Quick Reference Please note that you must read the full Call document for guidance before submitting your proposal ISCF Faraday Challenge: Batteries for Britain EPSRC on behalf of the Faraday Challenge Research Institute: Research Challenge Call Call type: Invitation for Full Proposals Closing date: Expression of Interest 01 September 2017/ Full Proposals 16 November 2017, 16:00 Funding Available: The overall budget to support this call is expected to be confirmed in the summer of 2017 subject to further assurance processes within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). It is envisaged that up to 28 million will be available to support four fast start research projects for up to three years to build on existing UK capabilities in novel battery technologies research. How to apply: Applicants must submit an Expression of Interest to attend a workshop with the Faraday Challenge Research Institute to scope and subsequently develop full proposals which will be assessed by peer review. Assessment Process: Attendance at the workshop is mandatory for submission as the principal investigator to this call. Full proposals will be assessed by an expert panel followed by an interview stage. Key Dates: Activity Date Expression of Interest opens 24 July 2017 Expression of Interest closes 01 September 2017 Workshop: Researchers and Institute 15 September 2017 Full Proposal Deadline 16 November 2017 Interview Stage 08 December 2017 Funding Decisions Mid December 2017 Grant Start Date 01 January 2018 Page 1 of 14
Please note that dates may be subject to change. The timeline is as a result of spending requirements. EPSRC may mandate a specific spend profile across the duration of the programme. All projects must be able undertake spend as of 01 January 2018. Additional information: This funding call is part of the Government s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF). This is not a standard EPSRC funding call and the remit is unique to this call. There are specific requirements that must be met. The funding will be delivered through the newly founded Faraday Challenge Research Institution and the research projects will be governed by the Research Institution HQ. Those funded must work within the overall management and governance structure of the research by the Faraday Challenge Research Institute. Funded researchers must also work collaboratively with other partners of the programme, across the UK Research and Innovation landscape, and within the context of the wider aims of the Government s industrial strategy. Contacts: Dr. Derek Craig (derek.craig@epsrc.ac.uk) Dr. Kathryn Magnay (kathryn.magnay@epsrc.ac.uk) Page 2 of 14
ISCF Faraday Challenge: Batteries for Britain EPSRC on behalf of the Faraday Challenge Research Institute: Research Challenge Call type: Invitation for Proposals Closing date: Expression of Interest 16:00 01 September 2017/ Full Proposals 16 November 2017, 16:00 Summary Related EPRSC themes: All themes Innovate UK, EPSRC and the APC are working closely together to deliver an integrated programme of research and innovation to deliver novel battery technologies as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF). The ambition of the programme is to make the UK the go to place for the research, development, manufacture and production of novel battery technologies for both the automotive and the wider relevant sectors. The programme is split into three separate elements, which will be delivered in parallel to provide connectivity across both research and innovation strands. The full programme will be strategically managed to meet the overall Batteries challenge. The three elements are: The Faraday Institution: a new, virtual research institute comprising a headquarters (the subject of another call) and a series of Research Challenge projects (the first of which are the subject of this call), to drive and accelerate fundamental science and its translation directly related to batteries. This will be supported by EPSRC Innovation programme to support collaborative research and development with co-investment from industry (led by Innovate UK) and; Scale up programme to create an open access facility with technology scale up capabilities to ensure solutions are ready for manufacturing technologies at high volume (led by APC). Each of these elements will be connected through an overarching governance structure in place to manage the research and resources available for each strand of the programme. Page 3 of 14
This call invites expressions of interest from researchers interested in collaborating on and scoping research projects in four challenge areas which have been pre-identified by industry and academia as having the capability to be fast-start projects to establish the core capabilities of this funding programme. The scoped areas are; battery degradation, the all-solid-state battery with lithium and sodium metal anodes, multi scale modelling and circular economy/recycling. This call is expected to lead to breakthroughs in these four areas which will have the effect of establishing the UK as the world leader for leading battery research, of making UK industry more competitive (to deliver more jobs, investment and exports), and of attracting researchers and industry to base themselves in the UK. In short, we are looking for a revolution in battery research and a business as usual approach will not be deemed sufficient. UK industry requires the fundamental research programme to deliver improvements in energy density, power density, cost, safety, lifetime, predictability