Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money was spent from the Faraday Battery Challenge Fund; what key lessons have been learned from the programme; and which battery technologies developed with support from the programme are now in successful deployment.
The Faraday Battery Challenge (2017-2025) was supported by £610 million of Government funding and helped establish the UK as a global leader in battery research, innovation and scale-up. It supported over 118 battery projects and helped unlock more than £800 million of follow-on private investment, with around 80% of projects led by SMEs. Supported technologies include advanced anodes, solid-state batteries and battery recycling. Key lessons include the need to link research, innovation and industrialisation to accelerate commercialisation. Its successor, the Battery Innovation Programme, will build on this legacy with £452 million in funding to 2030.