A new Innovate UK grant competition is offering up to £3 million for projects that address challenges to electric vehicle charging along the Strategic Road Network (SRN) in England.
The Increasing EV charging capacity on the strategic road network competition is funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), closes in late March next year, and is collaborative, meaning projects must be delivered by more than one organisation.
Key information
- Funding available: £500,000-£3 million, covering 25%-70% of project costs
- Application Deadline: 25 March 2026 at 11 am
- Project Start Deadline: 1 July 2026
Below, I’ve explained who is eligible, how much funding you can apply for, and how to submit an application.
Not sure if you’re eligible? Book a free Eligibility and Competitiveness Assessment. In under 30 minutes, I will tell you:
- Whether you’re eligible for this competition
- How good I believe are your chances of winning funding
- What other grants and funding schemes you could be eligible for
Eligibility Criteria
Your project
Your project must:
- Represent a novel solution to power, grid and operational constraints to public EV charging
- Start by 1 July 2026
- Complete funded development and real-world deployment activities by 31 March 2028
- Result in a solution that must operate safely with appropriate maintenance and self-funded customer support for at least 3 years starting 31 March 2028
- Be demonstrated at one or more Motorway Service Area (MSA) sites, or one or more sites within a mile of the SRN, to reduce or eliminate an all-purpose trunk road (APTR) area
Your organisation
Organisations must apply as part of a consortium. Consortia must:
- Be led by a UK-registered company of any size
- Feature at least one micro, small or medium-sized business (SME)
- Include partners that perform the function of an SRN site operator and an EV charge point operator (CPO)
Project teams can include UK-registered:
- Academic institutions
- Businesses of any size
- Charity
- Not for profit
- Public sector organisation
- Research and technology organisation (RTO)
How Much Funding Can I Apply For?
How much funding you can apply for depends on whether the work of your organisation is commercial or economic (i.e. generates revenues) or non-economic (such as a charity or university).
Funding for commercial/economic organisations
As a commercial organisation – e.g. a company – you can apply for a grant covering a percentage of your project costs. How large a percentage depends on how big your organisation is and what kind of project you are looking to undertake.
| Project Type | Micro and Small | Medium | Large |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 2 Industrial research projects | 70% | 60% | 50% |
| Category 2 Experimental development projects | 45% | 35% | 25% |
More on Innovate UK’s definition of micro, small, medium, and large companies.
What the different project types mean
- Industrial research: Testing how a product, system or component operates in the laboratory or a simulated environment.
- Experimental development: Helping organisations make further technical improvements to advanced products, processes or services by testing them in environments that represent real-world conditions. Experimental development projects can include prototyping, demonstrating and piloting.
Funding for non-economic organisations
As a non-economic organisation, your work can account for up to 30% of the project’s total eligible costs. Of that 30%, you can apply for a grant covering:
- 100% of your costs as an RTO, charity, not-for-profit, or public sector organisation
- 80% of your full economic costs if you are Je-S registered (e.g. a university)
How Do I Apply?
The application has four sections:
- Project details – Gives your assessors useful background information about your project. Not scored
- Application questions – 16 questions, the last ten of which are scored. This is where you should dedicate most of your time
- Finances – All consortium members must complete this section, listing their project costs, plus their organisation and funding details.
- Project Impact – This explains how your project
Your application will be reviewed by three independent assessors, like those who provide our clients with detailed feedback through our Strategic Review service. This feedback helps our clients strengthen their submission, increasing their chance of success.
Their scores are combined to give you your total score, which will determine whether you receive a grant.
Let GrantTree Maximise Your Funding Chances
Thinking about applying for an Increasing EV charging capacity on the strategic road network grant? GrantTree’s grant writing experts can maximise your chance of success, helping you prepare a compelling and convincing submission that proves your project deserves funding.
We have a range of services to suit different budgets, capacities, and levels of confidence, from Full Service Write to Strategic Reviews for organisations leading the development of their own application.
To get help with your application and supercharge your chances of a game-changing grant, just get in touch.
