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 18^th 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:

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)