DRIVE35 Collaborate

DRIVE35 Collaborate sits under Advanced Propulsion Centre UK's DRIVE35 innovation pillar and funds late-stage collaborative R&D aimed at commercialising zero-emission vehicle technologies. It is the larger consortium route in APC's portfolio, designed for projects that need several organisations to work together on a single industrial objective. Awards run from £2.5 million to £25 million per project at 50% match funding. Projects last 18 to 36 months and must reach TRL 7 to 8 or MRL 6 to 7 by completion. The lead applicant must be a UK-registered business of any size, and consortia may also include academic institutions, charities, public-sector bodies, and research and technology organisations. The competition is UK-wide and is run annually. The strongest proposals are the ones where the lead business has a clear commercial route and every partner has a specific role in delivery. APC is looking for consortia that can move beyond technical validation and into deployment-ready development. A bid is easier to defend when the industrial logic is tight, the partner mix is deliberate, and the project can show how the collaboration shortens the path to market.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.