'Soft' Funding
Grant Funding
There is limited public sector grant support targeted directly at the development of low carbon technologies for the automotive sector. However it is worth checking grant availability from the following key players on a regular basis.
CENEX
Cenex manages the Infrastructure Grant Programme formerly managed by the Energy Saving Trust. This programme makes grants available to encourage organisations to install refuelling or recharging stations for alternative fuel.
www.cenex.co.uk
DIUS
The Measurement for Innovators programme aims to promote innovation by supporting businesses through access to the expertise and facilities contained within the UK's National Measurement Institutes.
www.npl.co.uk
European Union Funded Programmes
A good first point of contact in the UK for all EU funded programmes is the Energie Helpline at www.berr.gov.uk/energy/energie.
Seventh Research Framework Programme
EU FP7 Energy and Transport themes are managed by DG RTD, DG TREN and DG Transport, and this programme covers both R&D and demonstration phases. Projects tend to be collaborative and encourage European organisations to share their resources and expertise to make technological advances. There are regular calls focused on specific industry sectors and applications.
www.cordis.europa.com
The Joint Technology Initiative for Fuel Cells and Hydrogen
The FCH JTI is a public-private partnership between EU, Industry and academia. The JTI has a six year budget of EUR 900m, with the main areas of focus being transport, stationary, hydrogen, early markets and cross-cutting applications. Calls will cover basic and applied research, and demonstration, with cross-European collaboration required, and project duration of between 1-4 years.
www.hfpeurope.org/hfp/jti
Regional Development Agencies
Many RDAs are active in providing grant support to regional innovation initiatives (such as the Automotive Cluster in the West Midlands) and are responsible for the management of Selective Financial Assistance for Investment (SFIE) to support capital development for companies in specific assisted areas. In addition, they administer the Grants for Research and Development (GRD) programme which is targeted at supporting applied R&D across all industry sectors, and several RDAs are involved in the development and roll out of Innovation Vouchers schemes for SMEs.
See individual sites for each RDA.
Technology Strategy Board
The TSB's main mechanism for support in this sector is the Low Carbon Vehicle Innovation Platform (LCVIP). There are regular calls to encourage collaborative projects between Universities and industry to take new technologies forward from applied R&D through to demonstration. Note that the TSB now handles the government funding for low carbon vehicles that was previously available via the Energy Saving Trust.
www.innovateuk.org
In addition to the specific sources of grant support identified above, there are a number of other important sources of grant funding in a broader context, and which do not have a specific emphasis on automotive applications. These include:
European Union Funded Programmes
Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP)
Within the framework of the CIP, the Eco-innovation programme is focused on supporting SMEs, involved in eco-innovative products and services, through new technology pilots and market replication projects. This programme does not support R&D.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/etap/ecoinnovation/
Scottish Government/Scottish Enterprise
Depending on the nature of the proposed project, and the geographic location of the project partners, funding support may be available from the R&D Grant programme; SMART programme; Proof of Concept programme, and Energy Technology Centre.
www.scottishenterprise.com
The Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust operate a number of programmes for which SMEs are eligible, including the Applied Research Grant Programme, the Incubator Programme and the Technology Accelerator Programme, although low carbon automotive technologies are not generally a priority sector. Applications are considered on a case by case basis depending on the 'carbon case' of individual technologies.
www.carbontrust.co.uk
R&D Tax Credits
Information on eligibly criteria and how to apply for tax credits can be found at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/randd.