The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) through Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £2 million in this Contracts for Innovation competition.
The battery innovation programme will enhance defence resilience and security of supply by accelerating the deployment of technologies that are maturing in the larger civil battery market. It will adapt these technologies to address defence sector challenges. The programme will also strengthen UK battery manufacturing, reduce reliance on overseas suppliers, secure critical dual-use supply chains and create new opportunities for UK businesses.
The aim of the competition is to accelerate the development of innovative battery technologies that address defence sector challenges.
Projects must cover one or more of the challenge areas set out by the defence sector:
- UK based supply of high performance cell manufacturing technologies
- Define the most effective level of standardisation for cell, battery pack, interface and/or use case
- UK-based design and manufacture of battery packs
- UK based low volume and custom cell manufacture
- Progression of a UK High Power (UKHP) cell production facility
- UK-based development of Battery Management Systems (BMS) systems
For details of each challenge, see “Specific themes” below.
This is phase 1 of a potential 2 phase competition. The decision to proceed with phase 2 will depend on the outcomes from phase 1 and assessment of a separate application into a subsequent phase 2 competition. Phase 2 is yet to be confirmed and may not be restricted solely to successful Phase 1 projects.
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To lead a project, you can:
- be an organisation of any size, including those based in the EU, EEA or internationally
- work alone or with the subcontracted skills and expertise of others from business, research organisations, research and technology organisations, or the third sector (charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups)
Contracts will be awarded to a single legal entity only. The majority of the project work and key deliverables must be completed by the applicant and be carried out in the UK, and most of the funding spent within the UK. Subcontractors can be used, but only for specialist skills.
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Projects must:
- start by 1 January 2027
- end by 31 March 2027
- last up to 3 months
- have total costs of between £20,000 and £50,000, inclusive of VAT
- have all project cost spent before 31 March 2027
Contracts for Innovation competitions involve procurement of R&D services and are not subject to subsidy control criteria. This competition is run by the Authority under the Procurement Act 2023 (R&D exemption). This means that projects can usually be 100% funded.
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The battery innovation programme will enhance defence resilience and security of supply by accelerating the deployment of technologies that are maturing in the larger civil battery market. It will adapt these technologies to address defence sector challenges. The programme will also strengthen UK battery manufacturing, reduce reliance on overseas suppliers, secure critical dual-use supply chains and create new opportunities for UK businesses.
The aim of the competition is to accelerate the development of innovative battery technologies that address defence sector challenges.
The programme will support the UK civil and defence battery sectors by identifying dual use battery technologies and routes for transferring them between sectors. It will also develop the use cases and business cases needed to support wider adoption.
This includes battery technologies that do not align with current large scale manufacturing priorities but are critical to the UK’s sovereign defence capability.
The programme will focus on industrial research, prioritising projects at higher technology readiness levels (TRLs) that can progress rapidly towards operational use.
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Projects must cover one or more of the challenge areas set out by the defence sector:
UK based supply of high performance cell manufacturing technologies
This can include:
- pouch cells
- primary cells
- Li-S
- Li-metal anodes
- Na-ion
You must demonstrate supply resilience through:
- secure domestic sourcing
- minimal foreign dependency
- scalable production for defence requirements
Define the most effective level of standardisation for one or more of the following
- cell
- battery pack
- interface
- use case
This must enable seamless integration of dual-use batteries between civil manufacturing lines and defence applications.
UK-based design and manufacture of battery packs
Design and manufacture battery packs in the UK using 18650 and 21700 cells from secure and resilient supply chains. Evaluate the viability of 21700 cells compared with 18650 cells. Your findings must inform the development of future military standards for industry.
Your application can include:
- personal soldier battery packs
- drone battery packs
- replacements for portable generators
- 21700 BB-2590 demonstrators
- Soldier Tactical Universal Battery (STUB) demonstrators
UK based low volume and custom cell manufacture
Establish a dedicated UK capability for the prototyping, pilot production, and low-volume manufacture of bespoke battery cells tailored to specialised operational requirements. You must demonstrate manufacturing agility such as:
- pilot-line adaptability without high capital reconfiguration
- sovereign control of intellectual property and tooling
- reliable supply chains for specialised precursors and active materials
Progression of a UK High Power (UKHP) cell production facility
Advance the technical maturity, manufacturability, and performance baseline of a sovereign UK High Power (UKHP) cell to support high rate defence capabilities. Develop and de-risk cell designs capable of high continuous and pulse discharge rates.
UK-based development of Battery Management Systems (BMS) systems
Design and manufacture secure, modular, and resilient Battery Management Systems (BMS) within the UK, engineered for defence infrastructure applications.
Your system can include:
- multi-chemistry monitoring and adaptive state of charge and state of health algorithms
- active cell balancing for extended mission life
- advanced thermal management controls for high power demands
You must demonstrate resilience such as through:
- cyber secure firmware architectures resistant to interception and tampering
- trusted electronic component sourcing with minimal reliance on foreign silicon
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Your project must deliver both of the following:
- Use case
Develop a use case based on one or more of the challenge areas listed above.
The use case can cover:
- technical requirements
- user requirements
- operational guidelines
- system architecture
- security considerations
- relevant standards
Your use case must:
- demonstrate the practical application of the proposed battery technology
- explain how the project will support further development
- consider supply chain resilience
- clearly state your supply chain resilience assumptions
- explain how you will secure reliable access to batteries
- demonstrate alignment with the Ministry of Defence’s supply chain risk appetite
The completed use case will be shared with the Department for Business Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST), the Ministry of Defence and its subsidiaries.
- Outline business case
Develop an outline business case based on your chosen use case.
Your business case must include:
- the business need
- market analysis
- stakeholder mapping
- stakeholder engagement
It can also cover:
- supply chain mapping
- a commercialisation strategy
- strategic alignment
- economic viability
- commercial barriers to adoption
Your business case must demonstrate the commercial viability of the chosen use case.
The completed business case will be shared with the Department for Business Innovation, Science and Trade, the Ministry of Defence and its subsidiaries.
Successful projects are expected to demonstrate how their technology has been developed to meet the defence sector challenges. This can be in the form of:
- simulation
- prototyping
- demonstrator trials
- other methods
It must be used as evidence in the use case and business case.
Successful projects will be expected to attend a programme event to engage with the community and provide progress updates.
Your project must focus on battery cell manufacturing or battery pack design and manufacturing technologies to fit a defence environment.
Contracts will be given to successful applicants.
You must define your goals in your application and outline your plan for phase 2.
You must demonstrate a credible and practical route to market, so your application must include a plan to commercialise your results.
At this stage contracts will only be given for phase 1.
Subject to funding, in phase 2 we will ask successful applicants from phase 1 to further develop the work, based on the outputs of phase 1.
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If you would like help to find a subcontractor or advice on challenge areas, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Batteries or Security & Defence teams.
Innovate UK's application and funding process
If you need more information about how to apply, please read our funding support pages. For additional support, reach out to our team of innovation experts who are ready to help you navigate the application process and maximise your chances of success.
For more information
Accessibility and Inclusion
Innovate UK welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.
