Description

This competition is part of the DRIVE35 Innovation Fund under the UK Government’s Driving Research and Investment in Vehicle Electrification (DRIVE35) programme, led by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and delivered with Innovate UK and the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC). It supports late-stage demonstration research and development (R&D) projects that design, develop and manufacture technologies to accelerate the UK’s transition to zero emission vehicles and strengthen the automotive supply chain.

Funding amount

• Total funding available: up to £33 million of UK Government grant funding for demonstration projects.
• Per project: grant funding requests must be between £500,000 and £1,500,000.
• Projects must be at least 50 % match-funded through other eligible project costs provided by the applicant.

Submission deadlines

• Competition opens: Monday 5 January 2026.
• Competition closes: Wednesday 11 March 2026 at 11:00 am UK time.
• Earliest project start: From 1 September 2026.
• Project end date: By 31 August 2027; projects normally last 9–12 months.

Submission conditions

Applicants must:

• submit via the Innovation Funding Service by the deadline;
• clearly show the demonstrator’s relevance to zero emission vehicles and industry impact;
• include sufficient match funding (min. 50 %) within project cost planning;
• carry out all work in the UK and intend to exploit results in or from the UK;
• justify use of subcontractors, if applicable, and comply with all Innovate UK eligibility and subsidy control requirements.

Eligible types of organisations

Lead organisations must be:

• UK registered businesses of any size (only they can lead and claim funding).

Collaborators may include:

• UK registered businesses;
• academic institutions (invited into application);
• charities and not-for-profits;
• public sector organisations;
• research and technology organisations (RTOs).

Academic institutions cannot lead or work alone but can participate as collaborators.