Funding competition Faraday Battery Challenge Round 6 Innovation CR&D

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £10 million for innovation in battery technologies for electrification. This funding is from the Faraday Battery Challenge.

This competition is now closed.

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Competition sections

Description

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £10 million in innovation projects across the two strands of this competition. This funding is from the Faraday Battery Challenge (FBC).

The aim of this competition is 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

This competition is split into 2 strands:

It is your responsibility to ensure you submit your application to the correct strand for your project. You will not be able to transfer your application and it will not be sent for assessment if it is out of scope.

In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process.

This competition closes at 11am UK time on the deadline stated.

Funding type

Grant

Project size

Your project’s total costs must be between £300,000 and £2.5 million.

Who can apply

Your project

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

You must only include eligible project costs in your application.

Under current restrictions, this competition will not fund any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any Russian and Belarusian entity as lead, partner or subcontractor. This includes any goods or services originating from a Russian and Belarusian source.

Lead organisation

To lead a project your organisation must:

More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules.


Project team

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:

  • business of any size
  • academic institution
  • charity
  • not for profit
  • public sector organisation
  • research and technology organisation (RTO)

Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service by the lead to collaborate on a project. Once accepted, partners will be asked to login or to create an account and enter their own project costs and complete their own Project impact questions into the Innovation Funding Service.

To be an eligible collaboration, the lead and at least one other organisation must apply for funding when entering their costs into the application.

Non-funded partners

Your project can include partners that do not receive any of this competition’s funding, for example non-UK businesses. Their costs will count towards the total project costs.

Subcontractors

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.

Subcontractors are not considered to be collaborators.

Subcontractors should be used to procure products or services to enhance the project and should not be used in substitution of genuine collaboration.

Projects with excessive numbers of subcontractors in a project which does not represent genuine collaboration will not be funded.

Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.

You can use subcontractors from overseas but must make the case in your application as to why you could not use suppliers from the UK.

You must provide a detailed rationale, evidence of the potential UK contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you. We will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use an overseas subcontractor.

All subcontractor costs must be justified and appropriate to the total project costs.


Number of applications

A UK registered business, can lead and be included as a collaborator on any number of applications.

An academic institution, RTO, charity, not for profit or public sector organisation can collaborate on any number of applications.

Previous applications

You can use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition. It is expected that previously submitted applications will be suitable for the timeframe of this competition.

We will not award you funding if you have:

Subsidy control (and State aid where applicable)

This competition provides funding in line with the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Further information about the Subsidy requirements can be found within the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk).

Innovate UK is unable to award organisations that are considered to be in financial difficulty. We will conduct financial viability and eligibility tests to confirm this is not the case following the application stage.

EU State aid rules now only apply in limited circumstances. Please see our general guidance to check if these rules apply to your organisation.


Further Information

If you are unsure about your obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 or the State aid rules, you should take independent legal advice. We are unable to advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations.

You must always make sure that the funding awarded to you is compliant with all current Subsidy Control legislation applicable in the United Kingdom.


This aims to regulate any advantage granted by a public sector body which threatens to, or actually distorts competition in the United Kingdom or any other country or countries.

Funding

Up to £10 million has been allocated, across both strands of this competition, to fund innovation projects. Funding will be in the form of a grant.

If your organisation’s work on the project is commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organisation normally acts non-economically but for the purpose of this project will be undertaking commercial or economic activity.

Collaborative Research and Development (CR&D)

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

For more information on company sizes, please refer to the company accounts guidance.

If you are applying for an award funded under State aid Regulations, the definitions are set out in the European Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003.

Research participation

The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 30% of the total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared between them. Of that 30% you could get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:

  • 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are a Je-S registered institution such as an academic
  • 100% of your project costs if you are an RTO, charity, not for profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation

Your proposal

(Text update 17/05/2023: revised wording around the competitions funding priorities for clarity)

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

We are 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

For CR&D we encourage applications that:

  • support development and qualification of battery technology supply chains in the UK
  • prove technology for specific applications
  • prove cell material and component performance at module and pack level

Our first priority for funding will be projects targeting performance requirements for automotive applications. This includes:

  • on and off-highway vehicles
  • medium and heavy goods vehicles
  • passenger cars and vans
  • buses
  • motorsport
  • e-motorcycles

Our second priority for funding will be projects:

  • targeting applications with performance requirements that are related to automotive performance requirements
  • developing breakthrough technologies that have the potential for widespread sectoral adoption

You must clearly demonstrate your understanding of the performance synergies and route to market in your application.

