Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Aerospace
  • /
  • Innovate UK announces £4.5m PEMD competition fund

Aerospace

Innovate UK announces £4.5m PEMD competition fund

Innovate UK, part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), has announced a new funding competition that will put the UK at the forefront of the research and manufacture of the power electronics, machines and drives (PEMD) sector.

Image courtesy Innovate UK

Investing up to £4.5 million into the sector, the Driving the Electric Revolution challenge’s Building Talent for the Future 2 competition aims to encourage the creation and delivery of industry-focused course content and materials to support skills and training across PEMD manufacturing and supply chains.

Advertisement
ODU RT

Building awareness of PEMD whilst filling key gaps in the UK’s workforce talent and training capabilities, the competition will be run in two stages:

  1. Opening on Monday 10th January 2022, organisations interested in applying for a grant valued between £50,000 and £1,000,000 will be required to submit an expression of interest (EOI) by Wednesday 2nd March 2022
  2. Upon receipt of an EOI, successful organisations will then be invited to apply for funding in March 2022.

Organisations submitting an EOI must deliver a clear game-changing intervention or address a clear industrial requirement whilst providing a long-term commitment to supporting the UK PEMD industry talent need. Organisations looking for a funding grant of less than £50,000 will not be required to submit at EOI, but will be required to submit their full proposal in March 2022.

Professor Will Drury, Challenge Director for Driving the Electric Revolution, said: “If we are to meet our Net Zero commitments by 2050, industry needs to move to clean technologies and electrification. PEMD technologies underpin electrification in all sectors and the UK is a world leader in the development of PEMD technology. But for years now we’ve lacked the skills needed to bring these ideas to reality.

“Without a skilled workforce we cannot create a strong PEMD manufacturing supply chain in the UK, forcing us to import these technologies from around the world.”

Advertisement
Tritax 300x250

“By investing in skills, talent and training in this sector we aim to support the growth of not only the UK’s PEMD supply chains, but its people too.”

For further information or to register your interest in the Building Talent for the Future 2 – Expression of Interest Briefing at 10am on Wednesday 12th January, please visit: https://ktn-uk.org/events/building-talent-for-the-future-2-expression-of-interest-briefing

 

 

Advertisement
General Atomics LB
IATA reports accelerating passenger and cargo demand growth in October

Aerospace

IATA reports accelerating passenger and cargo demand growth in October

1 December 2025

Data for October 2025 released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), shows global passenger demand growth accelerated to 6.6%, whilst cargo demand set a new record, rising by 4.1%.

QinetiQ Powerboat Challenge 2025 tests students skills

Aerospace Events

QinetiQ Powerboat Challenge 2025 tests students skills

28 November 2025

QinetiQ’s annual Schools Powerboat Challenge has put students’ engineering and piloting skills to the test.

Kilmarnock Academy win 10th annual RTX Quadcopter Challenge 2025

Aerospace Events

Kilmarnock Academy win 10th annual RTX Quadcopter Challenge 2025

28 November 2025

A group of students from Kilmarnock Academy in Prestwick have been crowned champions of the 2025 RTX Quadcopter Challenge, held at London’s historic Honourable Artillery Company.

RAeS reveals 2025 award winners

Aerospace Events

RAeS reveals 2025 award winners

28 November 2025

The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) has revealed the 2025 winners of the global aerospace community’s most prestigious and long-standing awards honouring achievement and innovation.

Advertisement
Leonardo animated rectangle
CAA issues Black Friday holiday fraud warning

Aerospace Security

CAA issues Black Friday holiday fraud warning

28 November 2025

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is urging holidaymakers to act before booking travel deals during the Black Friday weekend and on Travel Tuesday – a growing online travel sales event, after £11 million was lost to holiday fraud in 2024.

Cranfield University opens new power and propulsion labs

Aerospace

Cranfield University opens new power and propulsion labs

27 November 2025

A new test cell facility at Cranfield University’s campus, developed as part of the Cranfield Hydrogen Integration Incubator (CH2i) project, has been officially opened.

Advertisement
Tritax 300x250