The funding is announced as part of the industrial strategy.
Accelerating battery research
This 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 programme 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.
World-leading battery research
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
- capture sovereign capabilities in next generation batteries, for example solid-state, lithium-sulfur and sodium-ion
Sustainable design, manufacture and use
Ben Walsh, Deputy Director, Battery Innovation Programme comments:
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.
Creating high value-jobs for the future
Martin Freer, Chief Executive Officer, the Faraday Institution comments:
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.
Electrified future
Sean Gilgunn, Managing Director, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre comments:
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.
About the Battery Innovation Programme
The Battery Innovation Programme, formerly the Faraday Battery Challenge (FBC), is managed by Innovate UK.
The £452 million 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
- UK Battery Industrialisation Centre 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 start-ups
- created a £3.2 billion ecosystem
- helped the UK rank fourth globally for electric vehicle battery venture capital 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.