Vertical Aerospace has been awarded $10 million (£8m) in grant funding by the UK Government through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme to develop next-generation propellers for its VX4 aircraft. The project will bring together the UK's foremost experts and technical partners to further develop Vertical's eVTOL propellor technology and propulsion system. The final technology will be lower in weight, inertia and noise than its existing propellers and be delivered to a higher safety standard than any model currently on the market.

"This project will be another major step towards delivering the next generation of novel electric aviation technologies in Britain," says founder and CEO Stephen Fitzpatrick. "With the support of the ATI Programme and our consortium partners, this project will keep the UK and Vertical at the forefront of aerospace innovation, electric aviation and urban air mobility."

Total investment into the propeller project is now almost $25m, with this latest funding representing 50 per cent of Vertical's eligible development costs. A further $3.5 million will be awarded to the other consortium members: the Universities of Glasgow, Bristol and Cranfield and UK helicopter monitoring specialist Helitune.

Mark Scully, head of technology, propulsion and advanced systems, ATI, says: "The project will see advancements in rotor technologies vital to the success of eVTOL aircraft developed here in the UK, growing knowledge, skills and capability in the process. Through this investment the ATI Programme is enabling the development of ultra-efficient and cross-cutting technologies in a competitive global market expected to be worth £24 billion to the UK up to 2050, accelerating the delivery of zero-emission aircraft on our journey to Destination Zero."

The ATI Programme is co-ordinated and managed by the Aerospace Technology Institute, the Department for Business and Trade and Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation. Vertical has previously been awarded around $33 million from the ATI Programme as well as nearly $4 million from the Future Flight Challenge.

Industry Minister Nusrat Ghani MP says: "This exciting sustainable propeller project is a fantastic example of our commitment to our world-leading aviation sector, supporting high skilled, high paid jobs across the UK while developing technologies of the future. When government and industry collaborate like this, we help our aerospace sector soar to new heights, leading the charge towards net zero air travel by 2050."

Fitzpatrick himself has committed to invest a further $50 million into the business.