£1.5 million available for projects that explore Digital Security by Design technologies

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UK-registered SMEs can apply for a share of £1.5 million for fast-start short-term projects. Funding is available to explore and investigate the requirements, dependencies, and potential complexities associated with the adoption of Digital Security by Design technologies. The competition aims to enable the growth of the software ecosystem that will be crucial for the successful adoption of Digital Security by Design technologies.

Eligibility

Projects must:

  • Have total eligible costs between £40,000 and £80,000.
  • Last no longer than 6 months.
  • Start on or after 1st April 2021 and end by 30th September 2021.

This competition is open to single applicants only, who must be UK registered SMEs. The organisation should also carry out its project work in the UK and intend to exploit the results from or in the UK.

Scope

Innovate UK state that projects must focus on a detailed investigation of a problem framed around a system and software stack concept. Projects can focus on one or more of the following aspects: software frameworks, tooling, development environments, operating systems, language runtimes, libraries and ancillary support, and middleware. However, this not an exhaustive list; other aspects may also be in scope.

In more detail, your project should:
  • Describe your use case or cases and related scenarios. Therefore, you must explain how your area of detailed investigation will enable a full software stack approach to increased security
  • Show how DSbD technologies will be incorporated into your detailed investigation work
  • Frame your solution under investigation in the context of a full software stack. It should describe how your work will address identified technical challenges, requirements, dependencies, and related complexities
  • Explain how you will use the available Fixed Virtual Platform (FVP) model to inform your detailed investigation. In contrast, if you choose not to use it, you should explain your rationale and justify your decision
  • Explain how DSbD security will enhance your approach to security and how you will confirm if it is a viable way forward
  • Identify and describe how you plan to overcome any dependence on other technology, ecosystem, or business requirement.

This competition opens on 30th November, with an online briefing event scheduled to take place on 27th November. All applications must be submitted before 13th January 2021. If you need more information, please visit the Innovate UK competition page. Alternatively, if you’d like to discuss your project with one of our expert advisers, please contact us today.

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£2 million available for sustainable plastic packaging projects

Innovate UK is investing up to £2 million in early-stage projects through the Future Plastic Packaging Solutions competition. This forms part of the wider Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) Challenge, which aims to deliver cleaner growth across the supply chain and reduce the amount of plastic waste entering the environment.

Scope

This competition will support feasibility studies and industrial research projects that address widely known problems related to plastic packaging. Innovate UK aims to fund projects with either direct or indirect commercial outcomes for the partners.  Additionally, proposals should explain how their innovation addresses one or more of the UK Plastics Pact targets.

Projects must deliver one or more of the following:

  • a more circular plastic packaging value chain, with reduced environmental impacts, such as carbon emissions and improved recyclability
  • improved understanding of effective communication techniques to increase recycling rates and uptake of re-use/refill business models
  • more consistent data and increased knowledge relevant to the supply chain.

You can find more information on in-scope projects, including specific themes, here.

Eligibility

Projects can last up to 18 months, starting by 1st June 2021 and ending by 30th November 2022. To lead a project or work alone, your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size, charity, non-government body or not-for-profit. It must carry out its project work in the UK and intend to exploit its results from or in the UK. If you are planning to work collaboratively, you can find the full eligibility criteria here.

To find out more, visit the ISCF Future Plastic Packaging Solutions competition page. Alternatively, if you'd like to discuss your project with one of our expert advisers, please contact us today.

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£5 million available for innovative food production projects

SMEs can apply for a share of £5 million in grant support to transform food production towards net zero. The grant funding is from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The project must also align with a Series A investment, which you can read more about here.

Scope

In short, you must develop precision technologies and data-driven solutions that make a significant step towards realising net zero food production systems by 2040. Additionally, you must demonstrate how your project meets the overall aims of the ISCF Transforming Food Production Challenge, which are to:

  • help food production systems achieve net zero emissions by 2040
  • help produce food in ways that are more efficient, resilient and sustainable
  • speed up the development and use of integrated precision approaches to improve productivity in agricultural systems.

Funding is only available for experimental development projects. They must focus on one or more of the following themes:

  • the development of precision solutions and systems that will make a significant step towards net zero emissions for food production
  • improving productivity of the agricultural sector
  • stimulating the establishment of novel high value production systems
  • developing export opportunities
  • Please also note that projects involving equine, amenity horticulture, wild-caught fisheries or non-food crops are ineligible.
Eligibility

Your project must have total eligible costs of between £1 million and £3 million. It should last 18 months, starting by 1st October 2021 and ending by 31st March 2023. To secure grant funding, you must also secure an investment of at least twice the amount of grant through one of the lead investors associated with this programme. However, you can submit your application before speaking to an investor.

