--- title: "SBRI: UKAEA Fusion industry challenges prototype development" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-040c24" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-040c24" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-040c24.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-040c24.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "UNITED KINGDOM ATOMIC ENERGY AUTHORITY" published: "2023-10-16" --- # SBRI: UKAEA Fusion industry challenges prototype development Buyer: UNITED KINGDOM ATOMIC ENERGY AUTHORITY Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-040c24 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-040c24) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-040c24.json) ## Summary 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. ## Notice 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 ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030386-2023 | | 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 | | All stages | Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 16 Oct 2023 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 11 Oct 2023 | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | £7,410,371 | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Cancelled | | Awards status | Active | | Contracts status | Active | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | UNITED KINGDOM ATOMIC ENERGY AUTHORITY | | Locality | ABINGDON | | Post town | Oxford | | Postcode | OX14 3DB | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | | ITL 3 | TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC | | Local authority | South Oxfordshire | | Electoral ward | Sandford & the Wittenhams | | Westminster constituency | Didcot and Wantage | | Delivery location | TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 5 | | Supplier names | BANGOR UNIVERSITY; FRAZER-NASH CONSULTANCY; UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL; UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH; UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 14 - Mining, basic metals and related products - 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services ### Codes - 14784000 - Lithium - 73110000 - Research services ## Release History - 16 Oct 2023 at 07:51 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030386-2023 ## Notice URLs - http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-atomic-energy-authority - https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1572/overview/b46f6801-18ac-401d-b654-a540f79f9171 - https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1572/overview/b46f6801-18ac-401d-b654-a540f79f9171#how-to-apply - https://uk.eu-supply.com/ctm/Company/CompanyInformation/Index/72814 - https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-atomic-energy-authority ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-040c24. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-040c24.json.