and recycling of batteries to realise the improvements necessary to mainstream new battery based technologies. It is envisaged that outputs from this research will have a significant influence on technology for electrical vehicles as well as having cross sector benefits for the energy sector and consumer goods. The overall budget to support this call is expected to be confirmed in the summer of 2017 subject to further assurance processes within BEIS. It is envisaged that up to 28M will be allocated and EPSRC, in collaboration with the Research Institute, expect to deliver funding for four large scale collaborative research projects from this first wave of research challenge funding. Subsequent funding cycles supported through an open and competitive process administered by the Research Institute are scheduled to follow over the lifetime of the ISCF Faraday Challenge. Expressions of interest are required to be submitted by 16.00 on 01 September 2017 using the online form on the EPSRC call page (https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/calls/iscffaradaychallengebatteries/ ) and applicants will be invited to attend a workshop with the Research Institute Director and management team to scope potential projects in the four identified research areas. It should be noted that participation in the workshop event will not guarantee a role for participants on the subsequent research projects to be developed with the Research Institute. The research projects discussed at the workshop will be developed to full proposals which will then be required to be submitted in accordance with the application requirements listed below. EPSRC may mandate a specific spend profile across the duration of the funded project and prior to EPSRC awarding the grants all funded projects must be prepared to undertake spend by 01 January 2018 at the latest. Successful applicants will be required to work directly with the Faraday Challenge: Research Institution (which will be awarded through the ISCF Faraday Challenge: Research Institute call, prior to the closing date for this call) to define their project, the work packages and project plan, especially for years 1, in further detail. Applicants will also be expected to work within the governance framework, which oversees the Research Institution, throughout the lifetime of the project. The Faraday Challenge: Research Institution HQ, with reference to Page 4 of 14
the overarching Faraday Challenge governance structure, will have the capability of re-directing resources as appropriate over the lifetime of the ISCF Faraday Challenge, which may include terminating projects prior to completion through re-deployment of resources to successful projects within the Research Institute portfolio. Applicants should note that additional grant conditions will therefore be applied to successful proposals. Background This call for research projects in line with the ISCF Faraday Challenge forms part of the Government s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and was announced on 21 April 2017 (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/business-secretaryannounces-industrial-strategy-challenge-fund-investments) This call is one component of a wider programme to enable the UK to strengthen its economy through the establishment and growth of its world-leading capabilities in novel batteries technology. EPSRC, Innovate UK and a group of key academics in this research field have engaged the community through a number of workshops and other formal means. These events have provided context to the challenge as well as wider comment on opportunities for the UK. Remit of the call The Faraday Challenge: Research Institution, through EPSRC, is seeking to fund application-driven fundamental research projects addressing the specific topics described below. Please note that proposals focusing on other research topics in the field of batteries not listed below should be submitted as a standard research application and will not be accepted through this call and will be rejected as being out of remit. Further details of the four specific topics are laid out below. It is important to note that these research projects are designed to deliver breakthroughs that can be further developed and used by UK-based industry (i.e. the automotive industry), to create technologies which can be scaled up and industrialised. 1. Countering battery degradation Understand complex chemical pathways and reactions which lead to degradation Develop improved predictive modelling Develop techniques for prevention and/or reverse reactions through: New chemicals/additives Designer surface coatings Coatings specific to specific battery chemistries Healing or reverse ageing mechanisms 2. Developing solid state batteries with lithium and sodium metal anodes Page 5 of 14
