What's new in Eureka Eurostars 3?
Eureka Eurostars 3: call 1 is open for applications. Through this competition, UK registered SMEs can apply for a share of £2.5 million to fund collaborative R&D projects with organisations from participating Eureka Eurostars member countries.
What's new?
- There are fewer eligibility criteria than there were in the previous programme. Now, applicants must meet seven criteria:
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- The project lead is an innovative SME from a Eurostars country.
- Your consortium includes at least two independent entities.
- Your consortium includes entities from at least two Eurostars countries
- The budget of the SME(s) from a Eurostars country, excluding subcontracting, is 50% or more of the total project cost.
- No single participant or country is responsible for more than 70% of the project budget.
- The project duration is 36 months or less.
- The project has an exclusively civilian purpose.
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- The new application consists of fourteen questions, two of which did not appear in the old application. There are five sections: Project Details, Application, Your Organisation, Declarations, Work Packages.
- Some good news for UK applicants - the new application uses the same format as Innovate UK's online applications!
- You can no longer edit an application after you have submitted it.
- The SME Declaration and Commitment and Signature forms must be signed and uploaded prior to submission.
- Projects should fall between TRLs 4 and 6/7.
How can RedKnight help?
RedKnight has an excellent track record with supporting applications to Eureka Eurostars. For example, we recently won €674,160 on behalf of the FrOLik consortia, which you can read more about here.
Eureka Eurostars 3: call 1 is open from 2nd September until 4th November. If you are looking for bid writing support and would like to arrange a free consultation, get in touch today.
Healthy Ageing Challenge makes £14.4m available for service-led innovations
Through the UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge, businesses can apply for a share of £14.4 million to develop service-led innovations to support healthy ageing. £2.4 million from the competition’s budget has been set aside for co-funding projects with the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The competition aims to address the under-provision of products and services which support people as they age, therefore helping them to remain active, independent and socially connected. It will support business-led, near-to-market innovations and enforce good people-centred design principles.
Scope
All projects must:
- deliver a clear game-changing service-led innovation, that has a significant impact on ageing positively in the UK
- help people as they age, allowing them to remain active, productive, independent and socially connected for as long as possible
- narrow the gap between the experience of the richest and poorest
- conduct industrial research to develop new and applied knowledge leading to a solution at high technology and market readiness
In addition, projects will need to pass a ‘design stage gate review’ at the six-month point to continue to receive Healthy Ageing Challenge funding. For more information on what this entails, as well as specific themes that projects should focus on, click here.
Eligibility
Eligible projects will meet the following criteria:
- have total eligible costs between £500,000 and £2million
- start by 1 May 2022 and end by 30 April 2024
- last between 6 months and 24 months
- carry out all its project work in the UK
- intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
To lead a project or work alone, your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size. However, the lead organisation can collaborate with any of the following UK registered organisations: businesses of any size, academic institutions, charities, not-for-profits, public sector organisations and research and technology organisations.
More Information
This competition will open from 20th September until 17th November. For more information, please see the competition page and register to attend the briefing event. If you are looking for bid writing support and would like to arrange a free consultation with a member of our team, get in touch today.
£2.5 million available for UK SMEs through Eureka Eurostars
A new round of Eureka Eurostars funding is open for applications! Through this competition, UK registered SMEs can apply for a share of £2.5 million for collaborative research and development projects. They must develop an innovative product, technology-based application or technology-based service with high market potential.
Scope
All proposals must demonstrate:
- a clear game-changing or disruptive innovative idea leading to new products, processes or services
- a strong and deliverable business plan that addresses market potential and needs
- sound, practical financial plans and timelines
- good value for money
- a clear, evidence-based plan to deliver significant economic impact, return on investment (ROI) and growth through commercialisation, as soon as possible after project completion
- clear, considerable potential to significantly benefit the UK economy and/or national productivity
- the benefit of participants from the countries working together and how this adds value
- a clear definition of where intellectual property (IP) can be used and shared between the participants and countries
- a clear route to market within two years of project completion or the commencement of clinical trials if applicable
Eligibility
UK registered SMEs can apply for a total grant of up to €360,000 or 60% of the total eligible project costs (whichever is the least).
To apply, you must fulfil the following seven eligibility criteria:
- The project lead is an innovative SME from a Eurostars country.
- Your consortium includes at least two independent entities.
- Your consortium includes entities from at least two Eurostars countries
- The budget of the SME(s) from a Eurostars country, excluding subcontracting, is 50% or more of the total project cost.
- No single participant or country is responsible for more than 70% of the project budget.
- The project duration is less than 36 months.
