Battery Innovation Concept Development: round 1 – £20 million available

Battery Innovation Concept Round 1 - Grants Applications

Programme:Innovate UK

Awards:£500k-£4m

Geographical Scope:national

Beneficiaries:private

Key Features:UK businesses can apply for collaborative grants to mature high potential battery concepts for electrification, building stronger routes to market and UK supply chain growth.

Key information at a glance

Funder: Innovate UK. Co funder: Department for Business and Trade
Funding type: Grant
Total pot: £20,000,000
Status: Open
Opens: 23 October 2025, 9:30am UK time
Closes: 17 December 2025, 11:00am UK time
Award size per project: £500,000 to £4,000,000 grant funding request
Project length: 12 to 36 months. Project start: from 1 April 2026
Who can lead: UK registered business of any size
Collaboration: Required, with at least one UK SME claiming grant
UK focus: Work must be carried out in the UK and deliver UK benefit

Eligibility - Battery Innovation Concept Development

Lead applicant: a UK registered business of any size
Consortium: must include at least one UK SME as a grant claimant; partners can include larger businesses, RTOs and universities
Cost split: ensure a fair distribution of costs so no single partner dominates beyond permitted limits
Location: delivery in the UK with a clear route to UK exploitation

Deadlines and how to apply

Opens: 23 October 2025, 9:30am UK time
Closes: 17 December 2025, 11:00am UK time
Plan for internal approvals, letters of support and any supply chain permissions. Projects must start on the first of a month and cannot begin until the Grant Offer Letter is approved.

Benefits to applicants of Battery Innovation Concept Development

Non dilutive funding to mature high potential concepts
Partnerships across the UK battery ecosystem and end user sectors
Investor readiness built on evidence and milestones
First mover advantage in UK electrification markets

Scope - Battery Innovation Concept Development

This competition backs concept development that advances innovations across the battery value chain for electrified applications. Projects should reduce technical risk, evidence performance against application needs, and demonstrate a credible path to commercialisation in the UK.

Example areas in scope include:

Advanced materials discovery, characterisation and formulation
Cell, module and pack concepts improving energy density, safety, durability or cost
Manufacturing process innovations, automation and quality control
Reuse, second life and recycling that strengthen circularity and security of supply
System integration for automotive, aerospace, maritime or stationary storage

Funding and award size

Total competition funding: £20 million
Per project grant request: £500,000 to £4,000,000
Align your eligible costs and match funding so the grant ask sits within the range and complies with Innovate UK rules for the activity types you will deliver.

What assessors look for

Compelling innovation with clear technical milestones and risk management
Market need and use cases with defined adopters or customers
Consortium strength with access to facilities and delivery capability
Credible route to market and clear UK benefit
Value for money, realistic workplan and compliance with funding rules

Grants Roadmapping, built for CFOs

Get a focused, funder-ready plan in 2 to 4 weeks. We benchmark your pipeline, map the best fit UK and EU calls to your technical and commercial milestones, and produce a clear bid calendar with go or no go decisions, owners, and dates. One team, one point of accountability. Global Reach. Local Expertise.

What you get

Portfolio scan and eligibility fit across Innovate UK, Horizon Europe, Eurostars
12 month call calendar, deadlines and funding rates, with quick scoring
Consortium gap analysis and partner shortlist
Bid plan with responsibilities, timeline, and compliance checks
Optional end to end writing, submission, and audit readiness

“A good roadmap removes the noise. CFOs get a realistic bid calendar, not false hope. We align funding to the business plan so teams move quickly and stay compliant.”
Dr. Chrysi Karagiannaki, R&D Tax Consultant, FI Group UK

Book a free 20 minute discovery call about Grants Roadmapping using the button below.

Book Discovery Call

Grants Roadmapping, built for CFOs

What you get

Portfolio scan and eligibility fit across Innovate UK, Horizon Europe, Eurostars
12 month call calendar, deadlines and funding rates, with quick scoring
Consortium gap analysis and partner shortlist
Bid plan with responsibilities, timeline, and compliance checks
Optional end to end writing, submission, and audit readiness

“A good roadmap removes the noise. CFOs get a realistic bid calendar, not false hope. We align funding to the business plan so teams move quickly and stay compliant.”
Dr. Chrysi Karagiannaki, R&D Tax Consultant, FI Group UK

Book a free 20 minute discovery call about Grants Roadmapping using the button below.

Book Discovery Call

FAQs - Battery Innovation Concept Development

Use this FAQ to quickly confirm award size, eligibility, collaboration rules, funding rates, match funding, eligible costs, timelines, UK benefit, and scoring expectations for the Battery Innovation Concept Development competition.

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