Ultra Long Duration Energy Storage Project Development Studies

Who can apply

Your project

Your project must:

• have a grant funding request of between £350,000 and £700,000

• last between 3 and 9 months

• start by 1 January 2027

• end by 30 September 2027

Any organisation receiving funding must carry out its project work in the UK, intend to exploit the results in the UK, and spend most of the funding within the UK.

Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day. You must not start your project until your Grant Offer Letter has been approved by Innovate UK. Any delays within Project Setup may mean we need to delay your project start date.

You must only include eligible project costs in your application. See our overview of eligible project costs.

If your project’s grant funding request or duration falls outside of our eligibility criteria, you must provide justification by email to support@iuk.ukri.org at least 10 working days before the competition closes. We will then decide whether to approve your request.

If your project does not meet our criteria and you have not requested justification approval, your application will be made ineligible, and it will not be sent for assessment.

Lead organisation

To lead a collaborative project or to work alone, your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size.

More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules.

Academic institutions cannot lead or work alone.

Project team

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:

• business of any size

• academic institution

• charity

• not for profit

• public sector organisation

• research and technology organisation (RTO)

Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) by the lead to collaborate on a project. Once partners have accepted the invitation, they will be asked to login or to create an account in the IFS. They are responsible for entering their own project costs and completing their Project Impact questions in the application.

To be an eligible collaboration, the lead and at least one other organisation must:

• apply for funding when entering their costs into the application

• include rationale for the collaboration and describe the structure in your application

• ensure any no single organisation can claim more than 70% of the total project costs

Non-funded partners

Your project can include organisations who do not claim any funding for their work on the project. Their costs will be covered from their own resources. These can include UK, EU and other non-UK organisations. Non-UK partners are permitted to carry out project work from within their home countries and exploit the results outside the UK.

Where non-funded partners have been invited to the application on IFS, their costs will count towards the total eligible project costs.

Subcontractors

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.

Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.

You can use subcontractors from overseas but must make the case in your application as to why you cannot use subcontractors from the UK.

You must provide a detailed rationale, evidence of the potential UK contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you. We will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use an overseas subcontractor.

All subcontractor costs must be justified and appropriate to the total eligible project costs.

Number of applications

An eligible organisation can only lead on one application. Any further applications by the same organisation as lead will be made ineligible.

An eligible organisation that is leading an application can be included as a collaborator in a further two applications.

An eligible organisation that is not leading an application can collaborate in any number of applications.

Sanctions

This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions. For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.

Use of animals in research and innovation

Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.

Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation.

Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process. This information will be reviewed before an award is made.

Previous applications

You cannot use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.

We will not award you funding if you have:

• failed to exploit a previously funded project

• an overdue independent accountant’s report

• failed to comply with grant terms and conditions

Innovate UK may withhold a grant payment at any time if you have any outstanding sums due to us in relation to other projects.

Subsidy control (and State aid where applicable)

This competition provides funding to enterprises using the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme.

The Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Scheme can be viewed on the subsidy database here: SC10780.

This is in line with the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Further information about the Subsidy requirements can be found within the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk)

Innovate UK is unable to award organisations that are considered to be in financial difficulty. We will conduct financial viability and eligibility tests to confirm this is not the case following the application stage.

EU State aid rules now only apply in limited circumstances. See the Windsor Framework to check if these rules apply to your organisation.

In the ‘Project details’ section of your application you will be asked questions to indicate if State Aid or Subsidy applies to your organisation.

Further Information

If you are unsure about your obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 or the State aid rules, you should take independent legal advice. We are unable to advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations.

You must not do anything which could cause a breach of Subsidy Control legislation applicable in the United Kingdom.

This aims to regulate any advantage granted by a public sector body which threatens to, or distorts competition in the United Kingdom or any other country or countries.

This award is classified as a Subsidy which does not form part of your Minimal Financial Assistance or de minimis allowance.