Portfolio approach
We want to fund a variety of projects across the battery value chain and different technologies and markets. We will apply a portfolio approach across the two strands of the competition.

Specific themes

(Text update 17/05/2023: revised wording around shared information)

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)

Further information can be found here:

Check if you need an environmental permit - GOV.UK

Environmental management : Environmental permits - detailed information - GOV.UK

Get an opinion from the definition of waste service - GOV.UK

Innovate UK reserves the right to share information regarding your grant application with the Environment Agency or Scottish Environment Protection Agency or Natural Resources Wales or Northern Ireland Environment Agency to ensure appropriate environmental compliance in conducting project activities.

Research categories

We will fund industrial research projects, as defined in the guidance on categories of research.

Projects we will not fund

We are not funding projects that are:

  • research projects or projects which are academic intensive​
  • business as usual R&D projects​
  • non-collaborative projects ​
  • projects with over reliance on subcontracting
  • aiming to secure funding for capital equipment as a primary focus​
  • not demonstrating considerations of the cost, market and business requirements of the technology​
  • focussed on off-vehicle charging
  • focussing on physical system integration of battery technologies for example into vehicles or energy storage systems

We cannot fund projects that are:

  • dependent on export performance, for example giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of bread to another country
  • dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it uses 50% UK flour in their product

16 May 2023
Competition opens
17 May 2023
Online briefing event: register to attend
12 July 2023 11:00am
Competition closes
11 August 2023
Applicants notified

Before you start

You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.

Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to make sure:

  • that all the information provided in the application is correct
  • your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria
  • all sections of the application are marked as complete
  • that all partners have completed all assigned sections and accepted the terms and conditions (T&Cs)

You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.

What we ask you

The application is split into 4 sections:

  1. Project details.
  2. Application questions.
  3. Finances.
  4. Project Impact.

Accessibility and inclusion

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes providing support, in the form of reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us. Read more on how we are making our application process more accessible and inclusive for everyone.

You must contact us as early as possible in the application process. We recommend contacting us at least 15 working days before the competition closing date to ensure we can provide you with the most suitable support possible.

You can contact us by emailing support@iuk.ukri.org or calling 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

1. Project details

This section provides background for your application and is not scored.

Application team

Decide which organisations will work with you on your project and invite people from those organisations to help complete the application.

Application details

Give your project’s title, start date and duration.

Research category

Select the type of research you will undertake.

Project summary

Describe your project briefly and be clear about what makes it innovative. We use this section to assign the right experts to assess your application.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Public description

Describe your project in detail and in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information. If we award your project funding, we will publish this description. This could happen before you start your project.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Scope

Describe how your project fits the scope of the competition. If your project is not in scope it will not be sent for assessment. We will tell you the reason why.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

2. Application questions

The assessors will score all your answers apart from question 1. You will receive feedback for each scored question. Find out more about how our assessors assess and how we select applications for funding.

You must answer all questions. Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers.

Question 1. Applicant location (not scored)

You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and any partners or subcontractors working on your project.

We are collecting this information to understand the geographical location of all applicants.

Your answer to this question can be up to 400 words long.

Question 2. Need or challenge

What is the business need, technological challenge, or market opportunity behind your innovation?

Explain:

  • the main motivation for the project
  • the business need, technological challenge or market opportunity
  • how the project will meet the aims of the competition
  • the nearest current state-of-the-art, including those close to market or in development (both within and outside the UK), and its current limitations
  • any work you have already done to respond to this need, for example, if the project focuses on developing an existing capability or building a new one or technology transfer into a new sector
  • the wider economic, social, environmental, cultural or political challenges which are influential in creating the opportunity, such as incoming regulations and using our Horizons tool if appropriate

Your answer to this question can be up to 400 words long.

Question 3. Approach and innovation

What approach will you take and where will the focus of the innovation be?

