UK Defence Innovation: Tactical Power Challenge

Overview

This UK Defence Innovation challenge looks for new ways to power deployed British Army forces. It covers the generation, storage, distribution and management of electrical power, including advanced energy storage, rapid charging and novel generation systems. The work is delivered with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and Australia's Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator. There are two strands. Innovative Tactical Power is a two-stage funded competition for technologies at Technology Readiness Levels 4 to 6. A total of £2.45 million (excluding VAT) is available, and a number of proposals may be funded. Project activity is expected to finish by March 2028. Immediate Power is a non-funded market engagement activity for technologies already at level 6 or above. The most interesting may be invited to an Army demonstration in the UK. You use one form for both strands, and the challenge team decides which suits your idea. Submissions are welcome from the private sector, academia and Public Sector Research Establishments, and the challenge is open to all UK regions. Whole systems and components are both of interest. Your proposal should show a reliable supply chain, a route to a practical demonstration, a creative approach and a defence or security use. Applications close at 12:00pm on 10 November 2026. One caveat: the funder rules out lithium-ion based solutions, power systems mounted on uncrewed ground vehicles, and anything that locks users into one vendor for batteries, storage or software. Official source: https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/opportunities/uk-defence-innovation-tactical-power-challenge/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 28 October 2026.