NOFO: Developing Automotive Technologies and Capability for Net Zero Program

Deadline: 18-May-22

The Innovate UK is inviting applications for its Developing Automotive Technologies and Capability for Net Zero Program.

The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) provides funding, support, and insight for the development of low carbon and net zero automotive technologies. It aims to support the UK’s transition towards net-zero product manufacturing and supply chain in the UK automotive sector.

Project

They are looking for collaborative, pre-production research and development (R&D) projects that:
- support the UK’s long-term capabilities by securing long-term R&D investment
- achieve through the associated supply chain, the design, build and manufacture of zero-carbon tailpipe emission vehicles
- Projects must look to fulfill both these criteria to ensure the UK meets the future demand of vehicle-makers.

Funding Information

Your project’s total eligible costs must be between £5 million and £40 million.
Your project must be a minimum of 50% match funding, with a suggested maximum number of 6 partners.
The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) invests up to £35 million, three times per year, in collaborative research and development (R&D) projects. These are pre-production projects and applicants should apply for the minimum amount of APC funding required to make the project viable. This can be up to 50% of total eligible project costs. In this round, APC is investing £25 million.
A minimum of 70% of your project's total eligible project costs must be incurred by commercial organizations.
The total grant request in your application cannot exceed 50% of the total eligible project costs. This is regardless of the individual partners’ grant claims.
Of that 50%, if the majority of your organization’s work on the project is commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organization 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 organization
- up to 60% if you are a medium-sized organization
- up to 50% if you are a large organization
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 organization
- up to 35% if you are a medium-sized organization
- up to 25% if you are a large organization

Eligibility Criteria

Your Project
- Your project must:
  - have total costs between £5 million and £40 million
  - be a minimum of 50% match funded
  - start by 1 September 2022
  - last between 18 and 42 months
  - carry out its project work in the UK
  - intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
  - Your project can contain a maximum of 6 project partners.
Lead Organization
- To lead a project your organization must:
  - be the UK registered business of any size
  - have an active registered business based in the UK
  - be a grant recipient
  - involve at least one grant claiming micro small or medium enterprise (SME) if the lead is not one
  - include in your consortium a vehicle manufacturer or tier 1 supplier who supplies parts directly to an original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
  - collaborate with others
Project Team
- To collaborate with the lead, your organization must be one of the following UK registered:
  - business of any size
  - academic institution
  - charity
  - not-for-profit
  - public sector organization
  - research and technology organization (RTO)
  - Non-UK registered businesses and research organizations are only eligible to apply for funding if:
  - they set up the active UK registered business where the funded project work will be carried out
  - provide evidence of an intention to expand their R&D activity in the UK during and after the project