Jun 02, 2025
From patents to partnerships: Ceres' IP strategy
Ceres has one of the largest teams in solid oxide research and development, building our technological expertise since 2001. Through this research, we have developed a unique selling proposition compared to other solid oxide companies: a steel backed cell that can accommodate lower operating temperatures. The benefits of which were recently outlined in our insight titled ‘When it comes to solid oxide, it is all about structure, structure, structure’.
Ceres has developed extensive intellectual property (“IP”) around this design, which is protected through a combination of trade secrets and more than 150 patent families internationally. These patents protect Ceres’ unique design from infringement. We have added additional protection by becoming members of LOT Network, the world’s largest patent licensing platform and non-profit community of global companies committed to protecting themselves against costly litigation from patent assertion entities (PAEs).
The development and protection of our IP is the foundation of Ceres’ business model. Because we have a unique selling proposition, we are able to license our technology to other companies. This allows them to accelerate entry into a previously untapped market by leveraging world-leading R&D resources for a highly competitive technology.
Ceres licenses its technology through two different licence agreements: Ceres licenses the cells and stack intellectual property (“IP”) to manufacturing partners for mass production; Ceres also licenses system IP, into which the stacks are integrated and sold to end markets. Ceres earns revenue by licensing its technology to new partners, through engineering services, technology hardware to support our partners develop factories for mass production, and royalties. Once our partners reach commercial scale, Ceres will receive a royalty payment for every kW of product sold to the end market, providing high-margin revenue.
Ceres purpose is to help sustain a clean, green planet by ensuring there is clean energy everywhere in the world. By leveraging our technology, Ceres can operate an asset-light business model to deliver decarbonisation solutions at scale and pace. By building our partnerships across global geographies, we are able to utilise each partner’s unique skills for product deployment, such as mass manufacturing expertise, presence in end markets and regional policy support.
Ceres maintains a strong R&D programme to preserve its technological edge while our licence partners provide the industrialisation, manufacturing skills and marketing capabilities required to enter the rapidly evolving landscape of clean energy.