Increasing EV charging capacity on the strategic road network

Project participants can also include, but are not limited to:

• transport sector stakeholders such as service area operators, road operators, charging equipment developers and suppliers, charge point operators (CPO), or EV fleet operators
• energy sector stakeholders such as Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), Independent Distribution Network Operators (IDNOs), Independent Connection Providers (ICPs), energy suppliers, generation, storage or distribution equipment or system developers, flexibility system operators
• IT, digital and cyber security stakeholders, for example, energy management, monitoring and sensing system developers and operators
• infrastructure owners
• investors
• end users

Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) by the lead to collaborate on a project. Once partners have accepted the invitation, they will be asked to login or to create an account in IFS. They are responsible for entering their own project costs and completing their Project Impact questions in the application.

To be an eligible collaboration, the lead and at least one other organisation must:

• apply for funding when entering their costs into the application
• include rationale for the collaboration and describe the structure in your application
• ensure any one partner does not account for more than 70% of the total eligible costs

Non-funded partners

Your project can include organisations who do not claim any funding for their work on the project. Their costs will be covered from their own resources. These can include UK, EU and other non-UK organisations. Non-UK partners are permitted to carry out project work from within their home countries and exploit the results outside the UK.

Where non-funded partners have been invited to the application on IFS, their costs will count towards the total eligible project costs.

Subcontractors

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.

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 cannot use subcontractors 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 eligible project costs.

Number of applications

Businesses can only lead on one application, but can collaborate on any number of applications. Other organisations can collaborate in any number of applications.

Sanctions

This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions. For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.

Use of animals in research and innovation

Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.

Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process. This information will be reviewed before an award is made.

You can use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.

Exclusions

Innovate UK are not funding projects that:

• would have taken place in the absence of grant funding
• only address current EV Charging demand
• do not address power, grid and operational constraints to EV charging provision up to 2030
• do not address increasing the capacity of EV charging at MSAs or at APTR cold spots along the Strategic Road Network (SRN) in England
• do not enable a minimum of 12 EV cars and vans to access ultra rapid (150KW or more) charging
• focus on HGV or coach charging only
• focus on sites which do not reduce APTR cold spots and MSA locations on the SRN in England
• focus on sites beyond one mile from the SRN in England
• focus on sites which do not have constraints to meeting EV charging demand forecasts for 2030
• use biomass or electricity generation methods which create further emissions
• increase risk to users of the SRN in England
• cannot be delivered within the timeframe set out in this competition

Innovate UK 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

Funding Costs

Up to £10 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects in this competition. This is subject to us receiving a sufficient number of high quality applications. Funding will be in the form of a grant.

Innovate UK reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions under exceptional circumstances, for example, in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations, or broader government funding decisions.

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.

The balance between your total eligible project costs and the amount of grant awarded must be funded by the organisation receiving the grant.

For Industrial research projects and Experimental development projects in the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:

Category 2 Industrial research projects

• 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

Category 2 Experimental development projects which are nearer to market

• up to 45% if you are a micro or small organisation
• up to 35% if you are a medium sized organisation
• up to 25% if you are a large organisation

For more information on company sizes, 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.

Innovate UK may revoke our decision to provide funding without notice if government commitment for this initiative is withdrawn.

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 can get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:

• 100% of your eligible project costs if you are an RTO, charity, not for profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation

• 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are a Je-S registered institution such as an academic

Eligibility criteria for claiming 80% of FEC funding

1. Research organisations using the Je-S system must submit their costs through the Je-S system which calculates the 80% FEC figure.
2. On IFS, only the 80% FEC output should be entered at 100% funding.
3. Applicants do not need to show the remaining 20% on the finance table.

To find out more see our: Cost Guidance for Academics.