Battery innovation concept development round 2

Who can apply

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 October 2026

• end by 28 September 2029

Any funded organisation needs to carry out their project work in the UK and must intend to exploit the project results from or in 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. For specific guidance, see the eligibility section in this competition.

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.

If the lead organisation is an RTO it must collaborate with two businesses (one SME, and one business of any size).

Academic institutions cannot lead an application.

Project team

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:

• business of any size

• academic institution

• charity

• not for profit

• public sector organisation

• research and technology organisation (RTO)

Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) by the lead to collaborate on a project. Once partners have accepted the invitation, they will be asked to login or to create an account in the IFS. They are responsible for entering their own project costs in the application.

To be an eligible collaboration, the lead and at least one other organisation must:

• apply for funding when entering their costs into the application

• include rationale for the collaboration and describe the structure in your application

• ensure any one partner does not account for more than 70% of the total eligible costs

Non-funded partners

Your project can include organisations who do not claim any funding for their work on the project. Their costs will be covered from their own resources. These can include UK, EU and other non-UK organisations. Non-UK partners are permitted to carry out project work from within their home countries and exploit the results outside the UK.

Where non-funded partners have been invited to the application on IFS, their costs will count towards the total eligible project costs.

Subcontractors

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.

Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.

You can use subcontractors from overseas but must make the case in your application as to why you cannot use subcontractors from the UK.

You must provide a detailed rationale, evidence of the potential UK contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you. We will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use an overseas subcontractor.

All subcontractor costs must be justified and appropriate to the total project costs.

Number of applications

A UK registered business can lead on one application and be included as a collaborator in any number of applications.

An academic institution, research and technology organisation (RTO), charity, not for profit or public sector organisation can collaborate on any number of applications.

Sanctions

This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions. For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.

Use of animals in research and innovation

Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.

Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation.

Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process. This information will be reviewed before an award is made.

Previous applications

You can use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.

If you have previously submitted an application that reached our assessment stage, you can re-apply once more with the same proposal.

If there are minor differences to the proposal, but it is judged by us to be ‘not materially different’, the same rule applies.

We will not award you funding if you have:

• failed to exploit a previously funded project

• an overdue independent accountant’s report

• failed to comply with grant terms and conditions

Innovate UK may withhold a grant payment at any time if you have any outstanding sums due to us in relation to other projects.

Subsidy control (and State aid where applicable)

This competition provides funding in line with the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Further information about the Subsidy requirements can be found within the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk).

Innovate UK is unable to award organisations that are considered to be in financial difficulty. We will conduct financial viability and eligibility tests to confirm this is not the case following the application stage.

EU State aid rules now only apply in limited circumstances. See the Windsor Framework to check if these rules apply to your organisation.

In the ‘Project details’ section of your application you will be asked questions to indicate if State Aid or Subsidy applies to your organisation.

Further Information

If you are unsure about your obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 or the State aid rules, you should take independent legal advice. We are unable to advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations.

You must not do anything which could cause a breach of Subsidy Control legislation applicable in the United Kingdom.

This aims to regulate any advantage granted by a public sector body which threatens to, or distorts competition in the United Kingdom or any other country or countries.

This award is classified as a Subsidy which does not form part of your Minimal Financial Assistance or De Minimis allowance.

Funding

Up to £25 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects that support the development and scale-up of UK battery manufacturing capability in this competition. This is subject to us receiving a sufficient number of high quality applications. Funding will be in the form of a grant.

We reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions under exceptional circumstances, for example, in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations, or broader government funding decisions.

If your organisation’s work on the project is commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organisation normally acts non-economically but for the purpose of this project will be undertaking commercial or economic activity.

The balance between your total eligible project costs and the amount of grant awarded must be funded by the organisation receiving the grant.

For industrial research projects, you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:

• up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation

• up to 60% if you are a medium sized organisation

• up to 50% if you are a large organisation

For more information on company sizes, refer to the company accounts guidance.

If you are applying for an award funded under State aid Regulations, the definitions are set out in the European Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003.

Innovate UK may revoke our decision to provide funding without notice if government commitment for this initiative is withdrawn.

