The company, whose science was developed in Chris Abell and Oren Scherman’s groups in the chemistry department, received a grant of €20,000, and also a place in the European finals. These are being held in Wrocław, Poland, in October.

Climate-KIC is Europe’s largest public-private innovation partnership, working together to address the challenge of climate change.

Aqdot’s technology allows microcapsules to be manufactured in an energy-efficient way, which also minimises raw material usage. As a result, energy consumption and waste are both reduced.

The technology has a variety of encapsulation applications, including enzymes in laundry detergents, and fertilizers in the agrochemical sector. Microencapsulation has grown into a multi-billion-pound industry, with many applications already established in the household products, personal care, agrochemicals and food sectors.