The £1.1 million funding will be awarded to the SMEs over the next 18 months, along with business planning guidance to maximise market opportunity. SMEs play a crucial role for UK Automotive, developing the supply chain and leading some of the most exciting innovation in the sector, ensuring the UK stays competitive in a time of rapid change. The SMEs are all working on innovative, low-carbon technologies from new battery management technologies, fuel cells to printed power electronics.
TDAP helps to accelerate the decarbonisation of UK roads by working with both existing automotive organisations and facilitating cross-sector technology transfer from other industries.
“We need a range of technologies to decarbonise vehicles from passenger to heavy duty and beyond” said Josh Denne, TDAP Manager for the APC. “The variety of technology coming through this programme reflects the change in the industry. There is no silver bullet for decarbonising the transport sector, being technology agnostic at the APC allows us to be reactive and work with some revolutionary new technology and organisations. We are looking forward to being part of their journeys”.
One of the successful applicants, Dr Zlatka Stoeva of DZP Technologies Ltd added that the technical and business landscape can be complex for a small company to embrace quickly, and many opportunities may be missed.
TDAP is designed to help technology developers with early-stage technologies by providing business planning and grant funding available of up to £104,000. It could also help open new routes to market, from making introductions to OEMs and funding agencies.
The format of the programme reflects the risk involved in developing cutting edge technologies. As these new technologies and business plans are tested, not all of the organisations will reach the end of the 18-month programme. However, TDAP has proven its success over the last three cycles with impressive results from the participating SMEs. On average, organisations who completed the programme in 2018 increased their average headcount by 27 percent over the 18-month project and accelerated their time to market by more than 12 months.
TDAP is part of a 10-year programme to make UK a world-leader in low carbon propulsion technology.
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