Key Features
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £3 million for project development studies to support the development of ultra long duration battery energy storage demonstrators in the UK.
Programme: Innovate UK
Award: Share of up to £3 million
Opens: 3rd Aug 2026
Closes: 30th Sep 2026
Innovate UK is investing up to £3 million, through the UKRI R&D Missions Accelerator Programme, to support Phase 1 project development studies for electrochemical ultra-long-duration energy storage.
The aim of this competition is to support the development, scale up and UK manufacture of electrochemical ultra long duration energy storage technologies.
The competition is the first phase of a two phase process:
You must demonstrate that your technology and proposed project fits within one of these two streams to be eligible for this Phase 1 competition, and the planned future Phase 2 funding.
To be eligible for this competition, your project must have a grant funding request of between £350,000 and £700,000. Projects must start by 1st January 2027 and end by 30th September 2027 and last between 3 and 9 months.
Lead Organisation: To lead a collaborative project or to work alone, organisations must be a UK registered business of any size. Academic institutions cannot lead or work alone.
Project team: To collaborate with the lead, organisations must be a UK registered business of any size, academic institution, charity, not for profit, public sector organisation or research and technology organisation. Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service by the lead to collaborate on a project.
Non-funded partners: Projects can include organisations that do not claim funding for their work on the project. These costs must be covered by their own resources and 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 results outside the UK.
Subcontractors: Subcontractors are allowed in this competition and can be from anywhere in the UK. Overseas subcontractors can be used, but you must state why UK subcontractors could not be used in your application.
Number of applications: Eligible organisations can only lead on one application. If leading an application, eligible organisations can be included as a collaborator in two further applications. If not leading an application, eligible organisations can collaborate in any number of applications.
Previous applications: Previously submitted applications cannot be used in this competition.
The following projects will not be funded:
Innovate UK has allocated up to £3 million to fund innovation projects in Phase 1 of this competition. A planned Phase 2 competition aimed at supporting demonstrator projects will be subject to the outcomes of this competition and subsequent approvals. Funding will be in the form of a grant.
Under the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Route rules, no more than £3 million can be awarded in the form of a grant to any one enterprise in any one competition.
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.
Category 1 Feasibility studies
For feasibility studies you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:
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:
Eligibility criteria for claiming 80% of FEC funding
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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