Discover improved solid electrolytes Investigate anode/electrolyte interfaces and dendrite formation; use understanding to address challenges of stability, cyclability and durability Investigate cathode/electrolyte interfaces; use understanding to address challenges of stability, cyclability and durability Investigate coatings Develop capability to fabricate lab scale solid state cells and prepare for scalability/manufacture 3. Building distinctive multi-scale modelling capabilities Understand modelling tools used across length and timescales for battery systems Develop cascaded modelling approach with defined software and data interfaces and use of appropriate order models for task Consider parameterisation methods at all scales Develop open database of parameter values from benchmarks Prepare for scale up to a research/ industrial product 4. Delivering a circular economy in batteries (recycling) Understand and model degradation of cells/modules near end of life (10% SOC/SOH) Model and test aggregation of aged batteries for energy storage applications Design methodologies and cost models for "design for disassembly" Define and develop processes for material recovery from cells, including modelling of the costs and value Investigate re-use of recovered material as feedstock for material synthesis or alternative raw materials Create models to track value of battery throughout its life Look at methods to recycle 100% of a cell and pull all materials back into the new material streams Develop scale up of the technology that move from one-off cells to kgs to tonnes Model raw material to recycling including all costs / impacts use high level model to optimise and develop longer term systems Page 6 of 14
Funding available The funding available for these research projects will be defined based on the scope and requirements of the proposed projects in collaboration with the Faraday Challenge Research Institute. Through this call it is intended that four large scale collaborative projects will be supported. (i.e. battery degradation, solid state batteries, multi-scale modelling, battery recycling). As a significant sum of monies has previously been made available in this area for equipment and infrastructure, it is not expected that funding through this call will be provided for significant capital expenditure. Expectations The successful applicants will be required to work with the Faraday Challenge Research Institution team to define their project, the work packages and project plan, especially for year 1 prior to submission of their full proposals. Universities and applicants should note that successful proposals through this call will be bound to certain expectations specific to this call such as: Agreement to contribute to the growth of this field of research by recruiting staff to maximise the funding available. Facilitate the work of the Institute and its Director by allowing participating staff the freedom to work solely on the work of the institute i.e. allow participating staff on occasion to work at the headquarters of the institute and to free up staff time to focus on specific Institute projects, where relevant. Accept that as per the terms and conditions of this call that the Institute has the rights to re-deploy staff and funding to other projects upon advice from relevant governance structures. Provide access to facilities to all Institute partners across the headquarters and research initiatives. Work with others in the innovation chain, specifically across innovation and scale up activities. Demonstrate a clear willingness to collaborate with other universities. Be prepared to work with the Faraday Challenge: Research Institution HQ and to be directed by the overarching governance structure on the research challenges to be focused on. All applying universities must acknowledge acceptance of being bound by the terms and conditions of the Research Institution within their application Full terms and conditions will be discussed during the subsequent workshop on 15 September 2017. Conditions specifically relating to the management of the outputs from these research projects such as intellectual property etc. will be identified by the successful Research Institution in due course. Applicants will be expected to agree to such terms and conditions as part of the funding process. Page 7 of 14
Equipment For more information on equipment funding, please see: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/research/facilities/equipment/ Eligibility For information on the eligibility of organisations and individuals to receive EPSRC funding, see the EPSRC Funding Guide: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/fundingguide/ As this call is a targeted funding opportunity provided by EPSRC, higher education institutions, and some research council institutes and independent research organisations are eligible to apply. A list of eligible organisations to apply to EPSRC is provided at: http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/funding/eligibilityforrcs/ How to apply A two-stage process will be used. Stage 1: Expression of Interest to attend workshop, attendance at workshop and scoping of full proposal with Faraday Challenge Research Institute. Stage 2: Full Proposals prepared in collaboration with the Faraday Challenge: Research Institution. No other applications will be accepted. Stage 1: Expression of Interest Applicants must complete the online expression of interest form on the EPSRC call page (https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/calls/iscffaradaychallenge/). Applicants must clearly state their current expertise, equipment they can provide access to and which of the defined research areas they are interested in collaborating on. This will inform attendance at a workshop to be held on 15 September 2017. In the event that EPSRC are oversubscribed in terms of the number of applications received then EPSRC reserve the right to sift applications to ensure a range of expertise and institutions are represented. Sift Criteria Fit of applicant expertise to call Area(s) of interest identified by applicant for this call Institutional Representation Stage 2: Full proposal Following collaboration with the Research Institute team to scope their project ideas to align with the Institute objectives, applicants should submit a full proposal covering the following headings. This proposal should be submitted as a case for support and should be a maximum of 10 pages of A4 and must be under the following headings. Page 8 of 14
