A £28.6m investment in 27 UK projects will support efforts to develop more efficient battery recycling methods, improve electric vehicle battery recovery and explore new energy storage technologies.
The funding, awarded through the Battery Innovation Programme, will also support specialist manufacturing training and technologies intended to strengthen the UK’s capabilities across the battery supply chain.
Innovate UK is delivering the competition on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. Its focus spans several areas of the industry, including raw material processing, recycling, manufacturing and reducing dependence on international suppliers.
Dr Valentina Gentili, Director of the Battery Innovation Programme, explained: “As global demand for batteries continues to grow, it is increasingly important that the UK focuses on the areas where it can deliver the greatest impact and strategic value.
“The projects supported through this competition demonstrate the breadth of innovation taking place across the UK battery sector.
“By investing in new technologies, strengthening supply chains and supporting business growth, we are helping to build the capabilities, expertise and partnerships that will further strengthen UK sovereign capability and position the UK as a leader in battery innovation.”
Finding new uses for end-of-life batteries
Keeping valuable materials in circulation is a central theme of the funded projects, with two major awards targeting challenges associated with electric vehicle batteries.
Lithium Battery Recyclers Ltd has secured more than £1.2m for Project Reclaim, which will take a recycling technique developed by the University of Leicester towards pilot-scale operation.
Rather than using conventional acid leaching or hazardous chemicals, the process employs a small quantity of vegetable oil mixed with water to separate materials such as graphite from discarded batteries.
A pilot facility in Widnes, Cheshire, will be used to scale up the approach and establish whether the recovered materials are suitable for manufacturing new batteries.
The project aims to lower the energy requirements associated with recycling while retaining valuable resources within the UK.
A separate project led by Hyperbat, now part of Unipart Manufacturing Group, is addressing another problem: what happens when an EV battery is damaged or stops performing as expected.
The company has received more than £2.4m to develop a consistent assessment process that can determine whether individual batteries are suitable for repair, reuse, repurposing for energy storage or recycling.
Without a reliable way to establish battery condition and safety, potentially recoverable vehicles can be written off, contributing to higher insurance costs and the loss of materials that could have been used again.
The project aims to provide a clearer route for determining the future of these batteries, potentially extending their useful lives and reducing unnecessary waste.
Battery storage for growing AI demand
The programme is also supporting research into how battery technology could help manage the electricity requirements of expanding digital infrastructure.
Superdielectrics Group and Sytronix have received almost £500,000 to investigate a water-based battery designed to respond rapidly to changes in electricity demand at data centres.
The technology is intended to store and release electricity quickly, helping facilities meet the fluctuating power requirements of AI servers.
The project will build on an existing battery pack and assess its performance under changing demand conditions.
If successful, the approach could help data centres increase their capacity while making better use of existing electricity grid connections, potentially avoiding the immediate need for local network upgrades.
It could also provide a safer alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries and reduce reliance on imported materials.
Feasibility studies explore future technologies
The Superdielectrics project is one of 15 feasibility studies sharing just over £6.2m to examine potential improvements throughout the battery supply chain.
Each study will run for between six and 12 months, allowing researchers and businesses to investigate whether early-stage technologies could offer practical improvements to battery production, use, reuse or recycling.
The intention is to establish which concepts have sufficient potential to progress towards further development and eventual commercial application.
Building the skills needed for battery manufacturing
Technology development is only part of the investment. A further £3.6m has been allocated to three regional initiatives to prepare workers for roles in the battery manufacturing industry.
The projects will deliver nationally accredited, industry-focused training across England, covering different qualification levels to meet workforce requirements.
University Centre Somerset will provide Level 2 and 3 battery manufacturing courses for the South West battery cluster.
Meanwhile, University College Birmingham in the West Midlands and a partnership involving Newcastle University and New College Durham in the North East will expand training opportunities at Levels 4 and 5.
The initiatives are intended to help learners access careers in battery manufacturing while giving businesses the specialist skills needed to support activity across the sector.
By funding projects ranging from experimental recycling techniques to workforce training, the Battery Innovation Programme is addressing several different requirements of the UK’s battery industry, from recovering materials already in circulation to developing the technologies and skills needed for future manufacturing.
