Key Features
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £33 million for late stage demonstration research and development projects. Projects will support the UK’s transition to zero emission vehicles and a pathway to a net zero automotive industry.
Programme: Innovate UK
Award: Share of upto £33 million
Opens: 5th Jan 2026
Closes: 11th Mar 2026
DRIVE35 is aimed at transforming the UK’s automotive industry and the scale up of innovative zero emission vehicle technologies and unlocking capital investment in zero emission vehicles, batteries and their wider supply chain.
Drive35 will support the UK’s transition to zero emission vehicles and a pathway to a net zero automotive industry. The aim of strand 2 is to develop a product or process demonstrator to show increased capability and commercial exploitation opportunities.
Proposals need to fall within one of more of the following themes:
Theme 1 – Promote Zero Emission Vehicle Technologies:
Products must focus on one of more of the following areas:
Theme 2: Enhance Manufacturing Competitiveness
R&D projects which use innovations to enable productivity, cost competitiveness and reduce embedded carbon must focus on one or more of the following areas:
Theme 3: Future Vehicle Innovation – SDV and Electrical/Electronic architecture
SDV & E&E architecture is focused on enabling features through software and involves and paradigm shift and redesign. The transformation is critical to supporting zero-emission vehicle functions and leveraging UK Innovation strengths for global competitiveness. This is system, vehicle and process-level evolution in one of more of the following areas:
DRIVE35 projects must have a total eligible grant funding request of between £500,000 and £1.5 million and be a minimum of 50% match funding. Projects must align to at least 1 of the three themes and last between 9 and 12 months. All project work must be carried out in the UK with intended results exploited in the UK. Projects start on 1st September 2026 and must end by 31st Aug 2027.
Lead: To lead a collaborative project or work along your organisation must be registered in the Uk and be a business of any size. Academic institutions cannot lead or work alone.
Project Teams: To collaborate with the lead your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size, academic institution, charity, not for-profit, public-sector organisation or a research and technology organisation.
Non-funded partners: Projects can include organisations who do not claim funding for work on the project. These costs need to be covered by their own resources and can include UK, EU and other non-UK organisations.
Subcontractors: Subcontractors are allowed in the competition and can be from anywhere in the UK. If overseas subcontractors are used, you must make a case as to why UK subcontractors could not be used.
Number of Applications: There are no limits to the number of applications an organisation can be involved in
Previous applications: You can use previously submitted applications
Up to £33 million in grant funding has been allocated to fund innovation projects. Your total grant funding request must be no more than £1.5 million and no more than 50% of your total eligible project costs.
A minimum of 70% of your projects total project costs must be incurred by commercial organisations.
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, you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:
For experimental development projects which are nearer to market, you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:
Book an appointment to speak to one of our advisors to discuss your eligibility to apply for this Grant Funding opportunity.
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