Funding

Up to £3 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects in Phase 1 of this competition. This is subject to us receiving a sufficient number of high quality applications.

A planned Phase 2 competition aimed at supporting demonstrator projects will be subject to the outcomes of this competition and subsequent approvals.

Funding will be in the form of a grant.

We reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions under exceptional circumstances, for example, in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations, or broader government funding decisions.

Under the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Route rules, no more than £3 million can be awarded in the form of a grant to any one enterprise in any one competition.

If your organisation’s work on the project is commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organisation normally acts non-economically but for the purpose of this project will be undertaking commercial or economic activity.

Category 1 Feasibility studies

For feasibility studies you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:

• up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation

• up to 60% if you are a medium sized organisation

• up to 50% if you are a large organisation

For more information on company sizes, refer to the company accounts guidance.

If you are applying for an award funded under State aid Regulations, the definitions are set out in the European Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003.

Innovate UK may revoke our decision to provide funding without notice if government commitment for this initiative is withdrawn.

Research participation

The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 30% of the total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared between them. Of that 30% you can get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:

• 100% of your eligible project costs if you are an RTO, charity, not for profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation

• 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are an academic institution

Eligibility criteria for claiming 80% of FEC funding

1. Research organisations must use the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) method as the Je-S form has now been decommissioned.

2. We pay 100% of the 80% Full Economic Cost (FEC). On IFS only enter the 80% being claimed.

To find out more see our: Cost Guidance for Academics.

Your proposal

The aim of this competition is to support the development, scale-up, and UK manufacture of electrochemical ultra long duration energy storage (ULDES) technologies. These ULDES technologies must be capable of delivering cost effective electrical power to the UK’s electricity grid with a discharge availability of at least 100 continuous hours. They must also achieve a working life of at least 25 years.

Your project must:

• involve the proposed deployment of electrochemical ULDES technologies

• fulfil the requirements under one of the two streams outlined in this section

• support a planned UK demonstration project by 2030, meeting the scale and timetable requirements of your selected stream, as part of a pathway to scalable deployment in the UK energy system

• demonstrate that the proposed lead or team has the capabilities required to progress from project development studies through to demonstration and deployment

The competition is the first phase of a two phase process:

• Phase 1: Project development studies, to be funded under this competition

• Phase 2: Technology demonstration, to be funded under a future competition planned for mid-2027.

Taking part in Phase 1 is not required to apply for the planned future Phase 2 competition.

A technology neutral approach has been adopted within defined boundaries.

There are promising ULDES technologies at different levels of technical and commercial maturity. Support under Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be provided across two streams.

You must demonstrate that your technology and proposed project fits within one of these two streams to be eligible for this Phase 1 competition, and the planned future Phase 2 funding.

Stream 1: near commercial scale-up

Stream 1 will develop and demonstrate near commercial electrochemical ULDES systems that could compete with installed lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology on cost and performance.

Your project must:

• feature an electrochemical ULDES technology able to store energy for several days and provide intraday and interday energy arbitrage, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and backup power for long outages including commercial and industrial applications and critical infrastructure

• plan to deliver a grid connected demonstration project of at least 100 MWh by 2030

• envisage reaching a total ownership cost of less than US$40/kWh by 2030 or provide evidence that the technology could compete with installed LFP battery technology

• provide a commercialisation plan showing how the technology will scale in the UK energy system

• demonstrate your ambition for developing UK manufacturing capacity and building domestic supply chains

Stream 2: system innovation and low cost pathways

Stream 2 will develop early stage electrochemical ULDES technologies. They must have the potential to compete on cost with unabated combined cycle gas turbines (CCGTs), which currently provide the UK’s strategic reserve to 2050.

