Government announces £246m battery investment

(Credit: Tennen-Gas via CC)

Part of the overarching Industrial Strategy, the four-year project will consist of three distinct phases designed to drive battery research and make the UK a world leader in the area. The first phase, led by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), will involve a £45m competition to explore the key technology challenges and create a ‘virtual Battery Institute’. Phase two will see Innovate UK build on the most promising research, while phase three will be led by the Advanced Propulsion Centre, which will look to scale up the technology at a new National Battery Manufacturing Development facility.

“The Faraday Challenge is a new way of working,” said Prof Philip Nelson, chief executive of the EPSRC. “It will bring together the best minds in the field, draw on others from different disciplines, and link intimately with industry, innovators and other funders, such as InnovateUK, to ensure we maintain that our world leading position and keep the pipeline of fundamental science to innovation flowing.”