UKRI’s Faraday Battery Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK will invest up to £1.5m in innovation scale up projects in January 2024 to fund UKBIC SME credit Round 2.

Building on the success of the first SME Credit competition in May of this year, the new competition will:

• support small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) research and development for the scale-up of battery technologies within the UK
• support small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to access the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) and demonstrate technologies at suitable scales to customers
• increase engagement with UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC)
• move UK battery innovations from technological potential towards commercial capability, including scalability and design for manufacture
• develop and secure material and manufacturing supply chains for battery technologies in the UK

Important information:

Funding support for eligible costs will be confirmed once the formal call is published.

Competition timeline (dates TBC):

• 29 November 2023, Pre-competition engagement event at UKBIC facility
• January 2024, Competition opens
• January 2024, Online Competition Briefing event
• March 2024, Competition closes
• July 2024, likely start dates for projects
• End of March 2025, all projects must have been completed

Pre-competition Engagement Event

UKBIC are hosting a pre-competition event, allowing you to learn more about our facility and talk to our Business Development Team about how to apply.

Pre-competition engagement event, 29 November 2023 at UKBIC Facility in Coventry:

• Introduction to Faraday Battery Challenge
• Introduction to UKBIC and scope of facilities (especially companies new to using UKBIC)
• Bidding for SME Credits programme
• Benefits of SME Credits
• UKBIC timeline to support competition
• 1-2-1 discussions with UKBIC team of project idea