Research participation

The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 30% of the total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared between them. Of that 30% you can get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:

• 100% of your eligible project costs if you are an RTO, charity, not for profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation

• 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are a Je-S registered institution such as an academic

Eligibility criteria for claiming 80% of FEC funding

1. Research organisations using the Je-S system must submit their costs through the Je-S system which calculates the 80% FEC figure.

2. On IFS, only the 80% FEC output should be entered at 100% funding.

3. Applicants do not need to show the remaining 20% on the finance table.

To find out more see our: Cost Guidance for Academics.

Your proposal

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 material processing, material extraction, including mining, refining, and the recycling and recovery of critical materials

• 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 battery manufacturing materials

• secure access to critical battery materials

• capture greater economic value domestically

• scale and strengthen circular economy capability, enabling industrial deployment of battery recycling and reprocessing

Your project must demonstrate how the proposed innovation will do at least one of the following:

• enable consistent, high quality battery grade materials suitable for large-scale cell manufacturing

• reduce dependence on overseas materials processing and strengthen UK supply chain resilience

• support scale up from laboratory to pilot and pre-commercial manufacturing within the UK

• recover critical battery materials at a quality suitable for re-entry into UK manufacturing

• support industrial scale recycling and reprocessing

• integrate material circularity into future UK battery supply chains

Your project must demonstrate a credible pathway and deliver value-add to the UK such as:

• scale-up and manufacturing deployment in the UK

• creation or expansion of UK recycling and reprocessing infrastructure, enabling the recovery and reintegration of battery grade materials into UK manufacturing

• development or expansion of UK critical material mining and extraction capability, including refining and upgrading to battery grade materials

• creation or expansion of industrial capability, facilities or production capacity across the battery value chain

• strengthening UK supply chain resilience across both primary (extraction) and secondary (recycling) material sources

• delivery of long term economic and environmental benefits, aligned with net zero and critical minerals objectives

We encourage relevant R&D activities that include, but are not limited to:

• material extraction and processing activities, from mining and separation through battery grade specifications

• development and optimisation of battery grade electrode materials for scalable manufacturing

• control of particle morphology, surface chemistry and coatings to improve performance, yield and process robustness

• processing material innovations that reduce cost, energy use or environmental impact while maintaining manufacturability

• materials development that support manufacturing processes, especially where these are integrated with UK cell production requirements, supply chain needs and wider sector demand

• recycling process development focused on scale, throughput, and economic viability

• upgrading recovered materials to battery grade specifications suitable for UK manufacturers

• design for circularity approaches that simplify disassembly, recovery and reprocessing

Your project must clearly state which group your application aligns with:

1.Material Extraction

Innovations that strengthen sustainable, competitive access to raw materials.

We encourage projects that:

• develop sustainable extraction methods with reduced environmental impact

• enhance efficiency, yield or purity of raw materials used in battery chemistries

• support substitution, diversification, or novel sources of critical minerals

• incorporate environmental monitoring, traceability, or responsible sourcing technologies

• integrate digital tools for resource mapping, process optimisation or environmental protection

• enable UK access to advanced materials crucial for next generation cells

2.Material Processing

Advancing processed materials required for high performance, cost effective cells.

We encourage projects that:

• innovate in cathode, anode, electrolyte or separator materials

• scale up processing of active materials for next generation chemistries, for example, solid state, sodium ion, LFP, high nickel, silicon rich

• improve energy, water or reagent efficiency in material production

• enhance material consistency, purity and performance through improved processing routes

• apply digital tools, modelling, or automation to improve throughput and quality

• integrate sustainability, recycling feedstocks or circular inputs into the materials process

3.Recycling and Circular Economy

Strengthening UK capability in end-of-life processing, reuse, recovery and circularity.

We encourage projects that:

• advance processes for dismantling, sorting and safe handling of end-of-life batteries

• develop improved recovery pathways for critical materials and black mass refining

• integrate recycled materials back into upstream production

• develop reuse, second life or remanufacturing technologies

• reduce waste and environmental footprint across the end of life system

• introduce digital tracking, provenance and circular economy systems across the lifecycle

• create business models or technologies that enable circularity at scale

Your project can target performance requirements for at least one of the listed sectors and can support emerging use cases or cross sector applicability including:

• automotive sector including on and off highway vehicles, motorsports and niche automotive

• aerospace

• battery energy storage systems

• rail

• maritime

• defence (Innovation must be dual use with clear relevance beyond defence application)

You must clearly demonstrate your understanding of the target sector and industry and market demand covering UK, Europe and global in your application.

