Faraday Battery Challenge

Funding is available for UK businesses, academic organisations and research and technology organisations (RTO) to undertake feasibility and collaborative R&D projects focused on innovation in propulsion battery technologies for electric vehicles.

These competitions are administered by Innovate UK (IUK); the UK’s innovation agency. IUK works with people, companies and partner organisations to de-risk, enable and support innovation, and promote UK economic growth. IUK is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – a non-departmental public body, funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government through the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Innovate UK is investing in innovation projects in propulsion battery technologies for electric vehicles across two competition strands. The Faraday Battery Challenge (FBC) aims to:

• Ensure the UK automotive sector meets its net zero commitments in the required timescale, by enabling the development and scale-up of sustainable battery technologies.
• Ensure the UK prospers from a just and fair transition to electrification, by taking action to develop a world class intellectual and physical supply chain for batteries in the UK.

The competitions aim to:

• Support business-led research and development of sustainable propulsion batteries.
• Support technologies with the potential to enter the automotive market and, where appropriate, allow for early or synergistic entry into other sectors.
• Move UK battery innovations from technological potential towards commercial capability.
• Develop and secure material and manufacturing supply chains for battery technologies in the UK.

Projects must focus on:

• Extraction and processing of raw materials.
• Development and manufacture of cell materials and components.
• Design and manufacture of novel cell, module and pack concepts.
• End of life and recycling technologies.
• Development of the UK battery supply chain.
• Enabling physical and digital technologies which support the design, development, optimisation and deployment of propulsion batteries.