GR2L awarded government funding to assist expansion to international markets

Cambridge Enterprise portfolio company Gas Recovery and Recycle Limited (GR2L) has been awarded funding from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) to help expand its business to international markets, especially in Asia.

The company, which is based in Surrey, was awarded second prize in the South East’s Export for Growth competition, which was run by UKTI and supported by PwC and HSBC.

“This prize has given us the opportunity to tap into the wealth of experience that UKTI can offer,” said Dr Rob Grant of GR2L (pictured, left, with Gary Littlewood, GR2L’s Director of Engineering). “This will be particularly beneficial to our business as more than 60% of our sales will be to the Far East.”

GR2L is commercialising technology originally developed by Dr Stuart Scott of the Department of Engineering, and Drs John Dennis and Ian Wilson of the Department of Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology.

The technology removes contaminants from the argon gas which is used in the manufacture of solar cells. The argon is used to maintain an inert environment for the silicon recrystallisation step in the manufacturing process, and is used just once and then vented. Through its ArgonØ system, GR2L can reduce wafer production costs and increase productivity by recovering and recycling the argon, saving manufacturers the cost of purchasing new gas supplies.

“The standard of entries was incredibly high and the creativity and innovation of the ideas was fantastic,” said Lewis Scott, Regional Director of UKTI South East. “For GR2L to reach second place is a real achievement. Exporting is crucial for firms to sustain their business and grow.”

Photo credit: img_0601 by Steve Rainwater via Flickr

Image: img_0601 by Steve Rainwater via Flickr