Zero Emission Flight Demonstrator Round 1

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of a minimum of £8 million for developing zero emission capable flight in the UK, subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received. This funding is from DfT.

Read more Read less

In Short

Project Duration Project Duration

12-24 months

Total Funding Total Funding

Feasibility Studies: ~£250,000 Industrial Research: ~£5Mn

Application Deadline Application Deadline

Wednesday 1 April 2026

Themes

These are the following themes for Feasibility Studies and Industrial Research:

  • undertake detailed feasibility studies into the operation of commercial zero emission flights from UK airports
  • develop detailed plans, business and investment cases to enable follow on investment decisions
  • provide the business case to clearly identify and illustrate the benefits and risks of UK businesses committing to the future operation of zero emission aircraft
  • gather and spread meaningful data to accelerate certification processes and inform investment decisions by others in the aviation sector

  • operate the demonstration of zero emission aircraft on an A-B route within the UK by July 2028
  • demonstrate refuelling, take off and landing using either low carbon hydrogen or electricity at a minimum of two UK airports undertaking multiple A-B flights
  • demonstrate the use of low carbon hydrogen or electricity in airside ground support equipment where this acts as an enabler of handling zero emission aircraft
  • operate a zero emission aircraft capable of replicating an existing commercial passenger or freight flight using a fixed wing aircraft
  • demonstrate development of standards for the airport handling of zero emission flight
  • secure all necessary regulatory permissions to operate demonstration flights on A-B routes within the UK
  • report on the benefits for passengers, airports and airlines of new zero emission aviation technology

Successful feasibility study projects are expected to publish their findings to provide coordination benefits to the wider UK aviation sector.

Projects that include flight demonstrations will be prioritised, and a flight demonstrator project may be funded ahead of an infrastructure only project even if it scores lower.

Eligibility

For feasibility studies your project must have total project costs up to £250,000 and last between 12 and 24months. For industrial research your project must have total costs of up to £5 million and last between 12 and 24 months. To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size.

Our Approach

The UK team has a strong track record in securing some of the most competitive national and European grants on behalf of its clients, with a full understanding of how a project should be presented to stand the highest chance of success. Each year in the UK alone, we are responsible for the submission of more than 100 funding applications across all sectors and priority areas. Based on this extensive experience, through careful project selection and using key insight into how a project should be best positioned, we consistently achieve success rates that are more than 5 times the typical success rates for UK national schemes and EU programmes.

Our Experts

Contact Us

Do you have project plans that may be eligible for a grant? Tell us about them! Please fill out the fields below so we can help you set up your project efficiently and successfully apply.

    * Required fields

    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.