Advanced materials engineering group Versarien has been awarded a £1.95million product development contract by the Ministry of Defence.

The agreement to develop graphene loaded polymer composites has been signed with the Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory, which is responsible for ensuring innovative science and technology contribute to the defence and security of the UK.

Details of the applications remain confidential but the Cheltenham company said it the agreement was due due to its technical applications capability in conjunction with its accredited graphene quality.

Chief executive Neill Ricketts said: "Versarien is delighted to have been awarded this agreement by DSTL, which acknowledges the quality of our products and technical ability.

"We look forward to completing the project on time and to supporting the Ministry of Defence in applying graphene to military applications."

Work packages included in the agreement are due for completion by March 2022 and contain a literature review, development of graphene loaded polymer composites for three specific applications, demonstration of the applications and exploitation of the applications.

The agreement follows the announcement last week that an independent study had found modified graphene materials produced by the company can inactivate the virus which causes Covid-19.