DRIVE35 Scale-Up: £5M to Manufacture the Future of EVs

The electric vehicle (EV) revolution isn’t just about designing better cars; it’s about building them at scale. The UK has world-class R&D, but the “valley of death” between a prototype and mass production is where many great British innovations fail.

The DRIVE35 Scale-Up Feasibility Studies competition is Innovate UK’s direct answer to this challenge. This isn’t funding for blue-sky research. It is funding to figure out how to build your technology.

If you have a proven concept for a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) technology—whether it’s a new power electronics module, a lightweight chassis component, or a hydrogen fuel cell stack—and you need to understand the economics and engineering of scaling it up, this grant is for you.

With a total pot of £5 million, this competition supports feasibility studies that answer the critical questions: “Can we make this faster? Can we make it cheaper? Can we make it here in the UK?”

Key Details at a Glance

Detail	Information
Total Fund	£5 million
Project Size	Typically £50,000 to £200,000 (check specific competition guidance)
Application Deadline	December 17, 2025, at 11:00 AM (GMT)
Project Duration	Usually 3 to 6 months
Applicant Type	Single UK registered businesses only (no collaborations)
Focus	Manufacturing scale-up feasibility
Funding Body	Innovate UK (part of UKRI)

What This Opportunity Offers

De-Risking the Next Step Scaling up is expensive and risky. You might need to design a new production line, source new materials, or automate a manual process. This grant pays for the “thinking time” and the technical analysis required to plan that scale-up without betting the company’s cash reserves.

Preparation for Capital Investment Think of this feasibility study as the precursor to a much larger capital grant (like the Automotive Transformation Fund). By the end of this project, you should have a robust business case and a technical roadmap that you can take to investors or larger government funds to say, “We know exactly how to build a factory for this.”

Supply Chain Visibility Winning an Innovate UK grant puts you on the radar of the major OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers). The UK automotive sector is a tight-knit community, and successful projects often get showcased to the likes of JLR, Nissan, and Ford.

Who Should Apply

This competition is strictly for UK registered businesses. Unlike many Innovate UK calls, this is for single applicants only. They don’t want a complex consortium; they want your business to figure out your manufacturing problem.

Ideal Candidates:

The Tier 2 Supplier: You make a component for internal combustion engines and need to pivot to EV components. You need to study if your existing machinery can be retooled.
The University Spin-out: You have a lab-bench prototype of a solid-state battery. You need to hire a manufacturing consultant to tell you what a pilot line would look like.
The SME Innovator: You have a novel electric motor design. You need to investigate supply chain resilience for rare earth magnets before you commit to production.

Scope Check:

In Scope: Power electronics, electric machines, drives (PEMD), batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, lightweight materials, and recycling processes.
Out of Scope: Vehicle-level design (e.g., designing a new car), charging infrastructure (unless it’s vehicle-side tech), and synthetic fuels.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application

Innovate UK assessors are looking for specific signals. Here is how to give them what they want.

1. Focus on “Manufacturing Readiness Level” (MRL) Don’t talk endlessly about Technology Readiness Level (TRL). This is a scale-up grant. Talk about MRL. “We are currently at MRL 3 (Proof of Concept) and this study will give us the data to move to MRL 5 (Pilot Line Capability).” If you don’t use this language, you will look like you don’t understand the competition.

2. The “Value for Money” Argument Why should the taxpayer fund this? The answer must be: “If we solve this manufacturing bottleneck, we can anchor the supply chain in the UK.” Assessors want to see that you won’t just license the IP to a factory in China. Show a path to UK jobs and UK exports.

3. Be Honest About Risks A feasibility study is about risk. If you say, “We know everything will work,” they won’t fund you. You need to say, “We don’t know if Process A or Process B is better for mass production. This project will test both models to decide.”

4. Quantify the Market “The EV market is growing” is a lazy statement. Be specific. “The demand for silicon carbide inverters in the 800V segment is projected to reach X units by 2028. Our process reduces unit cost by 15%, allowing us to capture Y% of this market.”

5. The “Why Now?” Factor Why do you need this money now? Is there a window of opportunity closing? Is a competitor catching up? Create a sense of urgency.

Application Timeline

The deadline is December 17, 2025, but the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) portal is unforgiving.

October 2025: Scope and Strategy

Action: Read the “Scope” tab on the competition page three times. If you are 1% out of scope, you get 0 funding.
Action: Define the “Feasibility Question.” What is the one big thing you are trying to find out?

November 2025: Drafting and Data

Action: Draft the 10 standard Innovate UK questions (Need, Approach, Team, Market, etc.).
Action: Get quotes from sub-contractors. If you need a consultant to model a factory, get a quote now to put in the budget.
Action: Draft the Project Management Plan (Gantt chart).

Early December 2025: Review

Action: “Red Team” your application. Give it to someone who knows nothing about your tech. If they don’t understand the “Value Proposition” in the first paragraph, rewrite it.
Action: Check your finances. Ensure your labor rates comply with Innovate UK rules.

December 15-17, 2025: Submission

Action: Submit at least 24 hours early. The IFS system can slow down when hundreds of people submit at 10:55 AM.

Required Materials

Project Proposal: Answers to the 10 scored questions on the IFS portal.
Project Plan: A Gantt chart or timeline uploaded as an appendix.
Risk Register: A table showing risks (technical, commercial, managerial) and mitigation strategies.
Finances: Detailed breakdown of labor, overheads, materials, and sub-contracting costs.
Team Structure: Description of who is doing what.

What Makes an Application Stand Out

Clear Commercialization Route The best applications don’t just end with “we will know if it works.” They end with “Once we know it works, we have a Letter of Intent from a Tier 1 supplier to pilot the technology.” Evidence of market pull is gold.

Realistic Project Management Don’t promise to build a factory in 3 months. Promise to deliver a report and a model in 3 months. Assessors punish over-ambition in feasibility studies.

Sustainability Analysis It’s a ZEV competition. You must show that your manufacturing process itself is sustainable. If your new process uses 10x more energy than the old one, that’s a problem.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring the “Feasibility” Aspect Don’t treat this as R&D funding to invent a new widget. Treat it as funding to study the making of the widget. If you spend all the money on product design and none on manufacturing process design, you will fail.

Vague “Value Proposition” “We are the best” is not a value proposition. “We are the only UK supplier who can achieve <5% porosity in aluminium castings” is a value proposition.

Leaving Appendices Blank You usually get 2-4 appendices (Project Plan, Risk Register, etc.). Use them! They are “free” space to show charts, diagrams, and data that don’t fit in the word count.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a sub-contractor? Yes, and for a feasibility study, it’s often expected. You might not have the in-house expertise to model a production line, so hiring a specialized engineering consultancy is a valid cost.

Does this count as State Aid / Subsidy Control? Yes. You will likely receive funding under “De Minimis” or “Minimal Financial Assistance” rules, or under the R&D & Innovation framework. Check your subsidy limits.

Can I apply if I am a startup? Yes, provided you are a UK registered business. However, you must show you have the financial stability to pay your costs upfront (Innovate UK pays in arrears, usually quarterly).

What happens if the study shows it’s NOT feasible? That is a successful outcome! The point of the grant is to find that out before you spend millions on a factory. You won’t be penalized for a negative result, provided the study was conducted rigorously.

How to Apply

Register: Go to the Innovation Funding Service (IFS).
Start Application: Create a new application for “DRIVE35 Scale-Up”.
Invite Team: Add your finance and technical leads to the portal so they can edit their sections.

The UK automotive industry is racing to electrify. This grant is your pit stop to ensure your technology can go the distance.