Faraday Battery Challenge

Fund details

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
• 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 aims of this competition are to:

• accelerate development and commercialisation of state of the art battery technologies in the UK
• support growth of the supply chain and companies in the UK battery sector
• increase UK competitiveness in the global battery industry
• demonstrate ability of battery technologies to meet the needs of specific applications

Your project must balance specific technical, market, and business requirements for developing and emerging technologies, and enable UK competitiveness across the battery value chain.

You must demonstrate how your technology will address at least one of the following battery performance metrics:

• reduce cost at the cell and pack level, as well as minimising manufacturing costs
• increase energy density (Wh/kg) at cell and pack level
• increase power density (W/kg) at cell and pack level
• increase safety by reducing or eliminating thermal runaway risk
• increase first life by lengthening cell and pack life
• broaden the temperature ranges that a pack efficiently operates at
• increase predictability by developing ways to better predict range and battery health
• increase recyclability by designing for end-of-life or reuse and improving recycling techniques
• increase sustainability by reducing carbon emissions, energy consumption and improving resource efficiency

Innovate UK is particularly interested in funding projects that will enable:

• a competitive and sustainable nickel-rich UK battery supply chain
• high performance, high-value, modest volume applications where UK has established and emerging strength
• low cost, appropriate energy density solutions, at pack level, for applications requiring lower performance and low cost
• greater than 350Wh/kg energy density at pack level
• improved fast charge capability for specific applications
• high cycle life and reduction of battery degradation
• battery safety to enable higher performance
• total end to end life cycle sustainability, including reduction of energy consumption and carbon emissions, across the battery supply chain and throughout battery life
• increased equipment manufacturing capability for state of the art batteries within the UK
• enhanced digital capability across the battery value chain, for example big data and AI for materials discovery, design optimisation and performance verification and digitisation of the end to end bill of process or of provenance and state

Specific themes

Your project must focus on one or more areas of the battery value chain:

• raw materials
• cell materials and cell components
• modules, packs, battery management systems and their components
• recycling and second life

Your project activities may require one of the following:

• an Environmental Permit (England and Wales)
• an Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland and Northern Ireland) Permit
• a Waste Management Licence (Scotland and Northern Ireland)
• compliance with the Waste Battery and Accumulator Regulations (UK)

Eligibility

Your project must:

• have total costs between £300,000 and £2.5 million
• start on 1 November 2023
• end by 31 January 2025
• last between 6 and 15 months
• carry out all of its project work in the UK
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK

For industrial research projects, you could 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

Talk to us today if you would like to apply for this opportunity.