1) Track record and international benchmarking The track record (including current research grant funding) and current international standing of the main researchers must be articulated. This benchmarking needs to be illustrative in context. Just listing the number of publications or esteem factors is not sufficient; their significance needs to be judged in an international context. An important element of the call is to bring together the best experts inside and outside battery research with relevant expertise. Their track records should explain what important skills and expertise they bring to the project. These projects are intended to create an environment where early career researchers are supported and provided with the opportunities to develop their skills by working with the best principal investigators (PI) available. The PI may seek additional support of a project administrator across the lifetime of the project to support the daily running of each work stream. The PI and relevant Co-I s will be bound by the Research Institution monitoring and evaluation requirements, and as such, will be expected to frequently engage with the Research Institute and relevant governance structures. This will permit interaction with the best researchers in the country and ensure that the most informed guidance available can influence the project. Therefore, the PI and Co- I(s) of this project should actively reflect these considerations when justifying the time contributed to this research project. 2) Vision and ambition The overall research programme vision and ambition should be articulated in one to two sentences. The vision should be an ambitious but realistic target of what the team seek to achieve during the project and should directly link to achieving outputs to drive UK industry in this area. As the projects will be monitored throughout their lifetime and managed through the Faraday Challenge Research Institution, then there is an expectation that the vision and ambition of this project will evolve over the project lifetime. Therefore, instead of providing a specific project plan for the lifetime of the grant, applicants are asked to outline the key research challenges and milestones for the first 12-24 months of the project, with the understanding that these are subject to change. Applicants must state how their research programme is an ambitious, transformative approach to addressing one of the challenges outlined in this call document. 3) National importance By definition the four fast start projects are in areas of National Importance. In this case the following should be addressed: how the project will ultimately contribute to the competitiveness of UK industry. This must include an understanding of the economic considerations of the technology breakthrough envisaged (especially, what will it do to reduce the cost for UK industry and to improve the performance of a part of UK industry). The definition of National Importance and further details can be found at preparing new proposals to include National Importance (https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/preparing/includingnationalimport ance/). Page 9 of 14
4) Management and monitoring As the project management must fit with the governance structure of the Faraday Challenge (as defined in the HQ call), your response under this heading should focus on establishing how the PI/Co-I team will work together, how they will work with the Faraday Challenge Research Institute and how they will manage the development of PDRAs and PhD students associated with this project. 5) Resources You should define the resources required to deliver the project, including the percentage of time dedicated to managing the project, the time the principal and co-investigators will dedicate to the project, and the size, tenure and composition of the research team. You should also describe the role of each of the coinvestigators. 6) Impact Translation and innovation will be managed with the Research Institution technology transfer manager. The application needs to make a clear commitment to work with the Research Institution team to deliver innovation. The proposal should explain how the approach outlined above will deliver a breakthrough that previous research projects in the UK and elsewhere have so far failed to deliver. What novel approaches, new skills, or ways of working will be used? And how can we be sure that we are maximising the chances of success? 7) University Statement A statement should be provided by the host organisation for the lead principal investigator which outlines the support and contribution the university will provide to ensure that the list of expectations outlined above are accepted and successfully achieved. This statement must be both signed and dated. If a proposal is received which has a case for support longer than 10 pages or does not follow the headings format above then they will be rejected without further consideration. Submitting an application You should prepare and submit your proposal using the Research Councils Joint electronic Submission (Je-S) System (https://je-s.rcuk.ac.uk/) and all documentation must also be uploaded via online SmartSurvey form. For access to the SmartSurvey form, please email derek.craig@epsrc.ac.uk to request the link. When adding a new proposal, you should select: Council EPSRC Document type Standard Proposal Scheme Standard On the Project Details page you should select the ISCF Faraday Challenge: Research call. Page 10 of 14
