Future Flight Challenge Phase 3: Strand 1 Competition

UK businesses, collaborating with other businesses and/or the research sector can apply for funding to develop and demonstrate integrated aviation systems and new vehicle technologies.

This competition is 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). The funding for this competition is from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF).

The Future Flight Challenge is a £300 million programme in three phases that aims to deliver the 2024 vision of the Future Flight Challenge and position the UK as a leader in the third revolution of aviation

Through this competition, Innovate UK is investing in innovation projects that demonstrate integrated aviation systems and vehicle technologies to enable new classes of electric or autonomous air vehicles.

The competition will build on the success of the 2020 Phase 2 competition and will focus primarily on the demonstration aspects of these novel air vehicles and systems. IUK is looking to fund ambitious projects that will successfully integrate the technical, regulatory and social challenges necessary to prove these new modes of transport.

The Future Flight Challenge is based around three classes of aircraft:

1. Drones or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)
2. Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)
3. Sub-regional electric or hybrid passenger aircraft

This competition is split into 2 strands. The strands are:

• Strand 1, demonstration (this strand)
• Strand 2, cross-cutting technologies that enable the deployment and operation of new air vehicles

In Strand 1, projects must focus on the demonstration aspects of novel classes of electric or autonomous air vehicles and systems.

For strand 1, projects must include a means of demonstration of one or more of these classes of aircraft and enabling systems, operating in a representative environment.

IUK wishes to fund a portfolio of projects, with a variety of technologies, markets, aircraft classes, use cases and research categories across both strands of this competition. Consideration will be given to projects with a specific regional focus and ambitions for Net Zero transport solutions.