DRIVE35 innovation fund: collaborate 2

DRIVE35 (Driving Research and Investment in Vehicle Electrification) is a Department for Business and Trade led programme aimed at transforming the UK’s automotive industry. This is achieved by supporting R&D and the commercial scale up of innovative zero emission vehicle technologies, and unlocking capital investment in zero emission vehicles, batteries and their wider supply chain. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) will work with Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) and the automotive industry and academia, to invest up to £33 million in innovation projects.

The DRIVE35 Innovation Fund is part of a long term commitment for the driving growth sectors within the government’s Industrial Strategy.

The aim of DRIVE35 Innovation Fund is to support R&D projects that design, develop and manufacture strategically important technologies in the automotive sector. These projects will support the UK’s transition to zero emission vehicles and a pathway to a net zero automotive industry.

Your proposal must:

• support growth, transition and security of the UK’s automotive supply chain, increasing capability, whilst improving productivity, efficiency and competitiveness
• contribute to the UK’s strategic aims and priorities, such as His Majesty’s Government’s Industrial Strategy as well as the Automotive Council’s Roadmaps and Strategic technology areas
• deliver on vehicle technologies or enable manufacturing capabilities which support the transition to zero emission vehicles
• target post project commercialisation with clear articulation on how the innovation will be brought to market or used in an industrial setting
• create and safeguard high value jobs during the project and through post project impact, which create a lasting economic benefit to the UK
• support securing long term R&D investment

This competition is split into two strands:

• Strand 1: DRIVE35 Innovation Fund: Collaborate (this strand)
• Strand 2: DRIVE35 Innovation Fund: Demonstrate

The aim of strand 1 is to support collaborative R&D projects that design, develop and enable manufacture of technologies which target post project commercialisation.

It is your responsibility to ensure you submit your application to the correct strand for your project. You will not be able to transfer your application, and it will not be sent for assessment if it is out of scope.

In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process. This competition has a funding limit, so we may not be able to fund all the proposed projects. It may be the case that your project scores highly, but we are still unable to fund it.

Innovate UK’s experience from similar competitions suggests that you could have 50% chance of success.

Innovate UK consider a range of factors when determining whether to provide funding to applicants. This includes an assessment of prior conduct, such as any outstanding payments owed to Innovate UK or UKRI. Such factors may influence the funding decision, potentially resulting in a refusal of funding or an award subject to additional scrutiny.

Innovate UK also reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of its competitions under exceptional circumstances. This may be in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations or broader government funding decisions.

This competition closes at 11am UK time on 18 March 2026.