INNOVATE UK and Advanced Propulsion Centre Research Grants

Research by Imerys British Lithium Limited is very grateful for the ongoing support of Innovate UK and the Advanced Propulsion Centre who have contributed over £5 million of match funding over the past three years. The important research and development work could not have proceeded at such pace without this support.

The Automotive Transformation Fund aims to increase confidence in large-scale manufacturing investments to build electrified supply chains in the UK. It is vital, in the transition to net zero, that the automotive sector seizes the opportunity to grow the industry, create or safeguard jobs and build on the expertise anchored here in the UK.

• In 2020, a £500,000 Smart Grant from Innovate UK to progress its research and development of hard rock lithium extraction in the St Austell area of Cornwall.

• In 2020, a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Phase 1 grant of £60,000 to study the technical feasibility of building a pilot plant.

• In 2021, a £2.9 million SBRI Phase 2 grant by Innovate UK for design and construction of the integrated lithium pilot plant in Cornwall.

• In 2022, a £2 million Scale-up Readiness Validation (SuRV) grant by the Advanced Propulsion Centre. This project will partly-fund the readiness assessment of Imerys British Lithium’s technologies and validate the pilot plant whilst making commercial samples for end customers.