REG - Gelion PLC - OXLiD funding for Li-S project with QinetiQ

GelionAnnouncement

19/09/2025 07:30

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RNS Number : 0376A  Gelion PLC  19 September 2025

19 September 2025

Gelion plc

("Gelion", "Company" or the "Group")

 

OXLiD awarded funding for lithium-sulfur project in collaboration with QinetiQ

Supported by the UK and Australian governments to advance Gelion's
next-generation energy storage solutions

 

Gelion plc (AIM: GELN), the global energy storage innovator, is pleased to
announce that its UK subsidiary, OXLiD Ltd has been awarded £533,000 grant
funding from the Government's DRIVE35 programme, facilitated by the Advanced
Propulsion Centre UK (APC). This funding will support scale-up and independent
validation of Gelion's proprietary lithium-sulfur (Li-S) technology in
high-energy multi-layer pouch cells, a critical step towards commercial
adoption in Defence, Aerospace and Automotive markets.

The project will be delivered in collaboration with QinetiQ plc (LON: QQ), the
UK headquartered defence, security and aerospace company.

Key Highlights

·    Grant funding secured: c. £533,000 grant under the DRIVE35
Demonstrate programme, delivered through the APC, supporting a 12‑month c.
£1.1 million project with Gelion's contribution primarily in kind through the
provision of time and expertise.

·    Scale‑up into >10Ah pouch cells: Funding will enable the
design, build and demonstration of Li‑S multi-layer pouch cells
incorporating Gelion's proprietary sulfur cathode active material (CAM), an
important step towards market readiness.

·   Third party validation with QinetiQ: Gelion will be working with
QinetiQ to build and independently test the demonstrators incorporating
Gelion's proprietary CAM technology, validating performance metrics for
Defence, Aerospace and specialist markets.

·    Pathway to commercial adoption: Demonstrators will provide
industry‑standard validation in commercially relevant pouch cell format, a
necessary step to initiate full market adoption.

DRIVE35 Demonstrate Programme

The project will run for 12 months and has a total budget of c.£1.1 million,
co‑funded 50% by the government grant with Gelion's contribution primarily
in kind through the provision of time and expertise as it works with APC and
QinetiQ to develop the multi-layer pouch cells. The Company expects this
project will enable it to identify commercial off‑take opportunities in
Defence, Aerospace and Automotive markets.

Scale-up of Gelion's proprietary sulfur CAM technology

Earlier this month, Gelion announced that it successfully completed the full
transfer of Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces' (MPI) proprietary
sulfur CAM technology into the Company's development and production ecosystem.
With this technical milestone achieved, Gelion is now able to collaborate with
QinetiQ to build high energy >10Ah pouch cells to demonstrate its core
sulfur CAM technology for a range of targeted markets, including Defence,
Aerospace and the Automotive sector.

In parallel, Gelion continues to progress its Materials Testing Agreement
(MTA) with a Tier‑1 global battery manufacturer, further underlining the
acceleration of technology validation and the pathway towards commercial
adoption of its sulfur CAM solution.

Development programme with QinetiQ

QinetiQ brings extensive expertise in cell manufacturing, defence
certification and commercialisation within Defence, Aerospace and Security
markets. Working alongside Gelion, QinetiQ will assemble and validate the
pouch cell demonstrators, providing third‑party performance data to
de‑risk adoption in specialist applications whilst also supporting
progression of the Gelion CAM towards commercial energy storage and automotive
markets.

The pouch cell demonstrators and associated energy, cycling and power
performance will be showcased at the Cenex Expo 2026 providing a platform for
industry engagement and the exploration of potential collaboration and
licensing opportunities in the targeted application sectors.

John Wood, Gelion CEO commented: "We are grateful for this government support
via the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) to demonstrate how use of our
breakthrough Sulfur Cathode Material with Lithium Metal anodes can deliver
cells with not only ultra-high energy density but that are also a full set of
the other additional performance attributes needed for application to
strategic applications like defence and aerospace.  We are especially pleased
to be implementing this alongside QinetiQ utilizing their sector specific
experience and UK based cell fabrication capabilities."