Explain:

  • the objectives of your project
  • how you will respond to the need, challenge or opportunity identified
  • how you will improve on the nearest current state-of-the-art that you have identified
  • whether the innovation will focus on existing technologies in new areas, the development of new technologies for existing areas, or a totally disruptive approach
  • the freedom you have to operate
  • the technological and manufacturing maturity at the start of the project and achieved by the end of the project
  • the expected advancements in the performance metrics of the battery technology as outlined in the scope
  • how the battery technology will meet the performance requirements of the intended applications and, where appropriate, what the synergies are with the needs of automotive applications
  • how this project fits with your current product, service lines or offerings
  • how it will make your consortium and the UK more competitive
  • the nature of the outputs you expect from the project, for example reports, demonstrator, know-how, new process, product or service design, and how these will help you to target the need, challenge or opportunity identified

You can submit one technical appendix to support your answer. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF, up to 2 A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Your answer to this question can be up to 600 words long.

Question 4. Team and resources

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Explain:

  • the roles, skills and experience of all members of the project team that are relevant to the approach you will be taking and in particular any battery-specific experience within the team
  • the resources, equipment and facilities needed for the project and how you will access them
  • the details of any vital external parties, including subcontractors, who you will need to work with to successfully carry out the project
  • the current relationships between project partners and how these will change as a result of the project
  • any roles you will need to recruit for and how you plan to mitigate against any delays in recruitment

You can submit one appendix, with a short summary of the main people working on the project to support your answer. It must be a PDF, up to 4 A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Your answer to this question can be up to 400 words long.

Question 5. Market awareness

What do the initial market or markets you are targeting look like?

We understand the global strategic case for electrification and batteries, so this answer must focus on the specific market segment you are targeting.

Describe:

  • the target markets for the project outcomes and any other potential markets (domestic, international or both)
  • the size of the target markets for the project outcomes, backed up by references where available
  • the structure and dynamics of the target markets, including customer segmentation, together with predicted growth rates within clear timeframes
  • the target markets’ main supply or value chains and business models, and any barriers to entry that exist
  • the current UK position in targeting these markets
  • the size and main features of any other markets not already listed

If your project is highly innovative, where the market may be unexplored, describe or explain:

  • what the market’s size might be
  • how your project will try to explore the market’s potential

Your answer to this question can be up to 400 words long.

Question 6. Outcomes and route to market

How are you going to enter the initial target market and subsequent target markets? How will you grow your business and increase long term productivity as a result of the project?

Explain:

  • your current position in the markets and supply or value chains outlined, and whether you will be extending or establishing your market position
  • your target customers or end users, and the value to them, for example, why they would use or buy your product
  • how your innovation meets the needs of the market from a technical, commercial and market perspective
  • your route to market including the route to scale your technology within and beyond the project
  • how you are going to profit from the innovation, including increased revenues or cost reduction
  • how the innovation will affect your productivity and growth, in both the short and the long term
  • how you will protect and exploit the outputs of the project, for example through know-how, patenting, designs or changes to your business model
  • your strategy for targeting the other markets you have identified during or after the project

If there is any research organisation activity in the project, describe:

  • your plans to spread the project’s research outputs over a reasonable timescale
  • how you expect to use the results generated from the project in further research activities

Your answer to this question can be up to 600 words long.

Question 7. Wider impacts

What impact might this project have outside the project team?

Describe and, where possible, measure the economic benefits from the project such as productivity increases and import substitution, to:

  • external parties
  • customers
  • others in the supply chain
  • broader industry
  • the UK economy

Describe and, where possible, measure:

  • any expected impact on government priorities
  • any expected regional impacts of the project

Describe any expected social impacts, either positive or negative, on, for example:

  • quality of life
  • social inclusion or exclusion
  • jobs, such as safeguarding, creating, changing or displacing them
  • education
  • public empowerment
  • health and safety
  • regulations

Your answer to this question can be up to 400 words long.

Question 8. Environmental sustainability

What impact on climate change and environmental sustainability could your idea have?

Describe:

  • any climate change or environmental sustainability impacts your project might have, and include any evidence or justification (for example high-level life-cycle analysis figures), even if there are no impacts
  • what the trade-offs are with respect to environmental sustainability and climate change
  • how you intend to accelerate or minimise the relevant climate change or environmental sustainability impacts you’ve identified
  • how your innovation can positively contribute towards a clean environment and sustainable growth within the UK
  • your sustainability specific plans, if appropriate
  • if appropriate, who will be responsible for measuring the sustainability outcomes and impact, what they will measure and how it will be reported

Your answer to this question can be up to 400 words long.

