world-leading perovskite programmes, although with a much larger budget and broader remit than SPECIFIC.
• BRE (Building Research Establishment): UK-based building science research, testing and certification organisation with deep expertise in building energy performance, BIM and sustainable construction; directly comparable to SPECIFIC as a UK applied-research body focused on decarbonising the built environment, though broader in scope than just solar generation and storage.
• SINTEF Energy Research: Norway's largest applied energy research institute working on solar, buildings, storage and energy systems; comparable as a publicly funded European applied-research body with pilot facilities and a long-running programme of building energy demonstrators analogous to SPECIFIC's Active Office, Active Classroom and SHED.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finnish applied research organisation with active programmes in printed PV, building-integrated solar, energy storage and smart grids; a broad-incumbent peer to SPECIFIC's narrow specialisation in printed perovskite PV and Active Buildings.

Regional players

• TWI Ltd (The Welding Institute): UK-based independent R&D organisation supporting advanced manufacturing, materials and joining technologies with strong industry sponsorship model; comparable to SPECIFIC's industry-sponsored EngD/PhD studentships and pilot-plant collaborations with Tata Steel and Beckers Group, although focused more on welding and materials than on solar PV.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Specific Innovations