£6 million available for Canada-UK quantum technology projects
Innovate UK and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) are teaming up to invest in quantum innovation! Through this competition, UK registered businesses and Canadian SMEs can apply for a share of £6 million for collaborative research and development projects. They must enable the advancement of quantum technologies and their commercial use cases.
Scope
This competition aims to strengthen collaborative research and development through Canadian and UK partnerships towards commercialising quantum technologies. All projects must demonstrate:
- a focus on co-development, adaptation, or validation of an innovative product, process or technology that has commercial potential and outcomes
- quantified performance objectives
- a plan for future exploitation
Innovate UK and the NRC are taking a portfolio approach. This means that they will fund a variety of projects across different technologies, markets, themes, technological maturities, and research categories.
Eligibility
To lead a project, your organisation must be a UK registered business or a Canadian SME. Your project must:
- have a grant funding request of no more than £450,000 allocated to UK organisations
- have a grant funding request of no more than CA $500,000 allocated to each eligible Canadian SME
- start before 1 September 2023 and end before 31 August 2025
- last between 12 and 24 months
In addition, Canadian funding applicants must register and submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) to the NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program. They must be successful with the EoI before being eligible to apply for this competition.
More Information
This competition is open from 21st November until 19th April 2023. For more information, please visit the competition page or attend the online briefing event on 29th November.
RedKnight has a strong track record of securing funding for transnational innovation projects and can help you develop a competitive application! Contact us to arrange a free consultation.
£2.5 million available to help SMEs develop innovative aerospace technologies
UK registered SMEs can apply for a share of £2.5 million to develop innovative aerospace technologies. This competition is run by Innovate UK, the Aerospace Technology Institute and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Proposals must align with the priorities stated in the UK Aerospace technology strategy, Destination Zero. They will need to pass assessments by both Innovate UK and the Aerospace Technology Institute to be recommended for funding. Then, BEIS has the final funding decision.
Scope
Funding is available for innovative aerospace technologies that will enhance a SMEs capability and increase their ability to win new business in the civil aerospace sector. All projects must have a credible route to market and preferably have identified their end users. Additionally, all projects must:
- demonstrate improvement in business productivity and competitiveness
- show clear benefit technically
- be able to pull through new technology or processes for use in a current or future product or manufacturing process
- show clear benefit in creating or safeguarding jobs
- be able to enhance capabilities within the broader aerospace industry, as well as other sectors such as advanced manufacturing
Eligibility
All projects must fulfil the following criteria:
- have total costs between £150,000 and £300,000
- end before 31 Dec 2024
- last between 12 and 18 months
- carry out all project work in the UK and intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
The lead organisation must be a UK registered SME and they must collaborate with other UK registered organisations.
More Information
This competition is open from 14th November until 11th January. For more information, visit the competition page or join the briefing event on 16th November.
RedKnight has a strong track record of securing innovation funding and can help you develop a competitive application! If you would like to explore an application, please contact us in order to arrange a free consultation.
New funding opportunities through the Medicines Manufacturing Challenge
Innovate UK is launching two new competitions through the Medicines Manufacturing Challenge this month. This funding will support the development of innovative technologies to manufacture medicines and accelerate patient access to new drugs and treatments.
1. Innovative technologies for nucleic acid medicines manufacturing
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of £5 million to develop and commercialise innovative solutions for manufacturing nucleic acid medicines. Solutions must improve resource efficiency, productivity or scalability as compared with current manufacturing technology.
The lead organisation must be a UK registered business, research and technology organisation, not-for-profit or public sector organisation. They must collaborate with other UK registered organisations and the consortium must involve at least one grant-claiming SME. In addition, all projects must:
- have total costs between £100,000 and £2 million
- start before 1 June 2023 and end before 31 May 2025
- last between 12 and 24 months
- carry out all project work in the UK
- intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
2. Digitalisation and automation of medicines R&D and manufacture
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of £5 million to develop and implement innovative digital and automated data collection technologies for pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. Solutions should demonstrate an improvement in resource efficiency or productivity.
To lead a project, your organisation must be a UK registered business, research and technology organisation, charity, not-for-profit or public sector organisation. They must collaborate with other UK registered organisations and ensure the consortium involves at least one grant-claiming SME. All projects must also:
- have total grant funding requests of between £100,000 and £1 million
- start before 1 June 2023 and end before 31 May 2025
- last between 12 and 24 months
- carry out all project work in the UK
- intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
More Information
Both Medicines Manufacturing Challenge competitions are open from 7th November until 21st December. If you want our help developing a competitive application, please get in touch today.