Your project must:

• feature an electrochemical ULDES technology that can provide monthly and seasonal energy arbitrage, equivalent to a UK strategic reserve, demonstrating the potential for minimal degradation or self discharge over long periods

• plan to deliver a grid connected pilot demonstration project of at least 100 kWh by 2030

• envisage reaching a total ownership cost of less than $15/kWh by the early 2030s or provide evidence that the technology will compete with CCGT generation

• provide a commercialisation plan showing how the technology will scale in the UK energy system

• demonstrate your ambition for developing UK manufacturing capacity and building domestic supply chains

Project Development Studies

This Phase 1 competition is providing funding for project development studies (formally classified as feasibility studies) to strengthen demonstration project proposals under the planned future Phase 2 competition.

A first draft of your project development study must be completed by 31 May 2027. This is to ensure that your project is able to inform your application to a Phase 2 competition.

Priority will be given to demonstration projects with:

• strong site and technology readiness

• consenting and permitting routes

• grid integration

• deliverability potential

• promising commercial prospects

• commitment to building UK manufacturing and supply chain capabilities

Your project under Phase 1 must show a clear route to construction and operation in the UK, with a specific site identified as part of the project development study.

Your selected site may be located at a demonstration or test facility that you have an arrangement with, a facility you already own, or within a greenfield development. Any site preparation and development risks must be clearly outlined, and we encourage project sponsors to prioritise sites that minimise such risks.

Your project development study must contain, as a minimum:

• technology assessment

• engineering design

• cost and scale-up roadmap

• market assessment

• development plan

• manufacturing and supply chain plan

Here is a list of further details on each of these components of your study.

Technology assessment

Your project development study must include detailed technical information on the proposed solution, including:

• rate of self discharge

• round trip efficiency

• expected operational lifetime and degradation profile, both idle and operating

• energy density, including gravimetric and volumetric, and power density

• charge characteristics and time needed to change

• safety, reliability, and operational considerations

• sustainability and emissions assessment

Engineering design

Your project development study must include an engineering design for implementation of a demonstration project.

This must include a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study, including:

• site selection

• plant layout and infrastructure

• project execution plan

• safety, environmental, and regulatory assessment

Cost and scale up roadmap

Your project development study must include a roadmap showing how your proposed solution will meet the installed cost target for your selected stream when deployed at scale, including:

• a description of how the proposed technology can scale

• a techno economic assessment of how it can meet the cost target

• fixed CAPEX, including a costed development and deployment plan with a detailed breakdown of components, materials and equipment

• fixed OPEX, including ongoing operating and maintenance for example, electrolyte top up, hydrogen degassing

• variable OPEX, including costs that change with operation, for example, consumables and replacement components

• an assessment of the potential rollout after commercialisation

Market assessment

Your project development study must include a market assessment describing the key markets for the technologies and their potential size, including:

• evidence that the technology can provide critical services to the UK electricity system during periods of severe system stress, for example, a Dunkelflaute event, when wind and solar generation are both very low for an extended period

• evidence that the technology can store enough energy to support system stability throughout these events

• evidence that the technology can maintain strategic reserve capacity, even if it also takes part in other revenue generating markets

• an assessment of operation at very low cycling frequencies, potentially as low as one cycle a year

• evidence of whether the technology can preserve reserve capacity while also providing revenue and additional system services

• an assessment of the market potential and replicability of the solution across the UK

• an assessment of wider market potential if the technology is manufactured in the UK, for example in Northern European states

• details of whether the solution can provide benefits outside the power sector, for example backup power for data centres

• evidence of engagement with prospective investors for wider scale deployment

• evidence of engagement with prospective customers

Deployment plan

Your project development study must include a deployment plan that demonstrates your ability to complete a demonstration project under Phase 2 by 2030.

