Automotive Transformation Fund Expression of Interest: Round 18

Key Features

Registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £1billion for capital centric investment projects that help industrialise the electrified automotive supply chain at scale in the UK.

Programme:     Innovate UK

Award:     Share of up to £1 billion

Opens: 24th Jan 2022

Closes: 16th Feb 2022

! This scheme is now closed

Overview

The Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) is an Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) programme that aims to establish a competitive and sustainable UK supply chain.

It offers a share of up to £1billion of funding for capital and associated industrial research projects. This will be to support the industrialisation of a high value, electrified automotive supply at scale in the UK.

Scope

This is an expression of interest (EoI) competition. You must have a successful application in this competition before you can be invited to apply to the full stage competition. Any application to the full stage competition will be subject to a separate assessment, with no guarantee of funding support.

Your project must support the industrialisation at scale of an electrified automotive supply chain. It must be appropriate and in proportion to the planned objectives and prioritisation of the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF).

You should be looking to transform the automotive industry through significant business or production expansion. We expect your project to be centred around a product, process or technology that you have already demonstrated and have confirmed as technically and economically feasible.

Your application can be for:

  • capital investment only
  • capital and associated R&D activity

Your proposal must prioritise the scale up in areas mentioned in the Automotive Transformation Strategy for an electrified supply chain. Your project must prioritise scale up and must focus on one or more of the following:

  • batteries including cells (’gigafactories’)
  • electric motors and drives
  • power electronics
  • fuel cells
  • upstream supply chain for, batteries including cells, electric motors and drives, power electronics or fuel cells

Your project must:

  • fit with the overall strategy of the ATF
  • offer value for money for the UK
  • have an ongoing benefit to the UK from the exploitation of your project
  • include deliverables such as time, cost and quality (including risks)

Only projects which score well against these criteria will receive funding from the ATF.

The ATF will prioritise support to projects that:

  • can act as anchors to their respective supply chains
  • are likely to lead to further investments while creating a sustainable and competitive supply chain for the future

Specific Themes

Your project must focus on one or more of the following:

Batteries including cells (’gigafactories’)

  • cathode materials and manufacturing
  • anode materials and manufacturing
  • electrolyte
  • cell assembly components (including separators)

Electric motors and drives

  • magnet materials and manufacturing
  • electrical steel materials and manufacturing
  • electrical machine assembly
  • drive line components
  • assembly and test into complete drive unit

Power electronics

  • wide band gap semi-conductors
  • sensors
  • passives
  • power electronics assembly

Fuel cells

  • MEA
  • fuel cell stack assembly
  • storage tanks

Upstream Supply Chain including:

  • raw materials
  • component manufacturing
  • sub-assembly manufacturing

Eligibility

Your total eligible project costs and project duration must be strongly aligned to the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF). To be eligible your project must request a minimum of £1 million in grant against your total eligible project costs.

To lead a project or work alone your organisation must:

  • be a business of any size
  • carry out its project work in the UK
  • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
  • address the requirements of the Automotive Transformation Fund

Non-UK businesses can apply to this expression of interest (EoI) competition in reference to activities they are considering undertaking in the UK. The business must be registered in the UK before any funding can be awarded.

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

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

All applicants will need to be registered in the UK before any funding can be awarded.

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.

You can make more than one application.

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

Exclusions

Innovate UK are not funding projects that:

  • do not transform the automotive industry through significant business or production expansion
  • are not centred around a product, process or technology that you have already demonstrated
  • are not confirmed as technically and economically feasible
  • have a primary focus on recycling
  • are dependent on export performance
  • are dependent on domestic inputs usage

Innovate UK are not funding capital investment that:

  • is related to charging infrastructure
  • includes investment in final electric vehicle assembly at original equipment manufacturers (OEM)
  • supports retail and wholesale fuel supply
  • focuses primarily on use of digital or data technologies such as simulation
  • supports speculative site enabling projects

Innovate UK are not funding associated R&D activity for:

  • software development
  • product or process development which is at prototype or early proof of concept stage
  • low-carbon fuels development

Innovate UK are not funding projects that are only R&D.

Funding Costs

Innovate UK have allocated a share of up to £1billion to fund capital focused projects in this competition.

Capital investment projects

Capital investment projects will be managed through the BEIS Central Grants & Loans Team. For capital investment projects the grant available is dependent on the proposed project and will be determined during the second stage of the application process.

The grant requested should be the minimum required to ensure sustainability of the investment. Funding levels for associated R&D costs are dependent on the size of your organisation. Further information on the process will be provided at the full stage.

Research Participation

Research organisation participation is allowed where research is integral to your capital centric project.

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%, research and technology organisations in the consortium could get funding for their eligible project costs of up to:

  • 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if they are an academic institution
  • 100% of their eligible project costs if they are an RTO

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