Faraday Institution – Sodium-Ion Battery Research

Two calls to identify a project consortium that focuses on material scale-up, design and prototyping of sodium-ion cells; and for smaller Research Sprint projects for research on individual Na-ion cell materials and components to address future challenges at material level.

The Faraday Institution was established in 2017 as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund – Faraday Battery Challenge, since rebranded as The Battery Innovation Programme. The Institution is the UK’s independent institute for electrochemical energy storage science and technology, supporting research, training, and analysis.

The Faraday Institution is providing funding for a programme of sodium-ion battery research designed to ensure the UK’s battery research remains cohesive, aligned with industry, and internationally competitive in support of the UK Battery Strategy. Two calls are supported through the programme:

• Sodium ion major project collaboration on material scale-up, cell design, prototyping and optimisation: supporting a project consortium that focuses on material scale-up, design and prototyping of sodium-ion cells. The call will support 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.
• Sodium-ion Research Sprints: supporting smaller, more fundamental Research Sprint projects that could deliver commercial advantages in next-generation Na-ion batteries. Funding will support research on individual Na-ion cell materials and components to address future challenges at material level. Applications for research into electrolytes, advanced anodes, anode-free, and improved low-temperature performance will be particularly welcomed. 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 1 October 2026, with the major project scoped for four years. Funding beyond March 2027 will be subject to confirmation of funding to the Faraday Institution.