Low carbon research and development grant

The scheme is supporting - through grant funding - the development of new low carbon vehicle technologies that are typically:

• 3-4 years from launch (pre-competitive stage)
• 5-7 years from market launch (industrial research stage)

The scheme aims to encourage collaborations between central government, technology developers, research centres, operators and private investors. It is also hoped that the scheme will help to meet the need to produce more low carbon vehicles, thus making them more readily available to consumers and businesses in the UK.

Stages of grant support

Grants from low carbon research and development support projects at two different stages of Research and Development. These stages are:

• Industrial research stage
• Pre-competitive development stage

Types of technology supported

There is no bias towards the development of any particular type of technology. Rather, new projects are selected according carbon reductions and vehicle type.

Types of businesses funded

Grants fund all sizes of businesses - from small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to large firms - operating in the motor vehicle sector. Successful applicants were chosen on by UK authorities on the following basis:

• The need to award grants to a diverse range of technologies.
• The likelihood of a project's completion and success.
• The availability of funding in the budget, the number of other applicants for funding and the amount of funding applied for.
• The potential for acceleration or innovation in the development of low carbon vehicle technologies against the cost of the project.

Read about the live projects and completed projects here.

Applicants must be:

• Companies registered and trading or a consortium (including technology developer, manufacturer, fleet and fuel suppliers if appropriate).
• Other organisations such as research centres, universities and local authorities.
• From any EU member state or country, provided that they are committed to carrying out the research and development project primarily in the UK.

Costs the grant covers:

• Personnel costs of staff employed solely for the project activity, excluding travel and expenses.
• Costs of durable assets (i.e. equipment and instrumentation) used solely and on a continual basis for the research activity.
• Costs of land and premises used solely for the industry and on a continual basis (except where transferred commercially).
• Costs of external consulting and contractors solely employed for the project activity.
• Additional overheads incurred directly as a result of the research activity.
• Costs for components and hardware for the project.
• Other operating expenses (costs of materials, supplies and similar products incurred directly as a result of the research activity.

Currently applications are closed.