Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Due Dates: January 13, 2027, 11:00am UK time (Competition closes)
Funding Amounts: £2.5 million–£5 million per consortium for 24–30 months; up to £5 million total
Summary: Supports collaborative development, testing and validation of components for safe, reliable and cost-effective underground hydrogen storage.
Key Information: Consortia must address all three technical themes: materials, compressors, and components for metering and monitoring.
Description
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through its R&D Missions Accelerator Programme, is funding a collaborative industrial research programme on underground hydrogen storage. Operated with Innovate UK, the competition supports critical technologies for hydrogen-based ultra long duration energy storage in the UK electricity sector. It aims to advance components towards commercial use by 2030, supporting storage capable of meeting electricity demand for over 100 hours.
UKRI expects to fund one cohesive consortium programme, integrating materials, compressors, and metering and monitoring components. Work must be relevant to underground storage conditions while remaining technology agnostic across suitable storage approaches. Representative testing, independent validation, certification pathways and engagement with users and regulators are central to the programme.
