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RiR Showcase 2026 celebrates collaboration and innovation across the UK

The RiR Showcase 2026 brought together a vibrant mix of researchers, Catapult colleagues, industry partners and funders for two days of insight, collaboration and knowledge exchange.
A key highlight of the event was the breadth and quality of presentations from Researchers in Residence. The programme featured a series of engaging flash presentations, with speakers including Maurizio Collu, Ketan Pancholi, Jasim Uddin, Zekai Murat, Greg de Boer, Nicolo Grilli, Astrid Werkmeister, Ling Wang, Ben Xu and Laurence Stamford. These concise sessions provided a dynamic overview of cutting-edge work taking place across the network.

This was complemented by a strong set of technical presentations, where researchers shared deeper insights into their projects and collaborations with Catapult centres. Contributions from speakers including Matthew Unthank, Andrew Ross Wilson, Ye Yuan, Viktor Doychinov, Morteza Tabatabaeipour, Andrew Newton, James Griffin, Robin Curtis, Libby Duignan, Tom Harvey (on behalf of Daniel Simon and Junming), Michael Johnson, Tahsin Opoz, Yi Liu, Sourabh Supaneka (on behalf of Hector Basoalto), Luke Driver (on behalf of Andrew Shires), Wrik Mallik, Adam Stock, Carolina Font Palma and Dawei Wu highlighted both the technical depth and real-world relevance of the RiR programme.

Notably, Libby Duignan’s journey from RiR secondment into a full-time role demonstrated the scheme’s ability to create tangible career opportunities and strengthen links between academia and industry. Similarly, Beattie Melinek, now CEO of spin-out company Newcleic, shared her journey from RiR to commercial leadership, underlining the programme’s role in supporting entrepreneurship and innovation.

Alongside the formal programme, the Showcase placed a strong emphasis on networking and collaboration, with extended breaks and informal sessions enabling meaningful conversations across sectors. These interactions were central to the event, helping to build new relationships and reinforce the value of the RiR community.

The event also featured a distinguished line-up of keynote speakers, including Steve Bagshaw CBE, Erika Lewis, Dr Anke Davis, Jamie McGourlay, and Andrew Parry, who provided strategic perspectives from across industry, policy and the Catapult Network.

Funded by EPSRC and supported by Innovate UK and the Catapult Network, the RiR scheme continues to demonstrate its value in translating academic excellence into practical, scalable solutions for industry, with growing momentum across all nine Catapults.