Your deployment plan must include relevant financial close documentation, or detail how this will be obtained, including:

• evidence of investment of at least the minimum private finance needed to progress with a demonstration project and a potential grant under Phase 2

• heads of terms or final draft commercial contracts for key work packages needed to deliver the demonstrator or pilot

• evidence of planning permission or certificate of lawfulness for build and operating the demonstrator or pilot

• draft end user commercial contracts

• a suitable grid connection or formal grid connection offer appropriate to the stream selected

• an offtaker agreement

• evidence of a customer that will provide a revenue stream

Manufacturing and supply chain plan

Your project development study must include your plans for building supply chains and UK manufacture, including:

• evidence of established relationships with UK industry, for example, engineering, procurement and construction firms where relevant

• evidence of established relationships with academic or research institutions

• details of how these relationships will support manufacturing capability, research and innovation, and site specific technology design

• a strategy for developing UK workforce skills and capabilities

• details of training, knowledge transfer, and apprenticeship opportunities

• an assessment of opportunities to establish a UK based supply chain, where feasible

• identification of key components, materials, and services that can be sourced in the UK

• details of how the approach will support supply chain resilience and UK economic growth

• an assessment of anticipated economic benefits to the UK, including job creation, inward investment, export potential, and strategically important industrial capabilities

Portfolio approach

We want to fund a variety of projects across the two streams, comprising different technologies, markets, location and technological maturities. We call this a portfolio approach.

Research categories

We will fund feasibility studies, as defined in the guidance on categories of research.

Projects we will not fund

We are not funding projects that are:

• focused on laboratory scale or early stage discovery research

• limited to component, material or subsystem development, or manufacturing process optimisation

• focused on incremental improvements to existing short duration battery energy storage technologies

• non-electrochemical energy storage approaches, for example, hydrogen, thermal, pumped hydro, compressed air energy, or other gaseous or mechanical storage systems

We cannot fund projects that are:

• dependent on export performance: giving a subsidy to an organisation on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of its products to another country

• dependent on domestic inputs usage: giving a subsidy to an organisation on the condition that it uses a set percentage of UK components in their product

7 August 2026

Online briefing event: register to attend

Briefing slides will be available to download from Supporting Information after the event

2 November 2026

Applicants notified

1 January 2027

Project start by

Before you start

You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.

Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to make sure:

• that all the information provided in the application is correct

• your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria

• all sections of the application are marked as complete

• if collaborative, that all partners have completed all assigned sections and accepted the terms and conditions (T&Cs)

You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.

What we ask you

The application is split into four sections:

1. Project details.

2. Application questions.

3. Finances.

4. Project Impact.

Accessibility and Inclusion

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.

You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this competition’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the competition deadline.

You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

1. Project details

This section provides background for your application and is not scored.

Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers.

Application team

Decide which organisations will work with you on your project and invite people from those organisations to help complete the application.

Application details

Give your project’s title, start date and duration.

Research category

Select the type of research you will undertake.

Project summary

Describe your project briefly and be clear about what makes it innovative. We use this section to assign the right experts to assess your application.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Public description

Describe your project in detail and in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information. If we award your project funding, we will publish this description. This can happen before you start your project.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Scope

Describe how your project fits the scope of the competition. If your project is not in scope, it will not be sent for assessment. We will tell you the reason why.

You must briefly summarise how:

• how your technology fits within our definition of electrochemical ultra long duration energy storage (ULDES), including its chemistry, intended discharge duration, and expected working life

• how your project and technology meet the requirements of your selected stream (Stream 1 or Stream 2 as described in the Scope section), including the relevant cost target or benchmark

• how your project development study supports a planned UK demonstration project by 2030, meeting the scale and timetable requirements of your selected stream, and the subsequent pathway to scalable deployment in the UK energy system

• how your proposed team has, or will secure, the core capabilities needed to complete the project development study and progress the proposed technology through demonstration to deployment

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

2. Application questions

The assessors will score all your answers apart from questions 1 to 6. You will receive feedback for each scored question. Find out more about how our assessors assess and how we select applications for funding.

You must answer all questions.

You must not include any website addresses or links (URLs) in your answers. Any website addresses or URLs included, will not be viewed or opened.