- The project has an exclusively civilian purpose.
How can RedKnight help?
RedKnight has an excellent track record with supporting applications to Eureka Eurostars. For example, we recently won €674,160 on behalf of the FrOLik consortia - read more about this here.
This competition is open from 2nd September until 4th November. For more information and to apply, please visit the competition page. Additionally, if you are looking for bid writing support and would like to arrange a free consultation, get in touch today.
Ofgem launches £450m Strategic Innovation Fund
The Strategic Innovation Fund will invest £450 million in energy network innovation from 2021 to 2026. It is a new funding mechanism for the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) and will be delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.
Funding is available for projects that will benefit consumers and help the UK transition to net zero. The competition consists of the following four Innovation Challenge areas:
- Whole system integration
- Data and digitalisation
- Heat
- Zero emission transport
This is the Discovery phase, which is the first of three planned phases for this competition: 1) Discovery, 2) Alpha, 3) Beta. In the Discovery Phase, projects must last two months and have total eligible costs up to £150,000. Successful applicants will be invited to apply for the Alpha phase.
Eligibility
To lead a project, you must:
- be a licenced gas distribution network, transmission network operator, or electricity system operator
- partner with at least one other energy network licensee holding a different category of network licence, for example a gas transporter, electricity system operator, electricity transmission, electricity distribution or other energy network licenced company
- collaborate with researchers or private sector organisations with technical capabilities in data and digital technologies
- work with relevant data owners and processors
- work with at least one other organisation as your subcontractor
Subcontractors can include a variety of third party innovators such as start-ups, SMEs, suppliers, academics, independent researchers, disruptors, and other energy network companies.
More Information
The Strategic Innovation Fund will be supported by two briefing events. Firstly, a launch event will take place on 7th September for organisations that want to participate in the programme. Secondly, there will be a briefing for licensed gas distribution networks, transmission network operators, and electricity system operators on 8th September. In other words, this event is for organisations that are eligible to lead applications.
This competition is open until 17th November 2021. For more information and to apply, please visit the Innovation Funding Service. Alternatively, contact RedKnight today if you would like to discuss a potential application.
Future Flight Challenge Phase 3 Opens
The latest round of UKRI’s Future Flight challenge opens for applications this month. Through this competition, £65 million is available for innovation projects that develop and demonstrate integrated aviation systems and new vehicle technologies. This funding is from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
Phase 3 aims to build on the success of the 2020 Phase 2 competition, which invested a total of £33.5 million in over 40 innovative projects. You can read about some of the successful projects on the UKRI website.
This competition has two strands:
Strand 1, demonstrating aspects of these novel air vehicles and systems
Firstly, funding is available for projects that focus on the demonstration aspects of novel classes of electric or autonomous air vehicles and systems. Total eligible costs can range from £500,000 to £15 million.
The lead organisation must:
- be a UK registered business of any size
- be or involve at least one UK registered SME
- collaborate with other UK registered businesses, academic institutions, charities, not-for-profit, public sector organisations or research and technology organisations (RTOs)
Please note that academic institutions cannot lead an application.
Strand 2, cross-cutting technologies that enable the deployment and operation of new air vehicles
Secondly, projects can focus on developing enabling technologies and cross-cutting systems that support the deployment of novel air vehicles in UK airspace. Total eligible costs must be between £500,000 and £4 million.
To lead a project, your organisation must fulfil the following criteria:
- be a UK registered business of any size
- be or involve at least one UK registered SME
- collaborate with other UK registered organisations
Academic institutions are also ineligible to lead Strand 2 applications.
Future Flight Challenge Phase 3 will open from 6th September until 3rd November 2021. For more information and to apply, please visit the respective competition pages: Strand 1 and Strand 2. Additionally, if you are looking for bid writing support and would like to arrange a free consultation, get in touch today.
Funding available to develop a digital regulatory navigation platform for health products
Through a new SBRI competition, organisations can apply for a share of £3 million to develop a digital regulatory navigation platform for health product innovators. This funding is from Innovate UK and will support proof of concept projects.
This is phase 1 of a potential 2 phase competition. A decision to proceed with phase will depend on several factors, including the outcomes from phase 1, availability of funding and assessment of a separate application. If phase 2 goes ahead, it will support extended data collection and beta testing activity with end-users.
Scope
Firstly, projects must demonstrate the principle of an intuitive digital regulatory navigation platform that enables users to understand and explore the regulatory pathways for the healthcare product they are developing. They should also provide users with information and access to UK support structures that are relevant to their commercial R&D, for example, standards, UKAS accredited test labs and Notified Bodies.
