Driving the Electric Revolution: SME update from Matt Boyle, Senior Industry Lead

SMEs can provide input and find out the opportunities available in the Driving the Electric Revolution challenge at the webinar on the 13th March.

The third wave of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, and in particular the Driving the Electric Revolution challenge, was originally announced as the “Stephenson” challenge in the Budget on 30th November 2018. The focus of this challenge is power electronics and motors: it targets electrification and decarbonisation in transport, industrial and energy industries.

This challenge, alongside others that have been subsequently announced by ministers, have funding figures attached to them that are the maximum amounts government is prepared to invest. This figure is subject to business case approval and confirmation of sufficient industry co-investment for the challenge.

The Business Secretary Greg Clark asked for a senior industry leader to be identified for each challenge, whose role will be to work with the UKRI team and industry to refine the vision for the challenge.

KTN will be hosting a webinar to provide SME’s an update on the opportunities available to them in the Driving the Electric Revolution challenge and to get input from them. Held on the 13th March between 10am and 10.30am, the webinar will be delivered by Matt Boyle¬†OBE, who recently completed his role as CEO of Sevcon with its sale to BorgWarner for $200m, and who is now the challenge senior industry lead for the Driving the Electric Revolution challenge. He has been a key part of the team to date and one of his qualities is the ability to represent the broadness of the challenge rather than one specific area, emphasising the cross-sector approach of the challenge.

Matt and the UKRI team will be working on the development of the challenge vision and business case to support the Government approval process that will run through March and April. They have been working closely together over the past couple of weeks to build on the work that brought the challenge to this point and create a draft of the vision.

If you are an SME and interested in participating please register for the webinar here as soon as possible.