APCUK: ARMD4 Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator 4

Overview‍

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) and the automotive industry and academia, to invest up to £25 million of DBT grant funding in the Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator 4 (ARMD4) competition.

The aim of this competition is to develop a product or process demonstrator, to enable increased capability, and create commercial exploitation opportunities as a result of the project. The project will develop future zero emission technology as a key element in the UK’s transition to a zero emission automotive industry.

Your proposal must explain how zero emission vehicle technology development will be significantly accelerated through your project and must clearly describe how these products will be brought to market.

‍Scope

The aim of this competition is to develop a product or process demonstrator to show increased capability and commercial exploitation opportunity, as a result of the project. The project will utilise future zero emission powertrain technology as a key element in the UK’s transition to a zero emission automotive industry.

Your project must work towards delivery of zero emission on-vehicle technologies for on-road or off-road vehicles.

Vehicle applications in scope must include:

• on-highway including last mile
• off-highway including agriculture and mining

In the case of on-road solutions, only project proposals which aim to achieve zero harmful tailpipe emissions will be supported.

Capability demonstration can be through:

• a physical vehicle or subsystem
• a process demonstration in the relevant environment
• an equivalent digital demonstrator

Technology maturity expectations for this competition should be achieving TRL 5-6 or MRL 4-5 by completion, based on published Automotive Technology and Manufacturing Readiness Levels.

As a key component of the dissemination requirements for this competition, there will be an opportunity to showcase project outcomes at the 2026 CENEX Expo. All projects should be prepared for potential selection to represent the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) at this event.

‍Key themes and topics

Projects must demonstrate the advancement of on-vehicle technologies in one or more of the following areas:

• energy storage, batteries and their components and integration systems
• fuel cell systems and their components and integration systems
• electric machines and their components and integration systems
• power electronics and their components and integration systems
• internal combustion engines (ICE) for on-road applications, we will only fund project proposals which aim to achieve zero harmful tailpipe emissions utilising non-fossil fuels 
• internal combustion engines (ICE) for off-road applications, we will fund project proposals that support a transition to zero emissions, utilising non-fossil fuels
• lightweight materials, methods and processes
• hydrogen storage and management systems

Projects can include:

• design for circular economy and sustainability, including the disassembly, recovery, and reuse of materials used in the project technologies
• digitalisation of design for manufacture and recycling, development of zero emissions vehicle innovation, manufacture of vehicle systems and subsystems, data analytics, redesign, test and validation and verification

You will be required to provide a close-out report and case study at the end of your funded project.

Project duration

• last between 9 - 12 months
• start by 1 October 2025
• end by 30 September 2026

Award value

Project must have a total grant funding request of between £500,000 and £1.5 million  

Funding rates

For industrial research projects, you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:

• up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation
• up to 60% if you are a medium sized organisation
• up to 50% if you are a large organisation

For experimental development projects which are nearer to market, you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:

• up to 45% if you are a micro or small organisation
• up to 35% if you are a medium sized organisation
• up to 25% if you are a large organisation

Match funding must be a minimum of 50%.

Research organisations can share up to 30% of the total eligible project costs

Eligibility criteria

• Projects must be lead by a UK registered business of any size
• Collaborators must be a UK registered business of any size; academic institution; charity; not for profit; public sector organisation; research and technology organisation (RTO)
• Subcontractors must be preferably UK-based with fully justified and appropriate costs