Portfolio approach

We want to fund a variety of projects across different technologies, costs, markets and technological maturities. All project costs will be assessed to ensure strong value for money. Applicants requesting higher levels of funding should expect proportionate scrutiny and must provide clear justification for their costs to demonstrate the efficient and effective use of public funds.

We call this a portfolio approach.

Research categories

We will fund industrial research projects, as defined in the guidance on categories of research.

Projects we will not fund

We are not funding projects that are:

• not aligned with the Industrial Strategy

• for personal mobility and consumer electronics

• early stage discovery research

• primary focused on battery second life use

• focused solely on electrode manufacturing

• focused on cell production, including optimised large scale manufacturing processes, understanding of slurry behaviours, and improvements in cell design and performance

• focused on modules and pack innovation

We cannot fund projects that are:

• dependent on export performance, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of bread to another country

• dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it uses 50% UK flour in their product

21 April 2026

Online briefing event: register to attend

(Briefing slides will be available to download from Supporting Information after the event)

29 June 2026

Invite to interview

29 June 2026

DBT value for money assessment start

16 July 2026

DBT value for money assessment end

22 July 2026

Interview panel start

24 July 2026

Interview panel end

30 July 2026

Applicants notified

1 October 2026

Project start from

Before you start

You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.

Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to make sure:

• that all the information provided in the application is correct

• your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria

• all sections of the application are marked as complete

• that all partners have completed all assigned sections and accepted the terms and conditions (T&Cs)

You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.

What we ask you

The application is split into three sections:

1. Project details.

2. Application questions.

3. Finances.

Accessibility and Inclusion

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.

You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this competition’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the competition deadline.

You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

1. Project details

This section provides background for your application and is not scored.

Application team

Decide which organisations will work with you on your project and invite people from those organisations to help complete the application.

Application details

Give your project’s title, start date and duration.

Research category

Select the type of research you will undertake.

Project summary

Describe your project briefly and be clear about what makes it innovative. We use this section to assign the right experts to assess your application.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Public description

Describe your project in detail and in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information. If we award your project funding, we will publish this description. This can happen before you start your project.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Scope

Describe where your technology primary fits in the development group (1, 2 or 3).

Describe how your project fits the scope of the competition. If your project is not in scope, it will not be eligible for funding.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

2. Application questions

The assessors will score all your answers apart from questions 1 to 7 and 17. You will receive feedback for each scored question. Find out more about how our assessors assess and how we select applications for funding.

You must answer all questions.

You must not include any website addresses or links (URLs) in your answers. If you do, your application will be made ineligible.

Question 1. Applicant location (not scored)

You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and any partners or subcontractors working on your project.

We are collecting this information to understand more about the geographical location of all applicants.

Your answer can be up to 100 words long.

Question 2. Animal testing (not scored)

Will your project involve any trials with animals or animal testing?

You must select one option:

• Yes

• No

We will only support innovation projects conducted to the highest standards of animal welfare.

Further information for proposals involving animal testing is available at the UKRI Good Research Hub and NC3R’s animal welfare guidance.

Question 3. Permits and licences (not scored)

Will you have the correct permits and licences in place to carry out your project?

We are unable to fund projects which do not have the correct permits or licences in place by your project start date.

You must select one option:

• Yes

• No

• In the process of being applied for

• Not applicable

Question 4. International collaboration (not scored)

Does your proposed work involve any international collaboration or engagement?

You must provide details of any expected international collaboration or engagement. You must include a list of the names and the countries, any international project co-leads, project partners, visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in. You must also include details of any subcontractors or service providers.

If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration or engagement, your answer must confirm this.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long

Question 5. Export licence (not scored)

You must indicate whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance.

You must select one option:

• Yes

• No

Question 6. Trusted Research and Innovation (not scored)

You must explain if your proposed project work relates to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) Principles, including:

• a list of any dual-use (both military and non-military) applications to your research

• a list of the areas where your project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act

• whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance and the status of any applications

• a list of any items or substances on the UK Strategic Export Control List

If your proposed work does not relate to UKRI’s TR&I Principles, your answer must confirm this.

