As global competition to expand battery production intensifies, the UK is taking a bold move forward.
The Faraday Agency has announced a £9 million investment in two transformative research projects that promise to speed up production, reduce costs and unlock next-generation battery technology.
The initiative, which is set to commence in October 2025, will not only address Gigafactory’s inefficiencies today, but also address new materials that can redefine energy storage in electric vehicles, grids and aerospace.
The initiative is the first step in a series of programs, following the government’s £452 million investment in the battery innovation programme announced in June 2025.
Commenting on the initiative, UK Minister of Industry Sarah Jones said: “Through our modern industrial strategy, we are more in industry than ever before, with the largest investment package that the UK government has ever launched to acquire growth.
“This funding ensures that we stay at the cutting edge of innovation by scaling up, researching and bringing rapid new technologies to the market.”
Strategic boost to the UK battery sector
The new project is designed to tackle important bottlenecks in commercial production and also lays the foundation for groundbreaking battery chemistry.
By focusing on both the challenges of immediate battery manufacturing and long-term disruptive materials, the Faraday Agency has positioned the UK as the leader in the rapidly expanding global battery market.
Furthermore, long-term funding allows for the launch of “transformational challenges.” This is an ambitious research stream aimed at applications with exceptional impact potential.
The first Ultrastore explores ultra-low-cost long-term energy storage for grid use. A second initiative focusing on ultra-high energy density batteries for aerospace and defense is expected to be announced later this year.
Committing to manufacturing bottlenecks: high-speed projects
One of the newly funded initiatives, the ongoing battery formation, aging and testing (fast) project, will focus on the final stages of the battery manufacturing process.
Currently, these steps are energy-hungry and time-consuming, but are essential to establishing inter-protective periods that govern battery life, capacity and safety.
Together with a consortium of academic and industrial partners led by Professor Emma Kendrick of the University of Birmingham, the FAST project will develop a science-based framework to optimize these processes.
Researchers will track, model, and use insights to design new protocols that reduce battery manufacturing times, reduce energy consumption, and improve reproducibility at the gigafactory scale.
The project will initially target high-nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) chemicals using graphite and graphite silicon anodes to make production more sustainable while maximizing energy density and lifespan.
The leap in cathode design: 3D-CAT project
The second major program, the 3D-CAT project, will focus on cathode innovation, a key route to improving performance in lithium-ion batteries.
The research team, led by Dr. Robert House of Oxford University, will develop lithium-rich 3D cathode materials, from first principles to large-scale synthesis and verification of pouch cells.
These next-generation cathodes can achieve the high performance of NMC chemistry without relying on expensive, geopolitical-sensitive precursors.
Recent studies suggest that controlling partial ordering within a faulty locksault improves lithium transport networks and improves both charging speed and emission performance.
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Provide innovation for the future
Both projects are expected to run until September 2028, with extension funding expected to be confirmed in early 2026.
Together, they are the key steps to making battery manufacturing faster, cleaner, and more cost-effective, laying the foundation for next-generation technology.
Professor Martin Freer, CEO of Faraday Institute, added: “The UK’s sustainable investment in research at world-leading universities is unlocking the discovery of transformative batteries that will drive significant advances in performance in multiple sectors when translated into industry.
“The long-term commitment of the government ensures that breakthroughs move from labs to commercial applications, foster economic growth and create valuable jobs for the future.”
With global demand for electric vehicles, energy storage and batteries diving into aerospace, the Faraday Agency’s latest investments demonstrate the UK’s determination to play a leading role in shaping the future of energy storage.
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