Award

SBRI: UKAEA Fusion industry challenges prototype development

UNITED KINGDOM ATOMIC ENERGY AUTHORITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

16 Oct 2023 at 07:51

Summary of the contracting process

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority initiated a tender process for the SBRI competition with the title "SBRI: UKAEA Fusion industry challenges prototype development" in the services industry category. The competition focused on encouraging innovation in the development of Lithium for sustainable fusion energy. The procurement stage was completed, with the award signed on October 12, 2023. The tender was conducted using a limited procurement method, with the award procedure carried out without prior publication of a call for competition.

This tender presents opportunities for businesses involved in research services and technology development, particularly those with expertise in isotopic enrichment, Tritium extraction, and Lithium conversion. Companies interested in sustainable fusion energy and seeking to collaborate with leading organisations such as Bangor University, Frazer-Nash Consultancy Ltd, and various universities can benefit from participating in this tender process. The competition criteria included technical project summaries, commercial potential, and cost-effectiveness, making it suitable for businesses looking to showcase innovative solutions in the fusion energy sector.

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Notice Title

SBRI: UKAEA Fusion industry challenges prototype development

Notice Description

This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition funded by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). This funding programme will support the UK's leadership in economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy. The aim of this competition is to encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle.

Lot Information

Lot 1

A pre-commercial activity under SBRI. The aim of this competition is to encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle. Your project can focus on one or more of the following: Isotopic Enrichment - Technologies that can enrich the proportion of the minor isotope Lithium-6. - Enrichment will be essential to the fuel sustainability of many fusion power designs and, where it is not essential, can add value by boosting Tritium production. This will enable the commissioning and re-start of other fusion power plants. - Lithium enrichment represents a front-end fuel cycle service that will be demanded by fusion reactor operators around the world. Examples of performance measures that would constitute an improvement over existing Lithium enrichment technologies include: - product quality, for example, maximum enrichment level (percentage), purity and product form (metal or compound) - economics, for example, production rate, capital cost, energy and resource consumption or value of co-products - environmental and worker protection, for example, hazards, waste production, obstacles to licensing such as the Minamata Convention Tritium Extraction Technologies that can extract Tritium from a Lithium breeding material and make it available, fast and efficient enough to fuel the ongoing Deuterium-Tritium (DT) reaction. Performance parameters relevant to a fusion energy plant's fuel cycle system include: - rate of extraction - continuous operation - availability of recovered Tritium - energy cost - Conversion and Manufacturing Technologies or techniques that can convert Lithium from the form available in existing supply chains into either: - a form suitable for an isotopic enrichment process - a form required by the Tritium breeding system of a fusion energy plant Aspects relevant to a sustainable and competitive supply chain include: - raw material input forms for example, Lithium Chloride, Carbonate, Hydroxide - product output forms, for example, suitability for a variety of enrichment processes or breeding systems potential to recycle Lithium, for example, use of recycled Lithium from other sectors in fusion, or recycling of Lithium after its use in a fusion energy plant Additional information: https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1572/overview/b46f6801-18ac-401d-b654-a540f79f9171#how-to-apply

Procurement Information

This was a pre-commercial procurement activity lead by Innovate UK. All information relating to the tender can be found here: https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1572/overview/b46f6801-18ac-401d-b654-a540f79f9171

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-040c24
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030386-2023
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

14 - Mining, basic metals and related products

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services


CPV Codes

14784000 - Lithium

73110000 - Research services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£7,410,371 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Oct 20232 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
11 Oct 20232 years ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UNITED KINGDOM ATOMIC ENERGY AUTHORITY
Contact Name
Suleiman Deen
Contact Email
suleiman.deen@ukaea.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
ABINGDON
Postcode
OX14 3DB
Post Town
Oxford
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC
Delivery Location
TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC

Local Authority
South Oxfordshire
Electoral Ward
Sandford & the Wittenhams
Westminster Constituency
Didcot and Wantage

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
5
Supplier Names

BANGOR UNIVERSITY

FRAZER-NASH CONSULTANCY

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL

UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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