We may ask you to provide additional TR&I information at a later date, in line with UKRI TR&I Principles and funding terms and conditions.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long

Question 7. Funded project context (not scored)

For each organisation, briefly summarise and explain:

• prior grant funding work you or consortium members that led to this application, and any Battery Innovation Programme or other government funding applications for this or similar technology in the past five years, whether successful or not

• the amount of funding received for those projects

• the key successes or exploitations resulting from those projects

• whether you have applied for other sources of grant funding for this project

• whether you have applied for other projects whose outcomes could influence the exploitation of this proposal

• whether you are currently awaiting the outcome of any other grant applications

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

Question 8. Need or challenge

What is the business need, technological challenge, or market opportunity behind your innovation?

Explain:

• the main motivation for the project

• the business need, technological challenge or market opportunity

• the specific material supply chain challenge, capability gap or market pull does your project aim to address

• the nearest current state of the art, including those close to market or in development, both within and outside the UK, and its current limitations

• any work you have already done to respond to this need, for example, if the project focuses on developing an existing capability or building a new one or technology transfer into a new sector

• the wider economic, social, environmental, cultural or political challenges which are influential in creating the opportunity, such as incoming regulations

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 9. Approach and innovation

What is the primary focus of this project in the scope technology groups? State 1, 2 or 3 within your answer.

What approach will you take and where will the focus of the innovation be?

Explain:

• your technology and innovation and how this will align with technology group 1, 2 or 3

• the objectives of your project

• how you will respond to the need, challenge or opportunity identified

• how you will improve on the nearest current state-of-the-art that you have identified

• whether the innovation will focus on existing technologies in new areas, the development of new technologies for existing areas, or a totally disruptive approach

• the freedom you have to operate

• the technological and manufacturing maturity at the start of the project and achieved by the end of the project

• the expected advancements in the performance metrics of the battery technology

• how the battery technology will meet the performance requirements of the target applications and, where appropriate, what the synergies are with the needs of other sectors

• how this project fits with your current product, service lines or offerings

• how it will make your consortium and the UK more competitive

• the nature of the outputs you expect from the project, for example reports, demonstrator, know-how, new process, product or service design, and how these will help you to target the need, challenge or opportunity identified

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

You can submit one appendix to support your answer. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 10. Team and resources

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Explain:

• the roles, skills and experience of all members of the project team that are relevant to the approach you will be taking, in particular any battery specific experience within the team

• the resources, equipment and facilities needed for the project and how you will access them

• the details of any vital external parties, including subcontractors, who you will need to work with to successfully carry out the project

• the current relationships between project partners and how these will change as a result of the project

• any roles you will need to recruit for and how you plan to mitigate against any delays in recruitment

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

You can submit one appendix, with a short summary of the main people working on the project to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 11. Market awareness

What is the target market or markets for the outcomes of this project? What does the market or markets you are targeting look like?

Describe:

• the target markets for the project outcomes and any other potential markets, either domestic, international or both

• the size of the target markets for the project outcomes, backed up by references where available

• the structure and dynamics of the target markets, including customer segmentation, together with predicted growth rates within clear timeframes

• the target markets’ main supply or value chains and business models, and any barriers to entry that exist

• the current UK position in targeting these markets

• the size and main features of any other markets not already listed

If your project is highly innovative, where the market may be unexplored, describe or explain:

• what the market’s size might be

• how your project will try to explore the market’s potential

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 12. Commercialisation roadmap and risk management

How will you take your product or process from this project to market? What are the principal commercial risks in the UK that this project will de-risk?

Describe:

• what is your scale-up and manufacturing plan in the UK

• your proposed business model

• how the proposed business model will benefit the UK economy, for example, licensing revenue, manufacturing jobs, R&D jobs

• the timeline of key steps from project completion to market launch

• the scale and location, UK and overseas, of investment required to execute the plan

• high level impacts on your organisation’s structure and capabilities

• the primary commercialisation risks and uncertainties, and how this project will help you mitigate them

• measurable outputs at scale, including pilot or industrial-level delivery of battery materials processing and mining technologies, or circularity solutions, with clear pathways to UK manufacturing, supply chain impact, and economic value creation

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

Question 13. Partner outcomes and market entry strategy

What specific outcomes will each partner achieve, and how will you enter and expand in target markets?

