Micropore Technologies (www.micropore.co.uk), a spin-out from Loughborough University that has developed multi-award-winning chemicals technology, has secured an £860,000 investment package to expand its manufacturing facility and its business development team in Redcar.

The funding includes £750,000 from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund; the remainder is from UK Steel Enterprise (UKSE).

Micropore’s innovation allows manufacturers to create more stable emulsions and — in many cases — eliminate waste.

Its novel membrane technology can create droplets of exactly the right size and disperse them evenly within emulsions at any scale — from initial laboratory investigation to full-scale multi-tonne manufacturing.

It has wide-ranging applications in sectors from pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals to personal care and household products, inks and agrochemicals, plus food and drink — and even rocket fuel.

It can also be used to create particles for the controlled release of cancer drugs, or to deliver nutrients while masking unpleasant tastes.

CEO Dai Hayward said: “After years of patient technology and product development, Micropore has proved its products and markets, and it is ready for rapid growth.

“New funding from NPIF — alongside continuing investment by UKSE — provides the vehicle to achieve those global growth ambitions.”