In the United Kingdom, over 5,000 researchers applied to win the “Dare to Try” Tata Innovista international award for innovative research and development, including teams from Jaguar Landrover and Tata Steel Europe. But only one winner was given the award for her work in using proteins from soil bacteria as an anti-corrosion coating for steel.
Alex Harold from Swansea University in the UK won the award for the steel coating material she developed that repels water using the cells of a common soil bacteria that have waterproof properties. Even better, her more environmentally friendly material can handle boiling and freezing which is important for steel manufacturers and related industries like construction, aerospace and cars, which need steel with anti-corrosion properties.