Some 33 automotive projects have been selected to receive more than £47 million in UK Government funding.
The cash is as part of the UK Government’s £4 billion DRIVE35 programme, delivered by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) in partnership with the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) and Innovate UK.
DRIVE35 forms a core part of the UK Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan and Industrial Strategy, supporting the transition to zero-emission vehicle technologies.
The programme supports businesses through targeted funding from early-stage innovation to commercialisation and manufacturing scale-up.
The latest funding allocation will leverage over £90m of total project investment, supporting technologies across electrification, battery innovation, advanced manufacturing, digitalisation, circular economy solutions and zero-emission mobility, combining UK Government grant funding with significant private sector co-investment.
The successful projects span multiple DRIVE35 funding streams, including:
- ‘Mobilise’ for early-stage start-ups, receiving Sixteen innovative businesses awarded over £2.7 million.
- ‘Collaborate’ enabling collaborative R&D, with two projects awarded over £8 million.
- ‘Demonstrate’ to support real-world examples including ten projects awarded £9 million.
- ‘Scale-up’ to help five projects to bridge the gap between innovation and manufacturing at scale in a £26.9m award.
Industry Minister Blair McDougall said:
“Britain invented the modern motor industry and we’re determined to ensure the next generation of vehicles are designed and built here too. This investment will secure skilled jobs, strengthen our manufacturing heartlands and help drive the reindustrialisation of Britain.”
“Through our Modern Industrial Strategy we’re backing working people and British businesses to deliver growth in every part of the country.”
Ian Constance, Chief Executive at the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, said:
“The projects announced today demonstrate the depth of innovation and engineering excellence that exists across the UK automotive sector. Through DRIVE35, we are supporting businesses to move promising technologies to commercial deployment and manufacturing at scale.
“This investment is about far more than individual projects. It is about strengthening the UK’s capability to design, develop and build the technologies that will define the vehicles of the future. By bringing together industry, government and academia, DRIVE35 is helping create the conditions for long-term growth, increasing investor confidence and reinforcing the UK’s position as one of the world’s leading destinations for automotive innovation.”
Image courtesy of APC
