Battery Innovation: Concept Development Rd 3

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £25 million to support innovation in battery grade material technologies for electrification. This funding is from The Battery Innovation Programme. Total funding: £25 million Minimum award: £500,000 Maximum award: £4 million Location: National Who can apply: Public Sector, Non-profit, Private Sector Closing date: 2026-12-02 11:00 (UK time) Eligibility Your project Your project must: - have grant funding request of between £500,000 and £4 million - last between 12 and 36 months - not start before 1 May 2027 - end by 31 March 2031 Any organisation receiving funding must carry out its project work in the UK, intend to exploit the results in the UK, and spend most of the funding within the UK. Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day. You must not start your project until your Grant Offer Letter has been approved by Innovate UK. Any delays within Project Setup may mean we need to delay your project start date. You must only include eligible project costs in your application. See our overview of eligible project costs. If your project’s grant funding request or duration falls outside of our eligibility criteria, you must provide justification by email to [email on the official page] at least 10 working days before the competition closes. We will then decide whether to approve your request. If your project does not meet our criteria and you have not requested justification approval, your application will be made ineligible, and it will not be sent for assessment. Lead organisation To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size. The consortium must contain at least one UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME) claiming grant funding on this application. More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules. Academic institutions cannot lead. Project team To collaborate with the lea Summary Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is delivering the Battery Innovation Programme on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST). The programme will invest up to £25 million in innovation projects. This is subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received. The aim of this competition is to: - support collaborative R&D in strategically critical areas of the UK battery value chain - strengthen UK capability in battery cell manufacturing, pack manufacturing including high performance cell technologies, automated manufacturing techniques, non-destructive testing, AI driven design and simulation of manufacturing processes - strengthen UK supply chain security and build resilient, multi sector manufacturing capability - support supply chain localisation to align with rules of origin requirements and UK’s strategic priorities This is to address key capability gaps limiting the UK’s ability to: - scale UK battery cell manufacturing - develop UK battery module and pack manufacturing - improve battery systems - capture greater economic value domestically Your project must demonstrate how the proposed innovation wil Objectives The aim of this competition is to: - support collaborative R&D in strategically critical areas of the UK battery value chain - strengthen UK capability in battery cell manufacturing, pack manufacturing including high performance cell technologies, automated manufacturing techniques, non-destructive testing, AI driven design and simulation of manufacturing processes - strengthen UK supply chain security and build resilient, multi-sector manufacturing capability - support supply chain localisation Dates 16 September 2026 Online briefing event: register to attend Briefing slides will be available to download from Supporting Information after the event. 13 January 2027 Invite to interview 3 February 2027 Interview panel 12 February 2027 Applicants notified