Innovate UK Smart Grants: October 2022
A new round of Innovate UK Smart Grants opens on 27th October. Through this competition, up to £25m is available for game-changing and commercially viable R&D innovation that can significantly impact the UK economy.
Scope
Applications can come from any area of technology and be applied to any part of the economy. To be in scope, proposals must demonstrate:
- a game-changing, innovative, and disruptive idea that will lead to new products, processes or services
- an idea that is significantly ahead of others in the field, set for rapid commercialisation
- clear potential to positively impact the UK’s position, productivity and competitiveness within the global economy
- a clear, evidence-based business plan to deliver significant economic impact, return on investment (ROI) and growth through commercialisation, as soon as possible after project completion
- why Smart funding is the right potential funding for your project, and the journey you have already been on to reach the point of application
- a team with the necessary skills and expertise to deliver the project successfully and on time, and to achieve rapid commercialisation
- awareness of all the main risks the project will face with realistic management, mitigation and impact minimisation plans for each risk
- sound, practical financial plans and timelines that represent good value for money, including the funding of post-project activities
Eligibility
Applications must include at least one SME; they can be the lead or a collaborative grant claiming partner. The project must start by 1st July 2023 and end by 30th June 2026. It should also follow specific rules based on its duration:
- Projects with durations between 6 and 18 months must have total eligible project costs between £100,000 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 £100,000 and £2 million. In contrast to shorter projects, they must be collaborative.
More Information
This competition is open from 27th October until 18th January. For more information, please visit the competition page or attend the online briefing event on 3rd November.
RedKnight has a strong track record of securing Innovate UK Smart Grants and can help you develop a competitive application! If you would like help putting together a competitive proposal, please contact us today.
Zero Emission Propulsion CR&D competition open for applications
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of £10 million for Zero Emission Propulsion CR&D projects. This funding is from the new Net Zero Mobility Programme.
Scope
The aim of this competition is to support future propulsion technologies for the transport sector, covering maritime, rail, automotive, and aerospace. There are a range of technologies that are in scope for each sector, including:
- Maritime: Clean maritime technologies for all sizes and categories of maritime vessel are in scope.
- Rail: Technologies can target all locomotive classes including those for freight and passenger carrying services and carriages.
- Automotive: Technologies can cover both niche and mainstream on and off-road vehicles.
- Aerospace: Technologies for drones or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), advanced air mobility (AAM), and electric or hybrid passenger aircraft.
Projects must address one or more of the following: improved range and overall system performance capability; decreased total cost of ownership; adoption of and transition to zero emission end products; or strengthening of the UK supply chain.
In addition, applicants must show a need for the project by including an end customer within the consortium. They can be a funded partner or non-funded project adviser.
Eligibility
All projects must:
- have total costs between £250,000 and £1.5 million
- have a maximum project duration of 18 months
- start before 1st August 2023
- claim the grant funding before 31st March 2025
- carry out all project work in the UK
- intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
The lead organisation must be a UK registered business and work in collaboration with other UK registered organisations. The consortium has to involve at least one SME.
More Information
The Zero Emission Propulsion CR&D competition is open from 17th October until 7th December. Apply via the competition page or contact us if you would like help with your application.
Funding available for circular economy innovation projects
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of £1.5 million for circular economy innovation projects. This competition is part of the UKRI National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research programme, which aims to accelerate the UK’s transition to a circular economy.
Scope
This competition will support feasibility studies, industrial research and experimental development projects that address the challenges of transitioning to a circular economy. Specifically, projects can focus on one or more of the following examples:
- piloting the introduction of a circular economy business model
- development or improvement of products and processes to enable remanufacturing, repair and retention of value
- increasing understanding and exploitation of material flow data in a defined place, for example; city, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), cluster, region
- scaling-up of credible feasibility studies
- evaluating whether proposed approaches are more sustainable when considering broader life cycle thinking
Innovate UK will also consider other focus areas that clearly address the challenges of this transition.
Eligibility
All projects must fulfil the following eligibility criteria:
- Have total costs between £100,000 and £150,000
- Start no earlier than 1st May 2023 and end before 31st October 2024
- Last between 12 and 18 months
- Carry out all 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. Within your application, you must also include a letter of support from at least one of the UKRI Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centres or the NICER CE-hub.
