Prenotification of Faraday Institution sodium-ion research calls

The Faraday Institution will publish call documents at the start of June 2026 for a programme of sodium-ion battery research from October 2026.

Building on the solid foundation of the NEXGENNA project, which will complete in September 2026, this new programme will ensure the UK’s battery research remains cohesive, aligned with industry, and internationally competitive in support of the UK Battery Strategy.
There will be two calls:

• a call for a project consortium that focuses on material scale-up, design and prototyping of sodium-ion cells.
• a call for smaller Research Sprint projects for research on individual Na-ion cell materials and components to address future challenges at material level. Research developed in successful Research Sprints may be integrated into the main Na-ion project consortium in 2027 by the researchers joining that project.

The aim is for all projects to begin on 1st October 2026, with the major project scoped for 4 years. Funding beyond March 2027 will be subject to confirmation of funding to the Faraday Institution. The total available budget is £2.5 million per year.
Outline scope and programme structure

1. Sodium ion major project collaboration on material scale-up, cell design, prototyping and optimisation. Up to £1.6 million in the first year and at least £1.6 million in the next three years. The Faraday Institution is seeking to fund a consortium that has knowledge of and experience of researching all of the following: layered oxide cathodes, Prussian blue analogue cathodes, polyanionic cathodes, and hard carbon anodes. These should have already been demonstrated in single layer pouch cells. The successful consortium will be able to demonstrate the capability to produce high quality pouch cells at small volumes.
2. Sodium-ion Research Sprints. Up to £0.9 million for a number of smaller, more fundamental research projects that could deliver commercial advantages in next-generation Na-ion batteries. Applications for research into electrolytes, advanced anodes, anode-free, and improved low-temperature performance will be particularly welcomed. Expected duration 9 months to 1 year.

Timeline:

Any questions should be directed to [email protected].