Question 1. Applicant location (not scored)

You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and any partners or subcontractors working on your project.

We are collecting this information to understand more about the geographical location of all applicants.

Your answer can be up to 100 words long.

Question 2. Animal testing (not scored)

Will your project involve any trials with animals or animal testing?

You must select one option:

• Yes

• No

We will only support innovation projects conducted to the highest standards of animal welfare.

Further information for proposals involving animal testing is available at the UKRI Good Research Hub and NC3R’s animal welfare guidance.

Question 3. Permits and licences (not scored)

Will you have the correct permits and licences in place to carry out your project?

We are unable to fund projects which do not have the correct permits or licences in place by your project start date.

You must select one option:

• Yes

• No

• In the process of being applied for

• Not applicable

Question 4. International collaboration (not scored)

Does your proposed work involve any international collaboration or engagement?

You must provide details of any expected international collaboration or engagement. You must include a list of the names and the countries, any international project co-leads, project partners, visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in. You must also include details of any subcontractors or service providers.

If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration or engagement, your answer must confirm this.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 5. Export licence (not scored)

You must indicate whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance.

You must select one option:

• Yes

• No

Question 6. Trusted Research and Innovation (not scored)

You must explain if your proposed project work relates to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) Principles, including:

• a list of any dual use (both military and non-military) applications to your research

• a list of the areas where your project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act

• whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance and the status of any applications

• a list of any items or substances on the UK Strategic Export Control List

If your proposed work does not relate to UKRI’s TR&I Principles, your answer must confirm this.

We may ask you to provide additional TR&I information at a later date, in line with UKRI TR&I Principles and funding terms and conditions.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 7. Stream (not scored)

Which stream does your project fit into:

You must select one:

• Stream 1: near commercial scale-up

• Stream 2: system innovation and low cost pathways

Question 8. Technology

Describe your proposed ultra long duration energy storage (ULDES) technology, its current stage of development and its suitability for the energy system functions required under your selected stream.

Explain:

• the electrochemical storage mechanism or chemistry, principal system components and architecture, and how the technology stores and discharges energy

• the current maturity of the technology and its principal components, including the system boundary, scale and operating conditions at which it has been developed or tested

• the research, innovation, testing or deployment completed to date, the evidence generated, and the principal technical developments and evidence still required to progress towards demonstration and deployment

• how the technical characteristics and operating profile of your technology meet the needs of your selected stream

• how the technology is differentiated from other relevant ULDES or electrochemical storage technologies addressing similar system needs

• how the technology could interface with relevant grid infrastructure, generation assets, storage assets or demand users

• the principal contribution the technology could make to the UK energy system, and the evidence or analysis supporting this

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

Question 9: Demonstration delivery

What is your pathway to delivering a UK demonstration project of at least 100 MWh by 2030 under Stream 1, or at least 100 kWh by 2030 under Stream 2? How will your project development study help make this demonstration deliverable?

Explain:

• the proposed demonstration, including its capacity, power, duration, intended operation, location or type of host site, and principal engineering characteristics

• its current development status, including evidence, designs, agreements, engagement and other preparations completed to date

• the proposed pathway for securing a suitable site or host location, grid and infrastructure arrangements, engineering design, and relevant planning, permitting, environmental and regulatory approvals

• the organisations expected to develop, finance, construct, host, operate or use the demonstration, including the status of their involvement and any remaining capability or partnership gaps

• the principal stages, dependencies, decision points and critical path to construction, commissioning and operation by 2030

• the main technical, operational, engineering, site, grid, regulatory, commercial, financing and delivery risks, and how the project development study will address them

• the evidence, designs, decisions and agreements the study will produce to allow the demonstration to progress, including the proposed route to securing the necessary finance and funding

Your answer must be proportionate to the scale and maturity requirements of your selected stream.

