Deadline Date: December 17, 2025
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, has launched the Battery Innovation Concept Development Round 1 under the £20 million Battery Innovation Programme to accelerate state-of-the-art battery technologies, strengthen local supply chains, and boost the UK’s competitiveness in global electrification markets, with projects starting from April 2026.
The aim of this competition is to accelerate the development and commercialisation of state of the art battery technologies in the UK, support the growth of the UK battery supply chain and related companies, enhance the UK’s competitiveness in the global battery market, and demonstrate how battery technologies can meet specific application requirements and drive electrification across diverse sectors. Your project must demonstrate how it addresses market demand for the specific sector and application, explain how your innovation tackles industry challenges and removes key hurdles, and show how it will enhance UK competitiveness across the battery value chain. Your proposed solutions can address the entire battery value chain and must consider the financial implications, sustainability targets, environmental impact and regulatory policies. Your proposal can address one or more of the following areas: raw materials, advanced cell materials, cell design and components, process and manufacturing tools, quality control and diagnostics, testing, simulation and digital tools. You must demonstrate how your technology will address at least one of the following requirements in your target application: reduce cost, taking into consideration total cost of ownership and the respective supply chain, increase performance parameters, increase safety, increase predictability, reduce environmental impact, supports regulations and standards for the target market.
The Battery Innovation Concept Development Round 1 competition is being delivered by Innovate UK on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade. The funding is designed to empower the UK battery sector by supporting innovation, enabling business growth, and fostering a globally competitive environment. With a total allocation of £20 million, the programme will fund projects that request between £500,000 and £4 million in eligible grant funding.
Eligible projects must last between one and three years and begin no earlier than April 2026. All funded work must be carried out in the UK with the intention to exploit project results within the country. To qualify, a project must be collaborative and led by a UK registered business, with at least one UK registered SME partner claiming grant funding. Collaborators can include academic institutions, charities, not-for-profits, public sector organisations, and research and technology organisations.
The competition encourages concept development projects that strengthen the UK’s equipment manufacturing and process capability for cell and battery production, promote manufacturing processes with lower environmental impact and higher yield, enhance digital capabilities for quality control, and develop scalable technologies to meet growing demand. It also prioritises projects that improve battery reuse, recovery, and recycling, enhance process capability for end-of-life batteries and manufacturing scrap, and support the production of high purity black-mass and recyclable materials.
Additionally, the programme seeks to boost the UK’s industrial resilience and battery supply chain by promoting technologies that meet international standards, develop localised supply chains, and reduce dependence on critical minerals. Projects may target applications across automotive, aerospace, battery energy storage systems, rail, maritime, and personal mobility sectors. Applicants are expected to clearly demonstrate their understanding of industry demand in UK, European, and global markets.
Funding intensity will vary by organisation size: up to 70% for small or micro businesses, 60% for medium-sized businesses, and 50% for large enterprises. Research organisations can claim up to 100% of their eligible costs for non-economic activities or 80% of full economic costs if using the Je-S system.
Projects focusing on electrochemical supercapacitors, hybrid supercapacitors, lead-acid or nickel-metal hydride batteries, non-rechargeable batteries, or capital equipment acquisition will not be funded. Innovate UK will instead prioritise high-quality collaborative industrial research aligned with the UK’s industrial strategy.
For more information, visit GOV.UK.
