The Department for Business and Trade has announced an investment of £452m in the Battery Innovation Programme.
Part of the government’s recently unveiled industrial Strategy, this investment in the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan will accelerate battery research, innovation and manufacturing scale-up – securing the UK’s global leadership in clean energy and advanced manufacturing to 2030 and beyond.
The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) programme, delivered by Innovate UK, encourages cross-sector innovation in emerging and next generation technologies through technology transfer funding that will connect academic researchers with UK industry and investor partnership funding.
The investment will drive growth, attract inward investment in both gigafactories and the supply chain and create high-quality jobs. It leverages the position of the UK as providing world-leading battery research to optimise battery technologies – to make them cheaper, better performing, fully sustainable and recyclable – and to capture sovereign capabilities in next generation batteries (e.g., solid-state, lithium-sulfur, sodium-ion).
Ben Walsh, Deputy Director, Battery Innovation Programme, said: “Today’s announcement will help accelerate growth in the UK’s battery sector and shows the innovation community the UK Government’s commitment to the sector. The programme will continue to grow a thriving, energised battery innovation ecosystem, ensuring the UK becomes a world leader in the sustainable design, manufacture, and use of batteries.”
Martin Freer, CEO, the Faraday Institution, added: “The UK’s sustained investment in research at its world-leading universities is unlocking transformative battery discoveries that, when translated into industry, will drive major advances in performance across multiple sectors. By supporting the Faraday Institution and the Battery Innovation Programme, this commitment ensures that breakthroughs move from the lab to commercial application, fuelling economic growth, and creating high-value jobs for the future.”
Sean Gilgunn, Managing Director, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre, said: “Today marks a new chapter for the UK’s battery sector. This investment programme will help to accelerate next-generation battery technologies, strengthen industrial partnerships, and drive the UK toward a net zero, electrified future through world-leading innovation.”
The Battery Innovation Programme (formerly the Faraday Battery Challenge – FBC), is managed by Innovate UK. The £452m investment from April 2026 to March 2030 will be delivered by the three key delivery partners: Faraday Institution for academic research and development, Innovate UK for business-led innovation, and the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) for technology scale-up and skills development.
Further details of the programme will be announced over the coming months.
The Battery Innovation Programme builds on the success of the FBC, which has supported over 100 startups, created a £3.2bn ecosystem, and helped the UK rank 4th globally for EV battery VC investment. It will deliver a globally competitive – high tech, high-value — battery supply chain in the UK supporting the net zero transition, securing the UK automotive and related industries.
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