This competition is open to single applicants only. To apply your organisation must:

  • be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
  • carry out its project work in the UK and intend to exploit the results from/in the UK
  • be prepared to negotiate head of terms for an aligned series A investment.

The ISCF Transforming Food Production Challenge opens on 2nd November and closes on 13th January. To find out more, please visit Innovate UK. Alternatively, you can contact us if you have any further questions.

Are you still looking for the right grant funding opportunity? If so, subscribe to our free monthly newsletter and receive the latest competitions directly to your inbox.


UK and Canada biomanufacturing innovations in cell and gene therapies

Canada flag blowing in the skyInnovate UK has partnered with the National Research Council of Canada for a new funding opportunity aimed at UK SMEs. They aim to identify UK partners who will bring innovative solutions to support and collaborate with the NRC Challenge Program in Health and Disruptive Technologies for Cell and Gene Therapy.

This competition aims to support improvements in biomanufacturing for cost-effective gene and cell-based therapies. Your project must develop solutions to address one of the following two areas:

1. Process improvement for adeno-associated virus (AAV) based gene therapy.

 

In this area, your proposal must:

  • Demonstrate economic viability by coupling your proposal to more cost-effective downstream processing options than what is currently available.
  • Be based on transient transfection, developing improvement of serum free media or processes to increase AAV upstream yields.
  • Develop faster in-line, online, at-line or off-line process analytical assays in order to support process development.
  • Develop more cost effective, robust and scalable AAV particle separation methods (preferably chromatography based).
2. Deploy process analytical technologies to perfusion-enabled lentiviral vector manufacturing.

In area 2, you will have access to the perfusion-enabled high yield LV production process developed at NRC. Your proposal must show how you will develop and deploy complementary in-line monitoring technologies for real time process characterisation using:

  • Capacitance frequency scanning (Aber Instruments).
  • Multi-wavelength fluorometry (NRC technology).
  • Raman spectroscopy including analysis algorithms.
Eligibility

Firstly, your project must:

  • Start by 1st May 2021.
  • Be up to 24 months in duration.
  • Have total eligible costs of up to £128,000, of which up to 75% will be funded by this initiative.

To lead a project, your organisation must be either a SME, catapult, charity, or not for profit. Before starting an application, you must also have established a partnership with an appropriate research team at NRC Canada. The Knowledge Transfer Network is holding an information session on the 3rd November where NRC researchers will explain the type of projects they are looking for. This provides a great opportunity to connect with NRC counterparts before applying.

This competition closes on 23rd December 2020. To find out more, please visit Innovate UK. Alternatively, you can contact us with any further enquiries.

Are you still looking for the right grant funding opportunity? If so, subscribe to our free monthly newsletter and receive the latest competitions directly to your inbox.


Robotics for a more resilient future

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of £6 million for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence technologies. This funding is from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. There are two strands running at the same time: feasibility studies and R&D.

The challenge aims to:

  • develop robotic solutions to make UK industries more resilient to future disruptions
  • increase productivity
  • open up new cross-disciplinary opportunities
Scope

Innovate UK is looking for robotic solutions that exploit business opportunities in areas such as healthcare, logistics, agriculture, construction, and robotics that can contribute towards the UK’s net-zero greenhouse gas commitment. More specifically, proposals must:

  • Clearly identify the operational needs and the market segments and sizes that the proposed Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (RAI) technology or system will be addressing
  • Identify the precise operational scenario or scenarios that the RAI system is expected to operate if successful
  • Quantify the system’s performance objectives and targets
  • Be based around a service robotics sector
  • Articulate what is innovative about the proposed project
  • R&D project proposals must explain the technological maturity at the start and end of the project
  • Clearly identify how proposed solutions will improve productivity or improve the resilience of the UK’s workforce to future disruptions to economic activity, supply chains and productivity
  • Demonstrate what market needs are being addressed
  • Clearly demonstrate understanding of the market and provide a commercialisation plan for the solution developed
Eligibility

Feasibility studies must:

  • Have total eligible costs between £25,000 and £100,000
  • Start on or after the 1st April 2021 and then end by 31st March 2022
  • Last between 3 and 12 months

In addition, single applicants for feasibility studies must be a UK-registered SME.