Explain:

• each partner’s current position in the market or value chain, and whether you will extend or establish that position

• your target customer segments or end users and the value proposition that will drive adoption

• your detailed route to market and scaling approach within and beyond the project

• how you will realise profit from the innovation, increased revenues or cost reduction

• the expected effects on partner productivity and long term business growth

• your strategy for protecting and exploiting project outputs, for example, patents, designs, know-how or business-model adaptations

• your plan to enter additional markets identified during or after the project

If there is any research organisation activity in the project, describe:

• your plans to spread the project’s research outputs over a reasonable timescale

• how you expect to use the results generated from the project in further research activities

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

Question 14. Project management

How will you manage your project effectively? What are the project deliverables?

Explain:

• the main work packages of your project, indicating the lead partner assigned to each and the total cost of each one and the deliverable

• your approach to project management, identifying any major tools and mechanisms you will use to get a successful and innovative project outcome

• the management reporting lines

• your project plan in enough detail to identify any links or dependencies between work packages or milestones and the deliverables

You must submit a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 15. Project risks

What are the main risks for this project? How the risks will be managed across the proposed consortium?

Explain:

• the main risks and uncertainties of the project, including the technical, commercial, managerial and environmental risks

• how you will mitigate these risks

• any project inputs that are critical to completion, such as resources, expertise, and data sets

• any output likely to be subject to regulatory requirements, certification, ethical issues and other requirements identified, and how you will manage this

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

You must submit a risk register as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 16. Equality, diversity and inclusion

How are you ensuring that your organisation and idea contribute towards equality, diversity and inclusion best practise?

Describe:

• any equality, diversity or inclusion challenges related to your idea, if appropriate

• what is the approach to equality, diversity and inclusion in your organisation

• how you will promote equality, diversity and inclusion for any roles you are recruiting for in this project

• how the project might contribute to social inclusion, such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities, Apprenticeship, Internship

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 17. Value for money assessment (not scored)

The Value for money assessment workbook and questions 17 to 21 of the application, relate to the economic value for money assessment.

You must download and complete the workbook.

To complete the Value for money assessment workbook, you must complete the following steps:

• download the value for money assessment workbook from question 16

• complete all tabs following the guidance in each worksheet

• enter data into the grey cells and select an option from a drop down list in the blue cells

• use blank lines to title project partners and group the jobs according to your preferences

• you must upload the completed worksheet as an appendix to question 16

• you must write 'worksheet uploaded' as your response to this question

Your answer can be up to 100 words long.

Your answer to question 17 is not scored by Innovate UK independent assessors but may be used as supporting evidence. You will be invited to an interview by Innovate UK, see interview section below.

DBT value for money (VfM) assessment: primarily based on your answers to questions 17 to 21. DBT will not score your questions individually.

Question 18 Added value

How will public funding accelerate or enhance your project’s development towards commercialisation? What impact would this award have on the organisations involved?

Explain:

• what advantages public funding would offer your project, which could include: appeal to investors, more partners, reduced risk or a faster route to market

• the likely impact of the project outcomes on the organisations involved

• what other routes of investment or means of support you have already engaged with and why they were not suitable

• how any existing or potential investment or support will be used in conjunction with the grant funding

• what your project would look like without public funding

• how this project would change the R&D activities of all the organisations involved

• what will happen to the project in the absence of grant funding, describe and provide evidence for what will occur if the application for grant funding is not successful

• why internal or private financing is not possible, detailing the decision-making process and providing evidence

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

You must submit one appendix with evidence to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Evidence to support your answer must include:

1. Information that shows how you checked whether the organisation had enough internal budget for this project or portfolio. Include the information that was given to senior decision makers for example, the executive board, and explain what they considered when deciding how to allocate the budget.

2. Include the source data that supports this information.

You can use certified minutes, documents or presentations from senior level meetings as evidence. Which can show:

• how you worked out the maximum internal budget available and how much was allocated to the project or portfolio

• what alternative options were discussed and whether they were feasible

• any similar projects carried out overseas

• any overseas funding that was discussed or confirmed

• internal rate of return (IRR) analysis, both with and without UK government support

Question 19. Costs and value for money

How much will the project cost and how does it represent value for money for the team and the taxpayer?