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

Question 10. Performance, cost and competitiveness

What evidence supports your pathway to meeting the cost target for your selected stream and competing with the relevant benchmark?

For Stream 1, this is a total ownership cost of less than $40/kWh by 2030 and competitiveness with installed LFP battery technology.

For Stream 2, this is a total ownership cost of less than $15/kWh by the early 2030s and competitiveness with unabated CCGT generation.

Explain:

• your current performance and projected performance at demonstration and commercial scale, covering the metrics material to your selected use case

• the system boundary, size, maturity, operating conditions and test duration associated with the evidence, distinguishing measured or independently validated results from modelled, extrapolated or assumed values

• your current and projected total ownership cost at demonstration and commercial scale, including the principal cost categories and the cost boundary used

• the techno economic methods, evidence and assumptions underpinning your projections, including expected changes between current, demonstration and commercial scale

• the principal sensitivities, uncertainties and dependencies affecting your cost and performance trajectory

• how your projected cost and performance compare with the relevant benchmark for your stream, including the utilisation, cycling, revenue or avoided cost assumptions used

• which critical assumptions the project development study will test and how this will improve confidence in the cost and competitiveness case

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

You must submit a single appendix as a PDF no larger than 10MB and up to three A4 pages long to support your answer. It must include detailed performance and cost tables, a cost breakdown, sensitivity analysis and benchmark comparisons.

Your analysis must cover all material aspects of total ownership cost, including active materials, manufacturing, balance of system, transportation, installation, commissioning, operation, maintenance, replacement and end of life costs, where applicable. You must clearly state the cost boundary, asset life and other principal assumptions used.

Question 11. Commercialisation potential

What is your commercialisation pathway for the proposed technology, and how could it achieve repeat deployment at scale in the UK energy system?

Explain:

• the priority applications, customers and energy system needs you are targeting, and the evidence supporting the estimated UK and international market opportunity

• your customer proposition and route to market, including who would procure, use or pay for the technology

• your proposed revenue and business model, including how the technology could participate in relevant markets or services while meeting the operating requirements of your selected stream

• the pathway from the planned demonstration to first commercial deployment and repeatable projects, including the principal adoption, replication and competitive barriers

• the regulatory, standards, certification, insurance or other requirements affecting wider UK deployment and commercialisation

• the commercial evidence the project development study will generate to support decisions by customers, investors, insurers, financiers and relevant energy system bodies

• the staged investment required to progress through demonstration, first commercial deployment and scale up, including the intended sources of finance and status of engagement

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

Question 12. Manufacturing and supply chain benefits

What is your credible pathway to scalable manufacture and resilient supply chains, and what benefits could this create for the UK?

Explain:

• your current manufacturing approach and readiness, including relevant production processes, facilities, equipment, volumes, quality controls and suppliers

• how manufacturing and sourcing would progress from the proposed demonstration through early commercial deployment to production at scale

• the principal manufacturing developments, capital investment, partnerships, supplier capabilities and workforce skills required

• the key raw materials, components and services required, including constraints affecting their availability, cost, resilience, sustainability or scalability

• which manufacturing and supply chain activities could credibly and competitively be undertaken in the UK, and how this pathway supports your cost reduction assumptions

• the evidence, decisions, supplier engagement and manufacturing or supply chain roadmap that the project development study will produce

• the potential UK benefits, including investment, business growth, employment, skills, supply chain resilience and exports, with the assumptions and timescales supporting your estimates

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

Question 13. Team and resources

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Explain:

• the roles, skills and experience of all members of the project team that are relevant to the approach you will be taking

• the details of any vital external parties, including subcontractors, who you will need to work with to successfully carry out your project

• if your project is collaborative, the current relationships between project partners and how these will change as a result of the project

• any roles you will need to recruit for and how you plan to mitigate against any delays in recruitment

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

You can submit one appendix, with a short summary of the main people working on the project to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 14. Project management

How will you manage your project effectively?

