Battery Innovation: Concept Development Rd 3 (UK)

Deadline: 02-Dec-2026

Innovate UK is offering grants for collaborative research and development projects designed to strengthen the UK battery value chain through advances in battery cell, module, and pack manufacturing technologies. The Battery Innovation Concept Development Round 3 supports the UK’s strategic efforts to strengthen battery manufacturing capabilities and supply chain resilience. The programme focuses on addressing critical capability gaps that limit the UK’s ability to scale battery manufacturing and capture greater economic value domestically. Projects can receive between £500,000 and £4 million and must last between 12 and 36 months.

About the Battery Innovation Concept Development Round 3

The Battery Innovation Concept Development Round 3 is part of efforts to advance battery manufacturing and strengthen the UK battery supply chain. The programme is delivered by Innovate UK on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. It aims to support collaborative R&D that can: - Strengthen the UK battery value chain. - Address capability gaps in battery manufacturing. - Improve cell, module, and pack manufacturing technologies. - Support scale-up from laboratory research to pilot and pre-commercial manufacturing. - Increase supply chain localisation. - Strengthen supply chain resilience. - Capture greater economic value within the UK. - Contribute to the UK’s net zero objectives. Priority Areas Applications must clearly align with at least one of three manufacturing groups: - Cell manufacturing. - Module manufacturing. - Pack manufacturing and battery management systems (BMS). Projects should demonstrate how their proposed innovation addresses relevant manufacturing challenges and supports the development of the UK battery industry. Cell Manufacturing Projects under the cell manufacturing category should focus on innovations that can enable improvements in large-scale battery cell production. Research and development may address technologies or processes that help overcome capability gaps and support the transition from laboratory-scale development towards pilot and pre-commercial manufacturing in the UK. Module Manufacturing The module manufacturing category supports innovations that can contribute to industrial development of battery module technologies. Projects should demonstrate the potential to support improved manufacturing capabilities and strengthen the UK’s ability to develop and scale battery module technologies. Pack Manufacturing and Battery Management Systems The programme also supports high-performance and efficient battery pack and battery management system (BMS) technologies. Projects in this area should focus on innovations that can improve battery pack performance, efficiency, manufacturing capabilities, or related BMS technologies. AI-Supported Battery Design The competition encourages projects that demonstrate the results of AI-supported design across cell and battery pack development. Applicants should show how AI-supported approaches contribute to the development of innovative battery technologies and how the resulting solutions can support practical manufacturing and scale-up. Scale-Up and UK Manufacturing An important objective of the programme is to help move innovations from laboratory development towards industrial application.

Projects should support scale-up to:

- Pilot manufacturing. - Pre-commercial manufacturing. - Larger-scale production within the UK. The proposed R&D should therefore demonstrate a credible pathway from innovation and development to practical manufacturing applications. Target Sectors Projects should target battery performance requirements for one or more relevant sectors.

These include:

- Automotive. - Aerospace. - Battery energy storage systems. - Rail. - Maritime. - Defence. Applicants should demonstrate how their proposed technology addresses performance requirements relevant to the selected sector or sectors. How Much Funding Is Available? Funding requests must fall within the specified range.

Key funding details include:

- Minimum funding: £500,000.

- Maximum funding: £4 million.

- Project duration: 12 to 36 months.

- Funding type: Collaborative research and development.

- Location of funded work: United Kingdom.

- Exploitation of results: Within the UK.

Applicants should ensure that their requested funding and project duration comply with these requirements. Who Can Apply? The lead organisation must be a UK registered business. The consortium must also include at least one UK registered small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).

Other eligible collaborators can include:

- UK registered businesses. - Academic institutions. - Charities. - Not-for-profit organisations. - Public sector organisations. - Research and technology organisations. Non-UK partners may participate in projects as non-funded partners. Consortium Requirements The competition is designed around collaborative R&D, meaning applicants are expected to form an appropriate project consortium. The consortium must include at least one UK registered SME, while the lead organisation must be a UK registered business. Collaborating organisations can bring business, academic, research, public sector, charity, or not-for-profit expertise to the project. Non-UK organisations can participate as collaborators provided they do not receive funding under the programme. UK Work and Exploitation Requirements All funded project work must be carried out in the UK. The results of funded projects must also be exploited within the UK. Applicants should therefore explain how the project will contribute to UK manufacturing capabilities, supply chain development, economic value, and environmental objectives. UK Economic and Environmental Impact Projects must demonstrate a credible pathway to delivering value to the UK economy and environment. Applicants should explain how their proposed innovation could contribute to: - UK economic value creation. - Battery sup