Dates:
Competition closes: 02 April 2025 11am
Applicants notified: 04 June 2025
Project start date & duration: Start by 01 October 2025 (9-12 month project length)
Scope
To be within scope of this competition, Your project must work towards delivery of zero emission on-vehicle technologies for on-road or off-road vehicles. Innovate UK will only support projects which aim to achieve zero tail-pipe emissions.
Vehicle applications in scope must include either:
· on-highway including last mile
· off-highway including agriculture and mining
Specific Themes
Your project must demonstrate the advancement of on-vehicle technologies in one or more of the following areas:
- energy storage, batteries and their components and integration systems
- fuel cell systems and their components and integration systems
- electric machines and their components and integration systems
- power electronics and their components and integration systems
- internal combustion engines (ICE) for on-road applications, we will only fund project proposals which aim to achieve zero harmful tailpipe emissions utilising non-fossil fuels
- internal combustion engines (ICE) for off-road applications, we will fund project proposals that support a transition to zero emissions, utilising non-fossil fuels
- lightweight materials, methods and processes
- hydrogen storage and management systems
Projects that will not be funded
· focused only on the development of clean fuels
· not aligned with the UK’s net zero research innovations framework
· requesting more than 50% grant for total project costs
· predominantly off-vehicle
· developing either e-Scooters or e-Bikes
Eligibility
- have a grant funding request of between £500,000 and £1.5 million
- be a minimum of 50% match funded, e.g. for a £500,000 grant your total project costs need to be £1 million
- utilise 65% of the grant budget by 31 March 2026
- To lead a project or work alone your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size
Funding Rates
| Organisation size | Industrial Research | Experimental Development |
| Micro/small business | 70% | 45% |
| Medium sized business | 60% | 35% |
| Large business | 50% | 25% |
Research organisations in your consortium can share up to 30% of the UK total eligible project costs.
How PNO can support you
The UK team has a strong track record in securing some of the most competitive national and European grants on behalf of its clients, with a full understanding of how a project should be presented to stand the highest chance of success. Each year in the UK alone, we are responsible for the submission of more than 100 funding applications across all sectors and priority areas. Based on this extensive experience, through careful project selection and using key insight into how a project should be best positioned, we consistently achieve success rates that are more than 5 times the typical success rates for UK national schemes and EU programmes.
For further information or to discuss a project idea please contact PNO Consultants
0161 488 3488 | info.uk@pnoconsultants.com
