ADVANCED INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING (UK) LIMITED

Their core work

Advanced Innovative Engineering (AIE) is a UK-based engineering SME specialising in advanced engine technology for electrified vehicles. Their core work centres on the development of a Compound Rotary Engine designed to serve as a range extender for electric vehicles — a combustion unit that generates electricity on-board to extend the driving range of battery-electric platforms. They completed a full SME Instrument journey under H2020, moving from feasibility study (Phase 1) to full innovation and market development (Phase 2) for the same CREEV technology. Their value lies in proprietary hardware engineering at the intersection of internal combustion engine design and EV powertrain integration.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

AIE's entire H2020 track record is built around a single core technology: the CREEV compound rotary engine range extender. Their 2015 Phase 1 project was a feasibility and concept validation exercise, while the 2016–2018 Phase 2 project moved into full development and commercialisation. There is no visible pivot or diversification — this is a company that bet everything on one technology and pursued it systematically through the EU funding ladder. Given that all activity falls between 2015 and 2018, it is not possible to assess a post-2018 trajectory from this dataset alone.

AIE is a deep specialist in a single niche — compact rotary range extenders for EVs — and any future collaboration would likely be with partners seeking that specific hardware capability in clean transport or hybrid powertrain contexts.

How they like to work

AIE coordinated both of their H2020 projects independently, with zero recorded consortium partners, suggesting they operated as a solo applicant under the SME Instrument scheme rather than as a consortium builder. This is consistent with the SME Instrument model, which is designed for single companies developing their own proprietary technology. Anyone considering working with AIE should expect a company that drives its own agenda rather than integrating into large multi-partner networks.

AIE has no recorded consortium partners from their H2020 activity, having operated as a standalone SME Instrument applicant on both projects. Their collaborative footprint in the EU research ecosystem is therefore minimal in terms of formal partnerships.

What sets them apart

AIE occupies a rare niche: a small engineering firm with a proprietary rotary engine architecture specifically engineered as a range extender for electric vehicles, at a time when most range extender development was dominated by large automotive OEMs or Wankel-based spinoffs. Their full SME Instrument Phase 1-to-Phase 2 track record shows they can translate engineering concepts into funded development programmes. For partners needing a specialist engine hardware supplier or co-developer in the clean transport space, AIE brings a validated proprietary system rather than generic consultancy.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CREEV (Phase 2)
  The largest of their two projects at €693,674, representing a full innovation development grant under the highly competitive SME Instrument Phase 2 — awarded to fewer than 5% of applicants — confirming the commercial viability assessment of the compound rotary engine technology.
• CREEV (Phase 1)
  The Phase 1 feasibility project that unlocked the Phase 2 grant, demonstrating AIE's ability to articulate a credible business case for a proprietary engine architecture to EU evaluators.