R&D Projects must:

  • Have total eligible costs between £75,000 and £500,000
  • Start on or after 1st April 2021 and then end by 31st March 2022
  • Last between 6 and 12 months

To lead a R&D project, your organisation must be a UK-registered business and work in collaboration. If you are a large business, it is essential that you also involve an SME.

This competition closes on 20th November 2020. If you’re applying to the R&D strand and require a collaborative partner, read more about our partner search service here. Alternatively, please feel free to contact us with any further enquiries.

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NATEP: helping SMEs innovate in aerospace

Innovate UK, working with the Aerospace Technology Institute and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, has announced new funding for aerospace innovation projects. From 5th October, UK registered SMEs can apply for a share of £2.5 million for industry-led civil aerospace research projects.

Scope

This competition aims to help SMEs develop their own innovative technologies, thereby enhancing their capabilities and increasing their ability to win new business in the civil aerospace sector. Eligible projects must have a potential application within the civil aerospace sector. You can find information on specific themes here. More generally, all projects must have a credible route to market and preferably have identified their end-users.

Additionally, all projects should:

  • Demonstrate improvement in business productivity and competitiveness
  • Show clear benefits technically.
  • Be able to pull through new technology or processes for use in a current or future product or manufacturing process.
  • Show clear benefits in creating or safeguarding jobs.
  • Be able to enhance capabilities within the broader aerospace industry, as well as other sectors e.g. advanced manufacturing.

Innovate UK intends to fund a portfolio of projects, across a variety of technologies, markets, and technological maturities.

Eligibility

Firstly, your project’s total eligible costs must be between £100,000 and £300,000. Furthermore, all projects must:

  • Be collaborative
  • Be led by a UK registered micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
  • Start by 1 May 2021 and end by 31 October 2022
  • Last between 12 and 18 months

This competition closes on 18th November 2020. You can find more information on eligibility, scope, and how to apply here. Before you start your application, check out our '5 steps to success' to ensure you write a competitive proposal.

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SBRI: using geospatial data to solve transport challenges, phase 1

Organisations can apply for a share of £2 million to develop feasibility studies for one of four themed challenges. Funded by the Geospatial Commission, this competition aims to identify innovative geospatial solutions to current challenges and enable the future of mobility.

This is phase 1 of a potential 2-phase competition. A decision to proceed with phase 2 will depend on the outcomes from phase 1. Only successful applicants from the first phase will be able to apply to take part in phase 2.

Your application must focus on at least one of the following themes:
  • Mobility as a service – Overcoming siloed transport networks by enabling more seamless and accessible integration of transport modes.
  • Active travel – Mitigating safety risks to promote active travel.
  • Supply chains - Tackling logistical challenges including planning distribution networks and routing, optimising storage and warehousing, and last-mile delivery to reduce freight transport costs.
  • Increasing capacity - Managing over and under-capacity to increase efficiency of our transport networks without compromising safety.
More information

The Geospatial Commission expects to fund around 30 projects. To lead a project, you can be an organisation of any size and work alone or with other organisations. Contracts are available only for single legal entities, but subcontractors are also permitted.

Phase 1 contracts are for up to £75,000 for projects lasting up to 12 weeks. Projects should start by 4th January 2021 and end by 31st March 2021. Subsequently, phase 2 will award R&D contracts to businesses chosen from the successful phase 1 applicants. Funding of between £500,000 and £1 million will be allocated for each phase 2 contract, in order to develop a prototype and undertake field testing for 12 months.

If you think you are eligible for this funding, apply through Innovate UK before 4th November. You can learn more about Innovate UK bid writing here.


ISCF Faraday Battery Challenge: Round 4

The fourth round of the ISCF Faraday Battery Challenge is now open for grant funding applications. UK registered businesses can apply for a share of £10 million for innovation in electric vehicle battery technology. The competition aims to establish the UK's position as a global leader in the design, development, and manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles.

Innovate UK is looking to fund a portfolio of projects, across a variety of technologies, sectors, technological maturities, and research categories. There are two strands running at the same time:

1. Feasibility Studies

Firstly, Innovate UK will support business-led feasibility studies. They will fund the most exciting, high potential impact, early-stage research projects, where a 12-month feasibility study will accelerate commercialisation.

Proposals should clearly show how the feasibility study will accelerate the development of technologies with the potential to significantly advance the performance characteristics of batteries for electric vehicles. The project must last between 3 and 12 months and plan to end by 31st March 2022. Eligible costs should be between £100,000 and £1,000,000.

