Haydale Awarded SMARTCymru Funding to Develop Anti-Counterfeiting Technology
12 January 2022
Haydale, (AIM: HAYD), the global advanced materials group, is pleased to announce
                                        that it has been awarded a SMARTCymru grant from The Welsh Government that will
                                        enable the Ammanford-based company to progress with the development of its
                                        anti-counterfeiting
                                        ink technology, PATit (the "Project").
The Project has a total cost of £169,000 and is expected to take six months
                                        to complete. The SMARTCymru grant, which is part-funded by the European Regional
                                        Development Fund, will cover circa 50% of the anticipated project costs.
PATit is an anti-counterfeiting technology that uses graphene-enhanced,
                                        high-performance conductive inks and proprietary software codes for brand and
                                        security protection that is non-copiable and does
                                        not require expensive printing
                                        processes or electronic chips (NFC / RFID).
PATit has been developed to address a market need for smart disruptive
                                        technologies in the security tag sector. The anti-counterfeiting technology is
                                        planned to be manufactured in Wales.
Funded by SMARTCymru, which supports growth of Welsh industry by increased
                                        investment in research, development, and innovation, PATit aims to
                                        provide a mass market anti-counterfeiting technology that addresses the
                                        current market need for secure low-cost
                                        anti-counterfeiting technologies. Central to the overall performance of
                                        PATit is Haydale's patented plasma enhanced surface functionalisation process,
                                        which allows the surface chemistry of nanomaterials such as graphene to be
                                        altered to improve
                                        the physical and electrical properties.
PATit is innovative to existing technologies for brand and security protection by
                                        using proprietary software codes and a speciality graphene-based conductive
                                        ink. This enables counterfeiting devices to read the unique ink when printed
                                        onto a product
                                        label or other material. The Project will also focus on the development of the
                                        mobile app software and secure server system required to store and read the
                                        PATit codes. There are now several Patents approved for PATit including the EU
                                        and US.
PATit has also been shortlisted for a 2022 British Engineering Excellence Award
                                        in the 'Materials Application of the Year' category. The winners will be
                                        revealed at a gala lunch on 18th March to be held in London at
                                        The Landmark Hotel.
David Davies, UK Managing Director at Haydale, commented:
                                    
"The funding will build on the already significant developments Haydale has made
                                        in ink development using our patented plasma functionalisation process. With the
                                        award from SMARTCymru, Haydale's path to commercialising its anti-counterfeiting
                                        technology,
                                        PATit, will be accelerated allowing us to further develop our graphene-enhanced
                                        functionalised inks.
"The aim is to be able to provide the PATit technology to the mass market to meet the need for affordable high volume brand protection and provide a step to green environmentally friendly anti-counterfeiting products that we believe will surpass technologies currently available."
For further information:
| Haydale Graphene Industries plc | |
| Keith Broadbent, Chief Executive Officer | Tel: +44 (0) 1269 842 946 | 
| finnCap (Nominated Adviser & Broker) | |
| Julian Blunt/Edward Whiley, Corporate Finance Andrew Burdis, ECM | 
                                                Tel: +44 (0) 20 7220 0500 | 
Notes to Editors
The total cost of the project is £169,000 with funding from SMARTCymru valued at
                                        £86,080.
Haydale is a global technologies and materials group that facilitates the
                                        integration of graphene and other nanomaterials into the next generation of
                                        commercial technologies and industrial materials.  With expertise in
                                        graphene, silicon carbide and
                                        other nanomaterials, Haydale can deliver improvements in electrical, thermal,
                                        and mechanical properties, as well as toughness through its state-of-the-art
                                        functionalisation. Haydale has granted patents for its technologies in Europe,
                                        USA, Australia,
                                        Japan, and China and operates from five sites in the UK, USA, and the Far
                                        East.
For more information please visit: www.haydale.com  
LinkedIn: Haydale-ltd
Twitter: @haydalegraphene  
About SMARTCymru
The Welsh Government is committed to building a stronger, greener economy for
                                        Wales, based on the principles of fair work, sustainability and the industries
                                        and services of the future.
This includes supporting demand-driven Research, Development, and Innovation in
                                        Wales, and facilitating effective collaborations which drive prosperity and
                                        deliver real benefits for Wales' people and its environment.
Our Economic Action Plan has building stronger foundations for growth,
                                        supercharging the industries of the future and empowering Wales' regions at its
                                        heart. It includes our Economic Contract which frames a new relationship with
                                        business based on the
                                        principle of public investment with a social purpose as we help businesses
                                        respond to the challenges of the future.
We support businesses to innovate and introduce new products and services, to
                                        trade with the UK and the rest of the world, to improve our skills base and to
                                        ensure that Wales remains competitive in the fourth industrial age. We are also
                                        working to enable
                                        more Welsh businesses to become carbon-light or carbon-free. 
Through our suite of support called SMART, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Welsh Government helps to create jobs and improve people's lives by driving cutting-edge research and innovation.
SMARTInnovation - Investing in Research & Development
SMARTCymru - Funding to Innovate
SMARTExpertise - Academic Collaboration for Business
For more information on how Welsh Government innovation support can benefit your business call 03000 6 03000, or visit SMART Innovation | Innovation (gov.wales)