In terms of your project goals, explain:

• your total eligible project costs

• the grant you are requesting

• how each partner will finance their contributions to your project

• how this project represents value for money for you and the taxpayer

• how it compares to what you would spend your money on otherwise

• the balance of costs and grant across the project partners

• any subcontractor costs and why they are critical to your project

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 20. Wider impacts

What impact might this project have outside the project team?

Describe and, where possible, measure the economic benefits from the project such as productivity increases and import substitution, to:

• external parties

• customers

• others in the supply chain

• broader industry

• the UK economy

Describe and, where possible, measure:

• any expected impact on government priorities

• any expected environmental impacts, either positive or negative

• any expected regional impacts of the project

Describe any expected social impacts, either positive or negative, on, for example:

• quality of life

• social inclusion or exclusion

• jobs, such as safeguarding, creating, changing or displacing them

• education

• public empowerment

• health and safety

• regulations

• diversity

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 21: Impact for the UK battery industry

What impact will this project have on the UK battery industry and its supply chain?

Describe:

• environmental benefits as your product or process reaches the market

• economic gains for UK customers, suppliers and the wider battery sector, including improvements to the UK’s supply of critical materials

• effects on UK competitiveness in the global battery market

• enhancements to the sustainability and security of the UK battery supply chain

• benefits for businesses beyond the project consortium

• measures that will reduce risks across the battery supply chain

• long term outcomes and legacy of the project

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

3. Finances

Each organisation in your project must complete their own project costs, organisation details and funding details in the application. Academic institutions must complete and upload a Je-S form.

For an overview on what costs you can claim, see our project costs guidance. Note this is general guidance, for specific guidance see the eligibility section in this competition. You can also view our application finances video.

Assessment

Your application will be reviewed by five independent assessors based on the content of your application and their skills or expertise relevant to your project. All of the scores awarded will count towards the total score used to make the funding decision unless you are notified otherwise.

You can find out more about our assessment process in the General Guidance.

Your submitted application will be assessed against these criteria:

Battery innovation concept development round 2 Assessor Guidance.pdf (opens in a new window)

Interviews

If your application passes the first stage of assessment, you may be invited to attend an interview, where you must give a presentation. Your interview will take place either online or at a designated location. The interviews will be held between 20 July 2026 and 24 July 2026.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you at the interview you must email us at support@iuk.ukri.org within three days of receiving your invitation.

Before the interview and by the deadline stated in the invitation email, you:

• must send a list of who will attend the interview

• must send your interview presentation slides

• can send a written response to the assessors’ feedback

List of attendees

Agree the list with your consortium. Up to five people from your project can attend, ideally one person from each organisation. They must all be available on all published interview dates. We are unable to reschedule slots once allocated.

Presentation slides

Your interview presentation must:

• use Microsoft PowerPoint

• be no longer than 20 minutes

• have no more than 20 slides

• not include any video or embedded web links

You cannot change the presentation after you submit it or bring any additional materials to the interview.

Written response to assessor feedback

This is optional and is an opportunity to answer the assessors’ concerns. It can:

• be up to two A4 pages in a single PDF or Word document

• include charts or diagrams

Interview

After your presentation the panel will spend up to 45 minutes asking questions. You will be expected to answer based on the information you provided in your application form, presentation and the response to feedback.

After your interview

The panellists will individually score your application and these will be averaged for your overall interview score. This score will supersede the one you received from initial assessment unless stated otherwise in the competition brief. We will notify you whether you have been successful or not by email and you will receive feedback on your interview within a week of notification.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Value for Money (VfM) appraisers may want to call you to clarify the information you shared in the written value for money assessment feedback questions.

The appraisers will talk to you about any of the following:

• project risks

• why grant funding is required for your project

• any anticipated technology spill-over benefits

• job projections

• CO2 savings

The call will happen after you have given DBT your responses to their value for money assessment feedback. We provisionally expect the calls to take place between 26 June and 16 July 2026.

DBT will inform the lead contact of a one hour time slot for the call.

On the call we will want to talk to the person who filled out the value for money assessment form and anyone else needed to answer questions. We will not ask representatives from each project partner to attend the call.