2. Innovation R&D

Secondly, Innovate UK will support the research and development of the most promising innovative battery technologies for the propulsion of electric vehicles. Projects should build on the outputs of previous activity to accelerate towards commercialisation.

Innovate UK is encouraging two types of project:

  • New projects building on the outputs and outcomes of previously funded Innovate UK projects or activities.
  • New projects building on internal activity within the organisation.

Proposals must clearly demonstrate a significant value-add and exploitation from a preceding feasibility study, collaborative research and development project, or previous non-grant-funded activity. Eligible costs must be between £300,000 and £1,500,000 and projects must again last between 3 and 12 months.

You can find more information on the ISCF Faraday Battery Challenge here. Alternatively, to discuss your project with one of our expert advisers, contact us today.


Women in Innovation: Closing the Gender Gap

Following the launch of the Women in Innovation Awards 2020/21, we're reflecting on the steps Innovate UK has taken to increase gender diversity in innovation.

The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship estimated that an additional £250 billion could be contributed to the UK economy if female entrepreneurs started and scaled their businesses at the same rate as men. However in 2016, just 14% of applications to Innovate UK were led by women – despite success rates between men and women being largely equal! Survey research found securing funding to be the biggest challenge facing women innovators. Furthermore, a third said they found being a woman in a male-dominated industry had negatively affected their career. Thus, there was a clear demand for more focused support services for female innovators.

Women in Innovation

This led to the creation of Innovate UK’s first diversity and inclusion campaign, Women in Innovation. The programme aims to address the under-representation of women engaging with Innovate UK. It encourages female-led innovation through specific events and funding competitions. So far, the programme has made significant progress in closing the gender gap; there has been an impressive 70% increase in the number of women leading Innovate UK grant applications.

Since 2016, Innovate UK has successfully engaged a new community of over 3000 women in innovation. Could you be next? The Women in Innovation Awards 2020/21 aim to find women with exciting ideas and ambitious plans that will inspire others. 10 winners will each receive a £50,000 grant, as well as a bespoke package of mentoring, coaching, and business support. If you think you might be eligible for this funding, you can apply here before 14th October 2020. Be sure to check out our '5 steps to success' to ensure you write a competitive proposal!

Founders4Schools

Additionally, Innovate UK has recently forged a new partnership with an award-winning educational-tech charity, Founders4Schools. The charity aims to increase the employability skills of pupils by facilitating encounters with employers. Through this partnership, inspirational members of the Women in Innovation community will volunteer to connect with their local schools. The goal is to encourage young people to explore innovative career pathways, regardless of their background or gender. We look forward to finding out how this initiative progresses.

What needs to happen next to close the gender gap in innovation? Share your thoughts with us in a comment below!


5G enabled road and rail transport trials in the West Midlands, round 2

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of £2.5 million to support the development of 5G enabled transport innovations. This funding is from West Midlands 5G, working in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the West Midlands Combined Authority through Transport for West Midlands. Innovate UK is managing the competition process.

Scope

This funding is available for innovative projects that develop a new service or product. These must improve road and rail operational efficiency, provide better-connected transport, or improve traveller experience. Furthermore, your project should include 3 months of user or product testing in your chosen location in the West Midlands using the live 5G environment.

Projects must focus on products or services in one or more of the following areas:

  • Movement of things – freight and logistics.
  • Movement of people – public transport, economic recovery, and traveller confidence following Covid-19.
  • Road operation and management.

Your project proposal should also demonstrate how 5G is essential to developing your new service or product. Alternatively, it can show how 5G offers a significant enhancement compared to current mobile communications.

Eligibility

Your project must:

  • Only claim up to £500,000 in grant funding.
  • Be up to 12 months in length.
  • Start by 15 March 2021 and end by 21 March 2022.

You must consult with Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) if the transport monitoring and control system needs to integrate with physical road or rail networks, or requires data. In these cases, you must also ask TfWM to provide a letter of support for your project.

To confirm 5G functionality is available for your project in the West Midlands, you must also consult with a mobile network operator (Vodafone, O2, BT or 3). Additionally, a public or private communications network provider or a communications integrator should be included as a partner or sub-contractor in your consortium.

This competition closes on 2nd December 2020. For our help in putting together a competitive proposal, please contact us. To stay up to date on the latest grant funding opportunities, subscribe to our free monthly newsletter today.