Explain:

• the main work packages of your project covering milestones, dependencies, critical path, outputs and dissemination activities, indicating the lead partner assigned to each and the total cost of each one

• your approach to project management, identifying any major tools and mechanisms you will use to get a successful and innovative project outcome aligned with your theory of change

• the main risks and uncertainties of the project, including the technical, commercial, managerial and environmental risks and how you will mitigate them

• any output likely to be subject to regulatory requirements, certification, ethical issues and other requirements identified, and how you will manage this

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

You must submit a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 15. Costs and value for money

How much will the project cost and how does it represent value for money for the team and the taxpayer?

Explain:

• your total eligible project costs

• the grant you are requesting

• how each partner will finance their contributions to your project

• how this project represents value for money for you and the taxpayer

• how it compares to what you would spend your money on otherwise

• the balance of costs and grant across the project partners

• any subcontractor costs and why they are critical to your project

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

3. Finances

Each organisation in your project must complete their own project costs, organisation details and funding details in the application. Academic institutions must use the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) method and upload to IFS to support their costs. This is a replacement to the Je-S form which has now been decommissioned.

For an overview on what costs you can claim, see our project costs guidance. Note this is general guidance, for specific guidance see the eligibility section in this competition. You can also view our application finances video.

4. Project Impact

This section is not scored but will provide background to your project.

Each partner must complete the Project Impact questions before being able to submit the application.

More information can be found in our Project Impact guidance and by viewing our Impact Management Framework video.

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles.

Assessment

Your application will be reviewed by five independent assessors based on the content of your application and their skills or expertise relevant to your project. All of the scores awarded will count towards the total score used to make the funding decision unless you are notified otherwise.

You can find out more about our assessment process in the General Guidance.

Your submitted application will be assessed against these criteria:

Ultra-long-duration energy storage project development studies - assessor guidance for applicants.pdf

Background and further information

The Clean Energy Superpower Mission (CESM) is part of the UKRI R&D Missions Accelerator Programme (RDMAP). This flagship new mission led approach is backed through to 2030 by at least £500 million of funding provided by Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (previously coming under Department of Science, Innovation and Technology).

UKRI’s CESM has launched two research and innovation (R&I) challenges covering:

• consumer led flexibility (CLF)

• ultra long duration energy storage (ULDES)

The second challenge aims to accelerate the UK’s commercialisation, manufacture and deployment of ULDES technologies. These will focus on technologies and systems which can affordably meet demands of over 100 hours continuously. It aims to build UK manufacturing capacity, supply chains, skilled jobs, and investor confidence, and associated export opportunities.

UKRI is working in partnership with the Faraday Institution, a key delivery partner of the UK’s Battery Innovation Programme, to help shape the ULDES Challenge.

The Faraday Institution is acting as a technical advisor and delivery partner, building analysis and understanding developed through the organisation’s UltraStore Transformational Challenge. The challenge targets R&D in the greater than 100 hour discharge range, where only conceptual ideas currently exist.

Faraday Institution’s modelling suggests that ULDES in the UK would need to cost about $15/kWh installed to compete with gas fired reserve. It would also need to provide a financial return of more than 6% a year.

If met, electrochemical ULDES technologies could have a UK market opportunity of up to 3 TWh a year. This could be worth tens of billions of pounds and save the electricity system more than £1 billion a year in balancing costs.

The ULDES Challenge is highly ambitious, aiming to deliver at least two electrochemical demonstrators by 2030, with deployment at the GWh scale by 2035. In addition to electrochemical technologies CESM is also exploring support for hydrogen storage.

Recognising that current electrochemical ULDES technologies are not yet technologically mature or cost competitive with gas, this competition is the first phase in a two phase process to provide public research and innovation funding to establish at least two demonstrator projects in the UK by 2030. At least £13 million of funding has been allocated up to 31 March 2030, of which £3 million is available under Phase 1.