Background and further information

The Battery Innovation Programme (2026 to 2030) will be delivered by Innovate UK on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade.

It forms part of the Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, within the modern Industrial Strategy, focused on scaling breakthrough battery research into industrial solutions.

The Battery Innovation Programme builds on the success of the Faraday Battery Challenge as highlighted in Dealroom’s 2024 report on UK electric vehicle battery tech.

The Programme supported over 100 start-ups, helped catalyse a £3.2 billion ecosystem, and positioned the UK fourth globally for EV battery venture capital investment.

The Programme focuses on:

• accelerating research and innovation

• strengthening supply chains

• advancing low carbon manufacturing

• enabling a circular economy

• developing skills and ecosystems

• informing policy and investment

These priorities are supported by:

• crosscutting interventions such as collaborative R&D

• targeted skills development

• scaleup infrastructure through the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre

• a wider network of national assets, strategic investor partnerships, and supporting policy

At its core, the Programme is anchored by worldclass academic research led by the Faraday Institution. This research base underpins technological advances, drives innovation across the UK battery ecosystem, and provides the scientific foundation needed to deliver economic impact, industrial growth, and long-term energy resilience.

To stay up to date with new opportunities from the Battery Innovation Programme, follow the Battery Innovation Programme page on LinkedIn.

Join the growing community of organisations working in the UK's battery value chain across automotive, aerospace, off highway, storage, maritime and more. Sign up for battery updates, funding, collaborations and events.

Briefing recording and slides

Briefing recording and slides will be available to download here after the briefing event.

What happens if you receive a grant offer

If you have passed your initial assessment and have received an email with a grant offer, you will be asked to complete the project setup process on the Innovation Funding Service (IFS). Watch our video on what steps are there before a project starts.

We will ask for information that will allow us to undertake mandatory checks on your organisation and the eligibility of your costs, as well as review the documentation for your project.

You must follow the unique link embedded in your email notification. This takes you to your project's dedicated IFS Set Up portal, where we gather the information required to set up your project, for example your bank details. Watch our video on how successful applicants receive their funding.

If your application is unsuccessful

If you are unsuccessful with your application this time, you can view feedback from the assessors. This will be available to you on your IFS portal following notification.

Sometimes your application will have scored well, and you will receive positive comments from the assessors. You may be unsuccessful as your average score was not above the funding threshold or your project has not been selected under the portfolio approach if this is applied for this competition.

Find a project partner

If you want help to find a project partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect.

Support for SMEs from Innovate UK Business Growth service

Innovate UK Business Growth helps innovation focused businesses make the best strategic choices and access the right resources, in order to grow and ultimately achieve scale.

Visit the service’s website to learn about how you might benefit as a winner.

Protecting your innovation

A Secure Innovation campaign has been developed to help founders and leaders of innovative startups protect their technology, competitive advantage, and reputation.

This was developed by UK’s National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Data sharing

This competition is jointly operated by Innovate UK, and the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) (each an ‘agency’).

Any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process concerning your application can be shared by one agency with the other, for its individual storage, processing and use.

This means that any information given to or generated by Innovate UK in respect of your application may be passed on to DBT and vice versa. This would include, but is not restricted to:

• the information stated on the application, including the personal details of all applicants

• scoring and feedback on the application

• information received during the management and administration of the grant, such as Monitoring Service Provider reports and Independent Accountant Reports

Innovate UK may also share any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process concerning your application with Innovate UK’s national and regional UK third parties and partners who may contact you. For more information see how we handle grant applicant and grant holder data.

Innovate UK and DBT are directly accountable to you for their holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. Data is held in accordance with their own policies. Accordingly, Innovate UK, Innovate UK Business Connect and DBT will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.

Innovate UK’s Privacy Policy

Innovate UK Business Connect Privacy Policy

Department for Business and trade’s (DBT) Privacy Policy

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles.

The Information Commissioner’s Office also has a useful guide for organisations, which outlines the data protection principles.

Contact us

If you need more information about how to apply or you want to submit your application in Welsh, email support@iuk.ukri.org or call 0300 321 4357.

Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Innovate UK or any of our partners will not tolerate abusive language in any written or verbal correspondence, applications, social media or any other form that might affect staff.