Automotive Transformation Fund Scale up Readiness Validation (SuRV)

Key Features

Organisations can apply for a share of up to £15 million to validate readiness for scale up of net zero technologies and processes.

Programme:     The Automotive Transformation Fund

Award:     Share of up to £15 million

Opens: 20th Apr 2022

Closes: 25th May 2022

! This scheme is now closed

Overview

The Automotive Transformation Fund is delivered by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) and partners, Innovate UK, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Department for International Trade (DIT). It supports the industrialisation at scale of a high-value electrified automotive supply chain in the UK.

Scope

The Automotive Transformation Fund will support the industrialisation at scale of a high value electrified automotive supply chain in the UK. More information on the Automotive Transformation Fund can be found on the APC website.

This competition is to support companies to scale up rapidly, by validating through pilot manufacturing their commercial viability and readiness to scale.

Your project must:

  • produce physical pilot production samples of a quantity and quality which validates the commercial viability of a technology or process for scale up
  • prioritise the automotive sector, but this does not exclude spill over use in other sectors
  • deliver a closeout report and ideally showcase the outputs at a trade show or be presented at a conference, prior to closure and payment of the final claim

APC will fund a portfolio of projects, across the technologies listed in the specific themes section. APC reserve the right to redirect you to another competition if more appropriate.

SuRV projects can:

  • be used to re-engineer existing processes as a route to higher volume
  • be used to validate processes to resolve supply chain issues and encourage onshoring or localisation in support of higher volume
  • be used to resolve process or product issues encountered during previous industrialisation projects (funded or otherwise)
  • support either key individual processes or steps in manufacturing or a complete end to end to process

Specific Themes

Your project 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 can focus on but not be limited to:

  • whole battery cells
  • anode, cathode, separator, electrolyte and battery input materials
  • fuel cells
  • electric drive units (EDUs)
  • hydrogen storage tanks
  • power electronics
  • material sourcing for any of the above

Sectors in scope can include on and off road, agriculture, heavy duty, mining and military, at any point in the supply chain. Larger two-wheel applications will be considered, but micromobility applications will not.

Projects must:

  • validate readiness for scale up through pilot production
  • present a clear route to scale up and securing market share
  • contribute to the UK’s net zero supply chain strategy
  • increase business confidence in making large scale manufacturing investments
  • support the building of electrified vehicle supply chains

Exclusions

The APC are not funding projects which are:

  • not aligned with the aims of the Automotive Transformation Fund
  • not of sustained benefit to the automotive sector primarily
  • centred on technologies or processes which are too early stage to scale at pace
  • focussed primarily on fossil-fuelled internal combustion technology
  • focussed primarily on the use of digital or data technologies
  • centred on low carbon fuels for combustion engines
  • centred around off-vehicle charging infrastructure
  • focussed on a micromobility application
  • dependent on export performance
  • dependent on domestic inputs usage

 

Eligibility

Your project must:

  • have a total grant request of no more than £2 million, or a maximum of 65% of the project costs
  • start by 1 September 2022
  • end by 29 February 2024
  • be completed within 18 months
  • aim to drawdown 50% of the grant by 31 March 2023
  • 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.

To lead a project or work alone your organisation must:

  • be a UK registered business of any size
  • be a grant recipient
  • carry out its project work in the UK
  • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK

Non-UK registered businesses and research organisations are eligible to apply for funding as a lead or part of a project team if they:

  • set up an active UK registered business before they start their project
  • carry out all funded work in the UK

Academic institutions cannot lead or work alone.

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)

Your organisation must:

  • carry our its project work in the UK
  • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK

If collaborative, the lead and at least one other organisation must claim funding by entering their costs during the application.

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.

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

Funding Costs

The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) have allocated up to £15 million to fund innovation projects in this competition, with a maximum intervention rate of 65%.

You must request the minimum amount of funding needed for your project.

If the majority of 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.

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 experimental development projects which are nearer to market, you could get funding for your eligible project costs of:

  • 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

Interested in applying for this competition?

Book an appointment to speak to one of our advisors to discuss your eligibility to apply for this Grant Funding opportunity.