Note that clicking submit document on your proposal form in Je-S initially submits the proposal to your host organisation s administration, not to EPSRC. Please allow sufficient time for your organisation s submission process between submitting your proposal to them and the call closing date. EPSRC must receive your application by 16:00 on 16 November 2017 through both Je-S and the smart survey. Proposals received after this deadline will be rejected without consideration. Guidance on the types of support that may be sought and advice on the completion of the research proposal forms are given on the EPSRC website (https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/) which should be consulted when preparing all proposals. Please note that on submission to EPSRC all non-pdf documents uploaded onto Je-S are converted to PDF, the use of non-standard fonts may result in errors or font conversion, which could affect the overall length of the document. In addition, where non-standard fonts are present, and even though the converted PDF document may look unaffected in the Je-S System, when it is imported into the Research Councils Grants System some information may be removed. We therefore recommend that where a document contains any nonstandard fonts (scientific notation, diagrams etc), the document is converted to PDF prior to attaching it to the proposal. For advice on writing proposals see: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/preparing/ Assessment Assessment process Following collaboration with the Research Institute to scope and finalise the project details, full proposals should be submitted prior to a subsequent interview assessment stage. Full proposals will be reviewed by an expert panel consisting of academics knowledgeable within this research area alongside industrial experts with knowledge of the potential application areas proposed. Proposals will be measured against the criteria listed below. Assessment criteria At the interview assessment stage the panel will score and rank the proposals according to the following criteria: Quality The innovative approach, relationship to the context and timeliness The ambition, adventure, and transformative aspects identified The appropriateness of the proposed methodology Importance National importance of this research on a 10-50 year timescale Page 11 of 14
Contribution to other research areas, societal challenges, success of the UK economy, emerging industries Impact The relevance and appropriateness of beneficiaries identified and collaborators proposed The understanding of how a breakthrough will contribute to the competitiveness of UK industry Applicants ability to deliver the proposed research The quality and skills of the proposed project team The quality of the plan and how it goes beyond business as usual Resources and management The effectiveness of the proposed planning and management, including management of risk Appropriateness of the estimated resources to be requested Fit to the call Proposals must be within the range of Research Areas managed by the EPSRC Energy Theme, as noted above. We reserve the right to reject proposals deemed to be outside the scope of the call or the remit of EPSRC Feedback Feedback will only be provided to successful proposals. Guidance Guidance for reviewers Applications will be reviewed against the assessment criteria set out above. Research quality will be the primary assessment criterion. Information about the EPSRC peer review process and guidance for reviewers can be found at: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/assessmentprocess/review/ Guidance for reviewing standard grants can be found here: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/assessmentprocess/review/formsandguidancen otes/standardgrants/ Additional grant conditions Additional grant conditions will be included in due course. Key dates Activity Date Page 12 of 14
Expression of Interest opens 24 July 2017 Expression of Interest closes 01 September 2017 Workshop: Researchers and Institute 15 September 2017 Full Proposal Deadline 16 November 2017 Interview Stage 08 December 2017 Funding Decisions Mid-December 2017 Grant Start Date 01 January 2018 Contacts For further information, advice or queries regarding the application process, please contact: Dr. Derek Craig (derek.craig@epsrc.ac.uk) or Dr. Kathryn Magnay (kathryn.magnay@epsrc.ac.uk) Change log Name Date Version Change Derek Craig Derek Craig Derek Craig 01 June 2017 17 July 2017 25 July 2017 1.0 Draft Call Document 2.0 Updated Call Document to reflect process changes 3.0 Call closing date changed and broken EoI link fixed. Derek Craig 14 September 2017 4.0 Submissions to the call will no longer be subject to the repeatedly unsuccessful applicants rule. Derek Craig 23 October 2017 Due to capacity at workshop, those unable to attend will not be excluded from applying to this call. However, to apply as principal investigator to this call you must have been in attendance at the workshop. 5.0 Change in proposal due date and interview date. Attachments Check List Proposal: Case for support 10 pages Mandatory Must be written with each section covering the outlined headings. Page 13 of 14
Please ensure you adhere to the above attachment requirements when submitting your proposal. Any missing, over length or unnecessary attachments will result in your proposal being rejected. Page 14 of 14