University of Birmingham wins £6 million boost for battery research
University of Birmingham scientists will lead a new £6 million research project to address a critical bottleneck in lithium-ion battery manufacturing.
The FAST (Formation, Ageing, and Sustainability Testing) project will develop a science-based framework for key processes that aims to significantly reduce manufacturing time and energy consumption while enhancing battery performance and sustainability.
Formation, ageing, and testing (FA&T) steps happen at the final stage of making a battery cell – helping to create protective layers inside the battery. The quality of these layers affects how long the battery lasts, how much energy it can hold, and how safe it is to use.
Funded by the Faraday Institution, which has committed £9 million to advance battery technologies with direct commercial impact, the research will initially focus on high nickel NMC cathodes paired with graphite or graphite–silicon anodes.
Professor Emma Kendrick – University of Birmingham, said:
This project represents a pivotal step in bridging the gap between academic research and industrial application.
“By deepening our understanding of battery formation and ageing, we can unlock new efficiencies and sustainability gains that will benefit the entire battery supply chain”
Project leader Professor Emma Kendrick, from the University of Birmingham, commented:
This project represents a pivotal step in bridging the gap between academic research and industrial application.
“By deepening our understanding of battery formation and ageing, we can unlock new efficiencies and sustainability gains that will benefit the entire battery supply chain.”
The University of Birmingham will collaborate with leading institutions including the Universities of Warwick, Cambridge, Nottingham, and Oxford, alongside four industry partners and the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC).
FA&T accounts for a disproportionately high fraction of a cell manufacturing facility’s energy usage, cost, time taken and floor space. Improving these steps is therefore a high impact target for industrial innovation and commercial viability.
The FAST project aims to develop a science-based, scalable and more sustainable FA&T framework – manufacturing high-quality single-layer and multi-layer pouch cells and developing novel formation protocols to reduce energy and cost.
In parallel, researchers will investigate the mechanisms involved. Sensored cells, embedded with pressure, gas and strain sensors will track, in real-time, the physical and chemical changes that occur during formation and ageing, enabling real-time insight into SEI/CEI dynamics.
Characterisation tools such as operando X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy, and magnetic resonance imaging will reveal how the cells react under realistic formation conditions, providing previously unmeasured data to inform and validate new FA&T protocols.
This initiative is part of a broader £452 million investment in the UK’s Battery Innovation Programme, announced by the Department for Business and Trade in June 2025. The programme supports the UK’s ambition to become a global leader in advanced battery manufacturing and innovation.
In addition to FAST, the Faraday Institution is launching the 3D-CAT project, led by the University of Oxford, which will develop next-generation lithium-rich 3D cathode materials with disruptive potential for future battery technologies.
The projects are expected to run until September 2028, with further funding confirmation anticipated in early 2026.
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University of Birmingham wins £6 million boost for battery research, source
