In a bid to improve the UK's energy efficiency, help establish a framework for the mass use of electric vehicles and reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, Greg Clark, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), announced a £246 million Government investment in battery technology.
The four-year investment, called the Faraday Challenge, is part of the Government's industrial strategy to boost the research and development of expertise in the battery technology through competitions and challenges in three categories: research, innovation and scale-up.
The first phase of this project includes a £45 million "Battery Institute" competition, which aims to establish a research centre for accessible and affordable battery technology. According to Greg Clark, the scope of this challenge is a "recognition that in order for all our citizens to be able to look forward with confidence to a prosperous future, we need to plan to improve our ability to earn that prosperity".
Philip Nelson, who is the chief executive of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, said: "The Faraday Challenge is a new way of working [...] It will bring together the best minds in the field, draw on others from different disciplines, and link intimately with industry, innovators and other funders to ensure we maintain our world-leading position and keep the pipeline of fundamental science to innovation flowing".