Project development work is an important step in developing a credible demonstration project. It helps test whether a proposal is achievable and worthwhile before committing significant time, money and resources. This is especially important for novel, complex or large-scale projects.

Development of demonstration projects under Phase 2 may require significant capital investment, long development and construction periods, a grid connection, planning consent and environmental assessments. Project developers may also need to engage with commercial partners, local communities, and manage supply chain risks.

This Phase 1 competition is therefore providing funding for project development studies to strengthen demonstration project proposals under the planned future Phase 2 competition. We are looking to prioritise demonstration projects with strong site and technology readiness, consenting and permitting routes, grid integration, deliverability potential, promising commercial prospects, and commitment to building UK manufacturing and supply chain capabilities.

Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Scheme Information

This award is being offered under the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme in accordance with section 10(4) of the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

Projects funded must meet the following definitions:

Category 1: Feasibility study

The evaluation and analysis of the potential of a project, which aims at supporting the process of decision-making. This is done by objectively and rationally uncovering its strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats, as well as identifying the resources required to carry it through and ultimately its prospects for success.​

Briefing recording and slides

Briefing recording and slides will be available to download here after the briefing event.

What happens if you receive a grant offer

If you have passed your initial assessment and have received an email with a grant offer, you will be asked to complete the project setup process on the Innovation Funding Service (IFS). Watch our video on what steps are there before a project starts.

We will ask for information that will allow us to undertake mandatory checks on your organisation and the eligibility of your costs, as well as review the documentation for your project.

You must follow the unique link embedded in your email notification. This takes you to your project's dedicated IFS Set Up portal, where we gather the information required to set up your project, for example your bank details. Watch our video on how successful applicants receive their funding.

If your application is unsuccessful

If you are unsuccessful with your application this time, you can view feedback from the assessors. This will be available to you on your IFS portal following notification.

Sometimes your application will have scored well, and you will receive positive comments from the assessors. You may be unsuccessful as your average score was not above the funding threshold or your project has not been selected under the portfolio approach if this is applied for this competition.

Find a project partner

If you want help to find a project partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect.

Support for SMEs from Innovate UK Business Growth service

Innovate UK Business Growth helps innovation focused businesses make the best strategic choices and access the right resources, in order to grow and ultimately achieve scale.

Visit the service’s website to learn about how you might benefit as a winner.

Protecting your innovation

A Secure Innovation campaign has been developed to help founders and leaders of innovative startups protect their technology, competitive advantage, and reputation.

This was developed by UK’s National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Data sharing

This competition is jointly operated by Innovate UK, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) (each an ‘agency’).

Any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process concerning your application can be shared by one agency with the other, for its individual storage, processing and use.

This means that any information given to or generated by Innovate UK in respect of your application may be passed on to UKRI and vice versa. This would include, but is not restricted to:

• the information stated on the application, including the personal details of all applicants

• scoring and feedback on the application

• information received during the management and administration of the grant, for example, Monitoring Service Provider reports and Independent Accountant Reports

Innovate UK may also share any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process concerning your application with Innovate UK’s national and regional UK third parties and partners who may contact you. For more information see how we handle grant applicant and grant holder data.

Innovate UK and UKRI are directly accountable to you for their holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. Data is held in accordance with their own policies. Accordingly, Innovate UK, Innovate UK Business Connect and UKRI will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.

Innovate UK’s Privacy Policy

Innovate UK Business Connect Privacy Policy

UKRI’s Privacy Notice

UKRI’s Data Protection Policy

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles.

The Information Commissioner’s Office also has a useful guide for organisations, which outlines the data protection principles.

Contact us

If you need more information about how to apply or you want to submit your application in Welsh, email support@iuk.ukri.org or call 0300 321 4357.

Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Innovate UK or any of our partners will not tolerate abusive language in any written or verbal correspondence, applications, social media or any other form that might affect staff.