Question 9. Equality, diversity and inclusion

How are you ensuring that your organisation and idea contribute towards equality, diversity and inclusion best practise?

Describe:

  • any equality, diversity or inclusion challenges related to your idea, if appropriate
  • how you will consider equality, diversity and inclusion in the development of your innovation, for example unintended exclusion of minority groups, recognising bias
  • any policies or approaches to equality, diversity and inclusion your organisation might have
  • how you will promote equality, diversity and inclusion for any roles you are recruiting for in this project
  • how the project might contribute to social inclusion or exclusion

Your answer to this question can be up to 400 words long.

Question 10. Project management

How will you manage your project effectively?

Explain:

  • the main work packages of your project, indicating the aims, the lead partner assigned to each and the total cost of each one
  • your approach to project management, identifying any major tools and mechanisms you will use to get a successful and innovative project outcome
  • the management reporting lines within the project
  • your project plan in enough detail to identify any links or dependencies between work packages, milestones and deliverables

You must submit a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF, up to 2 A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Your answer to this question can be up to 400 words long.

Question 11. Risks

What are the main risks for this project?

Explain:

  • the main risks and uncertainties of the project, including the technical, commercial, managerial and environmental risks
  • how you will mitigate these risks, in particular to recruitment delays, supply chain issues and facility availability delays
  • any project inputs that are critical to completion, such as resources, expertise, and data sets
  • any output likely to be subject to regulatory requirements, certification, ethical issues and other requirements identified, and how you will manage this

You must submit a risk register as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF, up to 2 A4 pages long, and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Your answer to this question can be up to 400 words long.

Question 12. Added value

How will this public funding help you to accelerate or enhance your approach to developing your project towards commercialisation? What impact would this award have on the organisations involved?

Explain:

  • what advantages public funding would offer your project, for example appeal to investors, more partners, reduced risk or a faster route to market, this list is not exhaustive
  • the likely impact of the project outcomes on the organisations involved
  • what other routes of investment or means of support you have already approached and why they were not suitable
  • how any existing or potential investment or support will be used in conjunction with the grant funding
  • what your project would look like without public funding
  • how this project would change the R&D activities of all the organisations involved

Your answer to this question can be up to 400 words long.

Question 13. Costs and value for money

How much will the project cost and how does it represent value for money for the team and the taxpayer?

In terms of your project goals, explain:

  • your total project costs
  • the grant you are requesting
  • how each partner will finance their contributions to your project
  • how this project represents value for money for you and the taxpayer
  • how it compares to what you would spend your money on otherwise
  • the balance of costs and grant across the project partners
  • any subcontractor costs and why they are critical to your project

Your answer to this question can be up to 400 words long.

3. Finances

Each organisation in your project must complete their own project costs, organisation details and funding details in the application. Academic institutions must complete and upload a Je-S form.

For full details on what costs you can claim see our project costs guidance. You can also view our Application Finances video.

4. Project Impact

This section is not scored but will provide background to your project.

Each partner must complete the Project Impact questions before being able to submit the application.

More information can be found in our Project Impact guidance and by viewing our Impact Management Framework video.

Background and further information

The Faraday Battery Challenge (FBC) delivered by Innovate UK is investing over £540 million in the research, development and scale-up of battery technologies in the UK.

FBC is developing battery technologies that are:

  • cost-effective
  • high performing
  • longer range
  • faster charging
  • long-lasting
  • safe
  • sustainable

FBC comprises of:

  • The Faraday Institution to deliver mission-driven, industry inspired academic-led research, early stage commercialisation, high-skills level training and technoeconomic insights
  • Innovate UK to provide support to accelerate business-led battery technology innovation and company growth
  • The UK Battery Industrialisation Centre which is the UK's gigascale battery manufacturing scale-up facility where businesses can de-risk the scale-up of their battery innovation and prove performance of commercially relevant batteries to investors and customers

Find out more about FBC: Faraday battery challenge – UKRI.

Join the growing community of organisations working on battery technology in the UK, find collaborators and keep up to date with FBC: KTN Innovation Network Hub.

