Generics Group has spun out CMR Fuel Cells with venture funding from energy technology specialists Conduit Ventures and Carbon Trust Investments.

Cambridge-based CMR has invented a fuel cell that uses mixed reactants. It aims to concentrate on the central cell component, the 'stack', for applications including battery chargers, auxiliary power units, laptops, power tools, robotic devices and portable military applications.

The firm is at an early stage, earlier than normal for venture capital. We are doing fundamental research at the moment, early stage R&D, company chief engineer Michael Evans told Electronics Weekly.

The venture capitalist have taken a punt on this. Carbon Trust really went quite a long way to help us on this one, he said.

The firm's founders are Michael Priestnall, previously head of fuel cell consulting at Generics, and Evans who was previously a principal researcher at the University of Cambridge University. Together they have 20 years of fuel cell industry experience.