ATI Programme strategic batch: expression of interest October 2022

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with BEIS and the Aerospace Technology Institute to invest up to £685 million from the ATI Programme in financial years 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025, in innovation projects.

The ATI Programme represents to date a £3.2 billion joint government and industry investment to maintain and grow the UK’s competitive position in civil aerospace.

This programme is co-ordinated and managed by:

• the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
• Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation
• the Aerospace Technology Institute

All three organisations work in partnership. Together they deliver a portfolio of projects to meet the objectives and priorities of the UK Aerospace Technology Strategy.

This is phase 1 of a strategic batch competition within the ATI Programme. There are 2 phases to each strategic batch competition. If you are successful at phase 2 you will proceed to final approvals and contracting. The whole process takes at least 6 months.

Eligibility

Lead organisation

To lead a project or work alone your organisation must:

• be a UK registered business of any size for research projects
• be a UK registered business of any size, a research and technology organisation (RTO), research organisation or academic institution for capital infrastructure projects
• carry out your aerospace research or capital infrastructure project work in the UK
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• address the specific requirements of the UK’s Aerospace Technology Strategy
• sign up to the Aerospace Technology Institute framework agreement

Your project cannot be a mixture of industrial research and capital infrastructure investment – it must be one or the other.

BEIS know that demand is high for the ATI Programme. To manage this financial pressure, BEIS will apply an overall cap on project level funding.

Industrial research projects

The total grant request in your application cannot exceed 60% of the total project costs; up to 70% of this can be for commercial/economic partners, and up to 30% for research organisations. This is regardless of the individual partners’ grant claims. The total grant funding limit for any individual organisation is £18 million.

Capital infrastructure projects

Your project must focus on the construction or upgrade of research infrastructures that perform economic activities. Each infrastructure project can receive total grant funding of up to £18 million and the total project grant funding must not exceed 50% of the total eligible project costs.

Scope

Your proposal must align with the UK Aerospace Technology Strategy, ‘Destination Zero’, which is split into these areas:

Zero-Carbon Emission Aircraft Technologies: Zero-carbon emission technologies are focused on propulsion and infrastructure development to enable zero-carbon tailpipe emissions. This encompasses battery, hydrogen, and fuel cell technologies, much of which are in early stages of development.

Ultra-Efficient Aircraft Technologies: Ultra-efficient technologies are focused on improving energy efficiency and hence impact CO2 emissions, NOx and noise. Continued development of crucial high value, sustainable, high productivity manufacturing technologies will position the UK to be a first-choice location for the industry.

Cross-cutting Enabling Technologies: To enable both the zero-carbon and ultra-efficient opportunities, the UK must develop cross-cutting enabling technologies and capabilities for whole aircraft design and analysis. These capabilities should extend to the aircraft lifecycle from design, through manufacture & assembly, operation, and end of life.

Support

The Aerospace Technology Institute can help you develop your proposal before you apply. The service is entirely optional and it does not guarantee success at this stage. If you are not already in contact with the Aerospace Technology Institute, please see ATI funding for more information on how to get started.

If you want help to find a project partner, contact Innovate UK KTN’s Transport team, or the Aerospace Technology Institute.