There is an allocation of up to £5.35 million of grant funding from DfT to support the cost of primarily pre-screening testing, and ASTM D4054 Tier 1 and Tier 2 targeted testing until 31 March 2025.
The SAF Testing Grants will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis and allocated for each individual application via a two-stage process:
- Stage 1 – Eligibility assessment
- Stage 2 – Grant application
The SAF Testing Grant is open to applications until 1 September 2024, and will be awarded until the budget is fully utilised. Follow the links below for a full explanation of the competition scope and click here to apply for the grant.
An overview of the SAF testing grants application:
(Click to enlarge)
In the video below we talk you through an overview of the application process, and provide some tips to help you with your submission:
The UK SAF Clearing House and SAF Testing Grant will be administered and managed on behalf of DfT by delivery partner the University of Sheffield and Ricardo.
A webinar launch event was held on 29 November 2023. The event provided an overview of the grants availability, the application process and presented case studies from key stakeholders.
Watch the webinar recording
The key objectives of the SAF Testing Grants are to:
- Support the UK advanced fuels sector with the commercial deployment of innovative fuel production technologies that are capable of significantly reducing near-term UK aviation emissions.
- Broaden and strengthen the UK project pipeline.
- Support the advancement of a diverse range of technology routes to SAF.
The objectives for applicants receiving financial support are:
- Fuel production - material progress towards developing an eligible fuel, with high process reliability and performance for the purposes of attaining certification.
- Commercial potential - develop a strategy for commercialising the fuel once certified, evidencing the potential for value to the UK.
- Emissions reduction - demonstrate the potential for the produced fuel to achieve low lifecycle GHG emissions.
- Project execution - bring together a team with the necessary expertise and experience to deliver the project according to its objectives
- Investor confidence - catalyse private investment or attract new investors into the project and reduce investment risks.
Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the guidance document in order to be eligible for funding. If you are unsure if you meet the criteria, please contact info@safclearinghouse.uk.
The SAF testing grants will be administered and managed on behalf of the DfT by its delivery partners The Energy Institute at the University of Sheffield and Ricardo. DfT retains overall responsibility for the execution, eligibility and award decisions, contract terms and payments throughout. A fair assessment process will be assured, including a rigorous process to manage any direct or perceived conflict of interest that may arise from a personal/working relation between an applicant and one of the delivery partners.
Project funding will be available for work completed during the “Funding Period”. This will begin following the opening of the assessment process on 17 November 2023 and runs until 31 March 2025. Applications will only be accepted to support eligible costs for pre-screening testing, and testing to progress a fuel towards qualification against ASTM D7566.
The Funding Period for winning projects will begin after the finalisation of project specific grant conditions and all relevant grant agreement paperwork. Projects should not commit themselves to any expenditure on which grant funding may be sought until after a decision has been made on your application. If a grant offer letter is sent to you, you should sign and return it before incurring costs. DfT will not give grant funding to cover incurred costs that have started before a grant offer letter has been signed.
Grants will be awarded until the budget is fully utilised. The table below outlines the key dates and stages of the SAF Testing fund, from initial launch to the end of the funding Period. These are planned but may be subject to change.
Date | Stage |
| 17 November 2023 | Stage 1 open for applications |
| 1 September 2024 | Final date for applications |
| 31 March 2025 | End of funding period for all SAF testing grants |
The £5.35 million of total grant funding available is split across two Funding Years:
- Funding Year 2 = 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025. Up to £3 million grant funding available
The split of available funding across two Funding Years means that some projects might e.g. apply and receive funding for Tier 1 targeted testing costs within one Funding Year and then apply and receive funding for Tier 2 targeted testing costs within the second Funding Year. To allow for the appropriate timescales for testing at each Tier, the final date for applications is 1 September 2024 to ensure all costs are fully accounted for and grant claims submitted before 31 March 2025.
In order to be eligible to apply for a SAF testing grant, you must comply with the minimum requirements and submit your completed application along with the required supporting documents through the online application form.
Applications will be assessed via a Stage 1 application (Eligibility Assessment). Receipt of all applications will be acknowledged by email. Applicants may only move into Stage 2 (Grant Application) upon passing Stage 1.
- Download the application guidance document (PDF)
- Download the example grant offer letter (PDF) and example grant agreement (PDF)
- Read our FAQs page for the most frequently asked questions.
APPLY ONLINE
If you have any further queries about the guidelines above or the support we provide to fuel producers, you can email us at Info@safclearinghouse.uk