All proposals should:
- Demonstrate a credible and practical route to market
- Include a plan to commercialise your results
- Utilise externally maintained nomenclatures
- Focus on healthcare products for the UK and EU, but be scalable to other sectors and global markets in the future
Eligibility
Projects must fulfil the following eligibility criteria:
- Start by 1st November 2021 and end before 31st March 2022
- Last up to 5 months
- Have total eligible costs from £250,000 to £1 million inclusive of VAT
- Demonstrate a deep understanding and expertise of the regulation of health products within the UK and EU
- Understand challenges facing innovators or businesses seeking to bring innovative products to market
Organisations of any size can lead a project. They can work alone or with others from business, research organisations, research and technology organisations or the third sector as subcontractors.
Applications must attribute at least 50% of the contract value directly and exclusively to R&D services. For example, this may include solution exploration and design, prototyping, and field-testing the product or service.
More Information
This competition will open from 23rd August until 20th September. For more information and to apply, please visit the competition page. If you are looking for bid writing support and would like to arrange a free consultation, get in touch today.
New £375 million Future Fund: Breakthrough scheme open for applications
Future Fund: Breakthrough is open for applications. The new UK-wide scheme is encouraging private investors to co-invest with the Government in high-growth, innovative companies. It will deliver £375 million of government funding via British Patient Capital, a subsidiary of the British Business Bank.
This funding is for businesses that are looking to raise at least £30 million of investment. The Government will provide up to 30% of the required investment and the remaining 70% should come from private investors.
The scheme is targeting innovators in a range of breakthrough technology sectors, including life sciences, quantum computing and clean technology. It will enable businesses to scale up and bring their transformational technologies to market, helping secure the UK’s position as a scientific superpower.
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for the scheme, a company must:
- Be a UK-registered business with significant UK operations i.e., at least half of the company’s employment base and half of its research employees should be based in the UK.
- Have secured at least £5 million of equity investment in previous funding rounds in the last five years.
- Be raising a minimum investment round size of £30 million.
- Be carrying out R&D activity in the UK by meeting all three of the following criteria:
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- Your R&D spending must have been i) at least 10% of your total operational cost base on average over the last 3 years or ii) at least 15% in one of the past 3 years.
- Your company must be developing defensible intellectual property in the UK, which will become the company’s main revenue source.
- You intend for at least 20% of your team to be carrying out research for at least 3 years from the date of investment, in roles that require a relevant master’s degree or higher.
How to Apply
Companies cannot apply directly for Future Fund: Breakthrough funding. Rather, applications must be made by a lead investor, who should meet the criteria listed by British Patient Capital.
Firstly, the lead investor must complete an online application form to prove that they meet the eligibility criteria. Following this, they will share an investment paper with British Patient Capital which explains why they are making the investment.
The lead investor will then need to pass reputation and customer due diligence checks, and share any legal and financial due diligence reports that they have prepared on the benefitting company.
More Information
More information is available on the British Patient Capital's website. If this isn't the right opportunity for you, and you would like to explore alternative funding options, please contact us to arrange a free consultation.
Grants available for small scale R&D to transform the UK’s Foundation Industry sector
The Transforming Foundation Industries Challenge Fund, in collaboration with Innovate UK, will invest up to £1.5 million in small-scale R&D projects. Split across two strands, the competition aims to improve the competitiveness of the UK’s Foundation Industry sector by helping it to become more environmentally sustainable.
All projects must address the resource productivity or energy performance opportunities of the sector and its supply chains. To do this, they must focus on the development of new: markets; business models; products and services manufactured by the sector; products and services created by suppliers to the sector; or processes.
Specifically, projects can focus on one or more of the following themes:
- Energy costs and optimisation
- Process measurement, optimisation and digitisation
- Waste recycling, utilisation and symbiosis
However, this is not an exhaustive list; Innovate UK will also consider other technologies or projects that fit the scope of the challenge.
Strand 1
Firstly, Strand 1 projects must:
- have total eligible costs between £25,000 and £75,000
- start on 1 February 2022 and end by 31 January 2023
- last between 3 and 12 months
- carry out all of its project work in the UK
- intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
To lead a project or work alone, your organisation must be a UK registered SME. However, the lead organisation can choose to collaborate with other businesses of any size, academic institutions, charities, not-for-profits, public sector organisations, or research and technology organisations.
Strand 2
Secondly, Strand 2 projects must:
- have total eligible costs between £75,000 and £250,000
- start on 1 February 2022 and end by 31 January 2023
- last from 3 months to 12 months
- carry out its project work in the UK
- intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
To lead a Strand 2 project, your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size and collaborate with UK registered businesses, academic institutions, research organisations, not-for-profits, or research and technology organisations. In addition, the project should include at least one micro, small or medium-sized enterprise.
