DRIVE35 Scale-up Fund

What it is

Grants of £2.5m–£20m (up to 50% of costs, depending on business size) to create pilot- and scale-up manufacturing facilities for zero-emission vehicle technologies in the UK, from a fund of up to £150m. The live route is Drawdown 5, open 10 August 2026 and closing 4 November 2026 at 11:00; projects need total eligible costs of at least £5m and must unlock private investment of at least twice the grant request.

Verified 2026-08-21 on ukri.org/opportunity/drive35-scale-up-fund-drawdown-five/ (status Open; opened 10 Aug 2026 09:30, closes 4 Nov 2026 11:00 UK time; £150,000,000 total; UK-registered organisations lead, non-UK businesses must establish a UK entity before award) and iuk-business-connect.org.uk/opportunities/drive35-scale-up-fund-drawdown-5/ (£2.5m–£20m per project, up to 50% of costs, minimum £5m total eligible costs, private investment of at least 2x the grant, projects run 1 Jun 2027 – 31 Mar 2030). The old open-ended competition page is marked closed 28 April 2026 — do not apply through it. Scope is strictly zero-emission vehicle technologies (batteries, electric machines, power electronics, fuel cells, hydrogen storage, ZEV assembly) — narrower than any wizard sector, so check scope before applying. Drawdown 6 is expected to open after D5 closes; applications do NOT carry over between drawdowns.