LONDON -- A UK government agency is committing more than $6 million toward the establishment of a consortium to re-imagine how high frequency circuit boards are created.

EPSRC aims to "radically evolve" the development and manufacture of high frequency circuits for systems through the creation of SYMETA, or the consortium for Synthesizing 3D Metamaterials for RF, microwave and THz applications.

The funding will go toward advanced materials research to understand how meta-materials behave and can be used for future electronic engineering purposes. SYMETA's goal is to build circuits in such as way that significantly reduces the number of manufacturing processes and the components needed. "Understanding the behavior of the materials at the atomic scale will allow the creation of new types of circuits or transmission lines which are the bedrock of our technology driven economy. A more rationale and sustainable use of materials will reduce waste, timescales and most importantly cost of the manufacturing processes involved," EPSRC said in announcing the award.

The project will be led by Loughborough University, with support from the universities of Exeter, Oxford, Sheffield and QMUL.

EPSRC is the primary UK government agency for funding research and training in engineering and the physical sciences.

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