Frontier has completed a multi-year evaluation of the Driving Electric Revolution Challenge, in partnership with ERM and BMG Research.

Findings from the final impact evaluation have just been published. It is a £80 million programme, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the UKRI Challenge Fund.

The Challenge, which began in 2019, focuses on increasing the commercialisation and development of the Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD) value chain in the UK. These are critical technologies to support electrification and help the UK meet its Net Zero commitments.

The final evaluation findings suggest that in the last five years, the DER Challenge has provided investment and undertaken activities to support the development of the PEMD sector in the UK. Based on a range of evidence sources, we find that the additional impact of the DER Challenge has been positive overall.

Evidence to inform the evaluation was drawn from:

• a survey of Challenge beneficiaries
• analysis of secondary data
• analysis of monitoring data
• case studies of particular projects, activities and themes

The Challenge has:

• facilitated innovation and commercialisation of UK PEMD technologies by providing public investment and access to specialised equipment
• enabled companies to de-risk their activities and create the right incentives for crowding in further private sector investment in PEMD
• significantly exceeded its targets in relation to co-investment, with a total realised co-investment of £403 million, almost doubling the initial target set by the DER Challenge (£234 million) and reaching a catalysed funding ratio of nearly 16:1
• funded projects that have led to improved productivity in the form of automation and repeatability

According to our independent evaluation, the DER Challenge is on track to meet the objectives set out in the original business case.

Click here to read the full report: Driving the Electric Revolution. 

For more information, please contact us media@frontier-economics.com or at  +44 (0) 20 7031 7000.