Quote from QinetiQ: "We are pleased to have this opportunity to work with
Gelion and their exciting, advanced lithium-sulfur cell chemistry, which
offers considerable potential for future defence applications as UK MOD plans
electrification across all three services to enhance capability and reduce
their carbon footprint. Our pouch cell assembly capability is ideal for this
APC Demonstrate programme, where small numbers of custom cells are required
for development and testing purposes or for safety certification to mature the
technology."

Ian Constance, CEO at APC: "The DRIVE35 programme underlines the commitment
from Government to secure advanced manufacturing in the UK. I am pleased that
the APC, Zenzic, and its delivery partners are here to facilitate a new wave
of funding in the automotive industry, supporting innovation, driving
scale-up, and enabling transformation.

These grants boost the UK's leadership in automotive manufacturing. They
enable the rapid development of demonstrators featuring cutting-edge
technology, accelerate ambitious SMEs, and support vital collaborative R&D
innovation. This will encourage further investment in the UK's growing
zero-emission supply chain, safeguarding skilled jobs, building on the
country's reputation as a world-leader for technology."

A short video Q&A has been uploaded to the Gelion website:
https://gelion.com/news/gelion-qinetiq-collaboration/
(https://gelion.com/news/gelion-qinetiq-collaboration/)

CONTACTS

 Gelion plc                                                                       via Alma
 John Wood, CEO

Amit Gupta, CFO

 Strand Hanson Limited (Nominated and Financial Adviser)                          +44 (0) 20 7409 3494

Christopher Raggett / Rob Patrick
 Oberon Capital (Joint Broker)                                                    +44 (0) 20 3179 5300
 Nick Lovering / Mike Seabrook / Adam Pollock
 Allenby Capital Limited (Joint Broker)                                           +44 (0) 20 3328 5656

 Jos Pinnington / Guy McDougall (Sales and Corporate Broking)

 Alex Brearley / Ashur Joseph (Corporate Finance)
 Alma Strategic Communications (Financial PR)                                     +44 (0) 20 3405 0205

Justine James / Hannah Campbell / Rose Docherty                                 gelion@almastrategic.com (mailto:gelion@almastrategic.com)

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of
EU Regulation No. 596/2014, which forms part of United Kingdom domestic law by
virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended.

About Gelion

Gelion ("gel: ion") is a global energy storage innovator, supporting the
transition to a more sustainable economy by commercialising globally important
next generation battery technologies: Sulfur based, Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S),
Sodium-Sulfur (Na-S) and Zinc-based (Zn) hybrid cells to electrify mobile and
stationary applications and battery recycling technology.

Gelion plc (the Group) is listed on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative
Investment Market and wholly owns UK based OXLiD Ltd and Battery Minerals Ltd
and Australia based Gelion Technologies Pty Ltd.  Gelion is designing and
delivering innovative battery technology to enable that transition and return
value for its customers and investors.

In addition, Gelion is also delivering commercial Battery Energy Storage
Systems (BESS) projects through its Integration Solutions business.

Sulfur Batteries

Gelion's effort is directed at the potential for sulfur-based cathode active
materials (CAMs) to deliver low-cost & sustainable batteries with
compelling performance. In the case of Li-S batteries, the target is a
high-performance light-weight battery for the EV and e-aviation market. In the
case of Na-S batteries, the target is an ultra-low-cost advancement on
batteries currently employed in the stationary storage and economy EV market.
The company's overarching goal is to help make global transport, energy
consumption and storage more sustainable.

Glossary

 Ah                      Ampere hours. A measure of capacity stored in the cell. The larger the number
                         the higher the capacity.
 mAh/g(S)                The unit mAh/g(S) stands for milliampere-hours per gram of Sulfur (with S
                         indicating "Sulfur"). It is a measure quantifying how many electrons (in mAh)
                         can be stored per gram of Sulfur.
 CAM                     Cathode active material
 Energy density (Wh/kg)  The ratio of energy stored per unit weight i.e. Watt-hours per kilogram. The
                         higher the number the lighter the battery.
 Pouch cell              An industry standard format of a battery which comprises a flat pouch-shaped
                         design with a multi-layered laminate structure.
 Cycle life              The number of full charge and discharge cycles a battery can complete before
                         its capacity falls below a specified level, typically 80% of the original
                         capacity. Higher cycle life indicates longer-lasting performance.

 

 

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