More Information
This competition is open from 13th October until 7th December. For more information and to apply, click here. Or, if you would like to discuss an application with one of our innovation funding experts, contact us today.
How important is Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in grant funding applications?
About EDI
Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) ensures fair treatment and opportunity for all. It is enshrined in law through the Equality Act 2010, which makes it illegal to discriminate against someone because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. These are known as “protected characteristics.”
Research has revealed that the business case for equality, diversity and inclusion is stronger than ever (McKinsey 2020). A diverse team is often more creative, as people with different backgrounds and experiences view problems differently. This can lead to better, more innovative solutions (Innovation Caucus 2020).
It is no surprise that grant funding bodies are trying to build a more inclusive innovation ecosystem. Read on to find out more about the steps they are taking to tackle underrepresentation and promote equality, diversity and inclusion.
Innovate UK
Innovate UK supports diversity and inclusion through a range of targeted interventions, including the Women in Innovation and Young Innovators Awards. They plan to scale up this support over the next three years, according to a set of new measures set out in the Strategic Delivery Plan 2022-2025.
In addition, Innovate UK has recently launched the Inclusive Innovation Awards, which will invest up to £2.5 million per year in inclusive innovations. All winners will receive a £50,000 grant for scale up or development work. More information on the 2022-2023 Awards is available here.
EDI is also an important part of all Innovate UK grant applications, with applicants required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion survey. Not only this, but applicants must consider EDI in the design of their project. For example, Innovate UK Smart Grants applicants must explain i) any challenges relating to EDI arising from the project, ii) how they have considered EDI in the development and design of the innovation and iii) how they will promote EDI if they need to recruit as part of their project.
Horizon Europe
Perhaps most apparent are the steps the European Commission are taking to promote gender equality in research and innovation. Firstly, all public bodies, higher education institutions and research organisations from EU Member States and associated countries must have a Gender Equality Plan in place to participate in Horizon Europe. You can find more information on Gender Equality Plans here.
Additionally, the EU Prize for Women Innovators provides three prizes of €100,000 each year to the most talented women innovators from across the EU and Associated Countries. They also award three prizes of €50,000 to the most promising young innovators under 35.
Get in touch
EDI is a clear priority for innovation funding bodies, and it is vital that you consider it within your own grant applications. If you are looking for support, please contact us to arrange a free consultation.
Innovation Loans Future Economy Competition
There are continued opportunities for UK registered businesses to apply for Innovation Loans from Innovate UK. A share of £25 million is available for innovative, late-stage projects with strong commercial potential.
In the Strategic Delivery Plan 2022-25, Innovate UK confirmed a full national roll-out of the Innovation Loans programme. They have committed £50 million for ten competitions in 2022-23, with an additional £15 million allocated to the DASA Innovation Loans programme.
Eligibility
You can apply for a loan of between £100,000 and £2 million to fund your project’s eligible costs. Projects can last up to 5 years, including both the R&D and commercialisation phases. Loan recipients must also:
- Be a UK-registered SME
- Carry out their project from or in the UK and intend to exploit the project’s results from or in the UK
- Give evidence that their business is suitable to take on a loan
Scope
All projects must lead to new products, processes or services that are significantly ahead of current state-of-the-art solutions. They can also involve a new or innovative business model. Projects should focus on one or more of the following themes and sub-themes:
Net Zero
- energy
- impact of industrial processes and use of materials
- agriculture and food and other sources of emissions
- capital intensity
Health and Wellbeing
- tackling ill health
- enhancing wellbeing
- diet and food
Next generation digital technologies
Technology families
- advanced materials and manufacturing
- artificial intelligence
- digital and advanced computing
- bioinformatics and genomics
- engineering biology
- electronics, photonics and quantum technologies
- energy and environment technologies
- robotics and smart machines
Dates
Innovation Loans Round 6 is open for applications until 9th November 2022. The next round will open on the day the previous round closes, with the final round closing on 8th March 2023.
How RedKnight can help
RedKnight has a strong track record of securing Innovate UK funding and can help you develop a competitive application! Please contact us in order to arrange a free consultation.
If you’re looking for grant funding, you may be more interested in Innovate UK Smart Grants.