ISCF Transforming Foundation Industry will open from 16th August until 29th September. For more information, please see the respective competition pages: Strand 1 and Strand 2. Alternatively, contact RedKnight as soon as possible if you would like to discuss an application with one of our advisers.
Applying for grant funding? Here’s why you should hire a professional bid writer
In the UK, there is over £10 billion allocated for research and innovation funding each year. However, applying for grant funding is complex and extremely competitive, with prospective applicants required to write a bid to enter most competitions. As a result, many businesses invest in the services of a professional bid writer to help them secure funding.
Why should I hire a professional bid writer?
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Saves your business time and resources
Grant applications take an average of 6-10 weeks to complete in-house. During this time, business owners, entrepreneurs and management teams will have to focus on developing the grant application, rather than running their business. Businesses must therefore think carefully about their internal capacity: i.e., can you afford for your team to be working on the application for an extended period of time?
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You benefit from their experience
There is no substitute for experience. A professional bid writer will have worked on hundreds of applications throughout their career. This experience will mean they know the process inside out, and exactly what it takes to develop a successful application.
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They’ll let you know if you’re barking up the wrong tree
A good bid writer will steer you away from a competition that they don’t think is right for you. For example, this may be the case if they have concerns about your eligibility or stage of development. While disappointing, this will save your business time and resources in the long run. They may even be able to recommend a competition that better suits your business.
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Increases your chances of success
Innovation funding is extremely competitive. However, a professional bid writer’s expertise and experience is likely to translate into a higher-than-average success rate. For example, RedKnight’s success rate stands at 42%. This is far above the average success rates of many popular innovation funding competitions, including the EIC Accelerator and Innovate UK Smart Grants. Read more about success rates here.
How do I decide who to hire?
As a starting point, we recommend asking the following questions:
- What is your business model?
- What is your success rate?
- Can you give me an example of a recent successful project you have supported?
- Can I have the contact details of those case studies, please?
- What is your capacity leading up to the deadline?
- What is your bid writing process?
Their answers to these questions should help you reach an informed decision. For more information, check out 'The Good, the bad and the ugly: How to select the right bid writer.'
Work with RedKnight
RedKnight supports tech-based start-ups and SMEs with innovation funding applications. Since 2015, we have secured over £10 million and achieved a success rate of 42%. If you are looking for bid writing support, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us to arrange a free consultation.
Innovate UK Smart Grants: August 2021
Innovate UK has announced that a new round of Smart Grants will open on 26th August, with a deadline of 6th October 2021. £25 million will be available for disruptive R&D innovations that could significantly impact the UK economy.
Scope
Smart is Innovate UK’s “Open grant funding” programme. Applications can come from any area of technology and be applied to any part of the economy. This includes the creative industries, science or engineering, and the arts, design and media. Projects can overlap with the grand challenge areas, although Innovate UK is also keen to support projects in other areas.
Your proposal must demonstrate:
- A clear game-changing, innovative and/or disruptive and ambitious idea leading to new products, processes or services
- An idea that is significantly ahead of others in the field, set for rapid commercialisation
- A strong and deliverable business plan that addresses (and documents) market potential and needs
- A clear, evidence-based plan to deliver significant economic impact, return on investment (ROI) and growth through commercialisation, as soon as possible after project completion
- A team, business arrangement or working structure with the necessary skills and experience to run and complete the project successfully and on time
- Awareness of all the main risks the project will face (including contractor or equipment failure, recruitment delays, etc) with realistic management, mitigation and impact minimisation plans for each risk
- Clear, considerable potential to significantly impact the UK economy and/or productivity in a positive way
- Sound, practical financial plans and timelines that represent good value for money, which will always be a consideration in Innovate UK funding decisions.
Eligibility
Your application must include at least one SME; they can be the lead or a collaborative grant claiming partner. The project must start no later than 1st April 2022 and end no later than 31st March 2025.
Your project must also follow specific rules based on its duration:
- Projects with durations between 6 and 18 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £500,000. They can be single or collaborative projects.
- Projects with durations between 19 months and 36 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £2 million. In contrast to shorter projects, they must be collaborative.
RedKnight Consultancy has significant experience in supporting applications for Innovate UK Smart Grants. You can view one of our most recent success stories here. For our assistance in putting together a competitive proposal, please contact us today.
You may also be interested in our Innovate UK application guide - sign up for RedKnight's monthly newsletter today to receive a free copy direct to your inbox!