Data sharing

This competition is operated by Innovate UK.

Innovate UK is directly accountable to you for its holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. Data is held in accordance with our own policies. Accordingly, Innovate UK will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application. Innovate UK’s Privacy Policy is accessible here.

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of GDPR, and is committed to upholding the data protection principles, and protecting your information. The Information Commissioner’s Office also has a useful guide for organisations, which outlines the data protection principles.

Any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process or during or after project life concerning your application or project can be shared by one agency with the other, for its individual storage, processing and use. You may be contacted the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency or Northern Ireland Environment Agency with regards to your application or live project and project activities and the permitting requirements.

This means that any information given to or generated by Innovate UK in respect of your application will be passed on to the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency or Northern Ireland Environment Agency and vice versa. This would include, but is not restricted to:

  • the information stated on the application, including the personal details of all applicants
  • information received during the management and administration of the grant, such as Monitoring Officer reports.

Innovate UK and the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency or Northern Ireland Environment Agency are directly accountable to you for their holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information.

Data is held in accordance with their own policies. Accordingly, Innovate UK, and the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency or Northern Ireland Environment Agency will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.

Innovate UK’s Privacy Policy is accessible here. The Environment Agency’s Personal Information Charter is accessible here. Natural Resources Wales’ Privacy Policy is accessible here. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency’s Privacy Policy is accessible here. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency’s Privacy Statement is accessible here.

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of GDPR, and is committed to upholding the data protection principles, and protecting your information. The Information Commissioner’s Office also has a useful guide for organisations, which outlines the data protection principles.

Find a project partner

If you want help to find a project partner, contact Innovate UK KTN. Or visit the Cross-Sector Battery Systems Innovation Network: KTN Innovation Network Hub.

Support for SMEs from Innovate UK EDGE

If you receive an award, you will be contacted about working with an innovation and growth specialist at Innovate UK EDGE. This service forms part of our funded offer to you.

These specialists focus on growing innovative businesses and ensuring that projects contribute to their growth. Working one-to-one, they can help you to identify your best strategy and harness world-class resources to grow and achieve scale.

We encourage you to engage with Innovate UK EDGE, delivered by a knowledgeable and objective specialist near you.

Next steps

If you are successful with this application, you will be asked to set up your project.

You must follow the unique link embedded in your email notification. This takes you to your IFS Set Up portal, the tool that Innovate UK uses to gather necessary information before we can allow your project to begin.

You will need to provide:

  • the name and contact details of your project manager and finance contact
  • a redacted copy of your bank details
  • a collaboration agreement
  • an exploitation plan

In order for us to process your claims, you must make sure you have a valid UK bank account. It is possible that it can take several weeks for a new account to be created. We would recommend starting this process as early as possible to avoid any delays to you project start date.

The bank details you give to us must relate to a UK high street bank that is regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). The account must have a BACS clearing facility and be in the same company name as your application.

If you have any doubts that your bank account will not meet Innovate UK's funding criteria, you can use the sort code checker. If you input the sort code and find a tick next to the ‘BACS Direct Credit payments can be sent to this sort code’, this will give you an indication that the bank account you hold is acceptable.

Finance checks

We will carry out checks to make sure you are an established company with access to the funds necessary to complete the project.

You must check your IFS portal regularly and respond to any requests we have sent for additional information to avoid any delays.

Failure to complete project setup may result in your grant offer being withdrawn.

Your Grant offer letter (GOL)

Once you have successfully completed project setup, we will issue your GOL.

The GOL will be made available on your IFS portal. You will need to sign and upload this before you start your project.

Your GOL will show the start date for your project, do not start your project before this date. Any costs incurred before your start date cannot be claimed as part of your grant.

If your application is unsuccessful

If you are unsuccessful with your application this time, you can view feedback from the assessors. This will be available to you on your IFS portal following notification.

Sometimes your application will have scored well, and you will receive positive comments from the assessors. You may be unsuccessful as your average score was not above the funding threshold or your project has not been selected under the portfolio approach if this is applied for this competition.

Contact us

If you need more information about how to apply or you want to submit your application in Welsh, email support@iuk.ukri.org or call 0300 321 4357.
Our phone lines are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Need help with this service? Contact us