£5 million available to scale up manufacturing in the PEMD supply chain
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of £5 million to scale up manufacturing in the Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD) supply chain. This funding is from Innovate UK’s Driving the Electric Revolution challenge. The competition has two strands:
1. PEMD Scale-up: Strand 1, adopting manufacturing best practice
This strand is for collaborative feasibility projects that will facilitate and de-risk the transfer of knowledge, solutions and technologies from other manufacturing sectors into the UK PEMD community. The aim is to improve manufacturing best practice in these technologies which are critical for net zero. The following elements of the manufacturing supply chain are in scope:
- materials processing
- sub-component and component manufacturing
- sub-system integration and assembly
- final assembly of PEMD specific modules
- remanufacturing
- end of life disassembly and recycling
Eligibility
To apply, your project must have a grant funding request of between £50,000 and £400,000. It must start by 1st May 2023 and last between six and twelve months. You must carry out all project work in the UK and intend to exploit the results from or in the UK.
2. PEMD Scale-up: Strand 2, manufacturing process development
Innovate UK is also looking to fund innovative process development projects that impact manufacturing cost, capability and efficiency to grow resilient manufacturing PEMD supply chains. Again, projects must be collaborative. The following elements of the manufacturing supply chain are in scope:
- materials processing
- sub-component and component manufacturing
- sub-system integration and assembly
- final assembly of PEMD specific modules
- remanufacturing
- end of life disassembly and recycling
Eligibility
To apply, your project must have a grant funding request of between £50,000 and £800,000. It must start by 1st May 2023 and last between six and eighteen months. You must carry out all project work in the UK and intend to exploit the results from or in the UK.
More Information
This competition is open from 21st September until 9th December. Further information is available on the competition pages: Strand 1 and Strand 2. If you are looking for bid writing support, please contact us in order to arrange a free consultation.
Innovate UK publishes Strategic Delivery Plan 2022-2025
Innovate UK's recently published Strategic Delivery Plan sets out how it will support UK business innovation over the next three years. There are several key highlights for UK grant applicants to be aware of, as summarised below:
New innovation focus areas
Over the next three years, Innovate UK will focus on innovation and commercialisation in the following areas:
- Net Zero - As part of an overall investment of over £1.2 billion in Net Zero, Innovate UK will focus on key challenges and technologies through Catapults, ISCF challenges, and targeted programmes. Key themes include power, mobility, and green finance.
- Healthy Living and Agriculture – Over £600 million will be invested in Healthy Living and Agriculture over the Spending Review period. Significantly, there will be an expansion of the Biomedical Catalyst programme.
- Digital and Technologies – With a £380 million budget, Innovate UK will invest in new programmes in five key areas: Creative Catalyst, Bridge AI, Quantum, Services, and Semiconductors.
Increased range of innovation finance support
Innovate UK will ensure that businesses can access funding at all stages of innovation. They will:
- Continue to provide grant funding for high-potential early-stage innovation ideas on the route to commercialisation through Innovate UK Smart Grants.
- Launch the full national roll-out of the Innovation Loans programme, committing £50 million for 10 competitions in 2022–2023.
- Provide early-stage funding through Fast Start: Innovation grants for small and microbusinesses that have not previously received Innovate UK funding.
- Roll out a scaled-up programme of Investor Partnerships for investment-ready SMEs.
In addition, there will be growth and commercialisation support through Innovate UK EDGE for high-potential scaling businesses.
Supporting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Innovate UK will also take steps to create a more diverse innovation ecosystem in the next three years. For example, they are planning to:
- Introduce the No Limits Mission in 2022.
- Deliver a new £2.5 million cohort of Women in Innovation awards and a new £2.4 million cohort of Young Innovators awards.
- Launch the Inclusive Innovation Awards to celebrate success and showcase good practice.
- Act to engage and enable disabled innovators to benefit from Innovate UK support.
Levelling up
To support the government’s commitment to level up the UK, Innovate UK will:
- Invest in the Catapult network and Innovate UK KTN to deliver Government priorities across the UK.
- Implement a programme of Launchpad investments across the UK.
- Deliver three new Innovation Accelerator pilots in partnership with BEIS and local leadership.
- Increase funding for global programmes by 2025 to build partnerships with key countries in areas of complementary strengths.
How RedKnight can help
RedKnight has a strong track record of securing innovation funding and can help you develop a competitive application! If you would like to explore an Innovate UK application, please contact us to arrange a free consultation.
The Strategic Delivery Plan is available to read here.