Ilika announced Agratas has joined the 17-month £2.7 million grant-supported SiSTEM project, which Ilika announced on 9 October 2023. The project is supported by the Automotive Transformation Fund ('ATF'). The SiSTEM project objectives are to build a 1.5MWh solid-state battery ('SSB') assembly line in collaboration with Mpac capable of delivering Ilika's Goliath SSB prototype large-format pouch cells and to undertake scale up trials at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre ('UKBIC').

Agratas has joined the SiSTEM project to undertake an evaluation of the scale up requirements for Ilika's SSB technology including a concept facility design for the implementation of SSB manufacturing equipment at Gigafactory scale. Agratasis Tata Group's global battery business, created to design, develop and manufacture high-quality, high-performance, sustainable batteries in the mobility and energy sectors, including for anchor customers Tata Motors and JLR. In July 2023, Agratas announced its plans to produce batteries in the UK, enough to power hundreds of thousands of electric cars and a significant contribution to the UK's projected demand of 100 GWh by 2030.

The ATF is a funding programme created to support large-scale industrialisation accessed through the Advanced Propulsion Centre ('APC') and delivered in collaboration with the Department for Business and Trade ('DBT') and Innovate UK. Up to £850 million of funding will be invested in developing a high-value end-to-end electrified automotive supply chain in the UK. The fund is highlighted as an important mechanism to reach targets in the UK Government's 10-Point Plan for a green industrial revolution and its Transport Decarbonisation Plan.

Project SiSTEM will run in parallel with Project HISTORY, which will develop prototype automotive A-sample SSBs that will be produced at Ilika's pilot facility. In parallel to joining the SiSTEM project, Ilika and Agratas have entered into a 12-month agreement that will facilitate interactions between the companies to support Ilika's journey to its D8 (50Ah, chemistry frozen) development milestone in first half of 2025, alongside exploring wider collaboration opportunities between the two parties.