Driving the electric revolution challenge

This challenge is investing £80 million in electrification technologies including power electronics, electric machines and drives (PEMD). The investment will support the UK’s push towards a net zero carbon economy and contribute to the development of clean technology supply chains, worth £80 billion in gross domestic product by 2050.

The investment will accelerate the UK’s ability to deliver:

renewable energy
next generation electric vehicles
hybrid aircraft – hydrogen and fully electric
smart grids for energy distribution
industrial drives
robotics
low-carbon construction and agriculture equipment
low-carbon maritime and rail.

The challenge will focus on growing the UK’s PEMD supply chains and manufacturing capability through three areas of activity:

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Industrialisation centres

We are investing up to £30 million to create a network of regional centres, based at existing areas of expertise in Strathclyde, Sunderland, Nottingham and Newport. The centres will be used by industry and researchers to develop and scale up PEMD technologies and manufacturing processes.

Find out more about the industrialisation centres.

Collaborative innovation funding

£33 million is being invested in collaborative, industry-led innovation projects that will help businesses grow strategically important UK PEMD supply chains and develop manufacturing capability. These projects will enable UK to deliver the next generation of PEMD technologies across nine key sectors undergoing accelerated electrification.

Talent and skill development

There is an investment of up to £6 million to support skills and provide training at all levels. This will up-skill and grow the workforce into a high-tech industry at the heart of a green UK economy. There will also be opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Funding opportunities

You can use our funding finder to search for UKRI Challenge Fund funding and any wider opportunities related to electrification technologies.

Search funding opportunities

Our funding opportunities may fund research and development projects that are classed as feasibility studies, industrial research or experimental development.

For feasibility studies and industrial research projects, the following intervention rates may apply:

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 experimental development projects which are nearer to market, the following intervention rates may apply:

up to 45% if you are a micro or small organisation
up to 35% if you are a medium-sized organisation
up to 25% if you are a large organisation

Capital costs may be funded through some funding opportunities with intervention rates of up to 80%.

Funded and announced projects

These are examples of other challenge projects.

Read more about the projects funded under this challenge

Power electronics webinars

Funding enabled consultancy Electronic Minds to run a series of training webinars on power electronics for a global audience. Following the success of the series the company is considering expanding and hiring more staff.

Project REAP (rare-earth extraction from audio products)

This is a project scaling up the process of recovery and recycling of rare earth materials from scrap loudspeakers. The materials can then be reused for new, cost-effective rare earth magnets for use in electric machines.

A low-cost ferrite-based direct drive permanent magnet generator for wind turbines

This project aims to create a permanent magnet generator free from rare earth minerals, making them cheaper and able to be produced in the UK.

The SLOGAN project

Ensuring that semiconductor materials, an essential building block for the next generation of electrification technologies, reach the last step in a supply chain quicker and more efficiently.