Innovate UK / UK Research and Innovation

Highways England is funding 2 parallel competitions for solutions and ideas for the design and use of UK roads. This competition is for proven feasibility projects at development stage (higher TRL). To lead a project, you can: be an organisation of any size work alone or with others as subcontractors Your idea must be suitable for trial on the strategic road network in England . Please read the full competition scope before you apply.

£7.5 million grant funding is now available for businesses to develop ways to improve how energy is managed on marine vessels. The funding is available via the Managing Energy on Marine Vessels competition, which is part-funded by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and run by Innovate UK. David Elson, Lead Technologist at Innovate UK commented: Energy efficiency is one of the biggest challenges facing industry today, on land or sea. I hope this competition encourages businesses already working in this area to see the potential for growth in the marine sector and develop new and exciting innovations in the process. Find out more about the Managing Energy on Marine Vessels competition Read about how Innovate UK helped Arcola Energy develop low carbon energy products using hydrogen fuel cells

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £1.5 million to develop innovative technologies targeting global markets in partnership with Israeli companies. To be eligible for funding from Innovate UK your collaboration: must include at least one eligible business partner from each of the participating countries can include other UK registered businesses of any size must follow the full process correctly

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £1 million and Malaysian businesses a share of RM 5.5 million to collaborate on innovative solutions to large societal challenges. To lead the project in the UK your organisation must: be a UK based business of any size collaborate with at least one Malaysian business comply with Official Development Assistance requirements throughout the lifetime of the project To lead the project in Malaysia your organisation must: be a Malaysian business of any size collaborate with at least one UK business be registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia Please read the full competition scope before you start your application.

Loans up to £1.6m available. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to commercialise your defence solution The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to launch Cycle 2 the Defence Innovation Loan competition, which has £10 million to lend for innovative defence solutions. Accessible to SMEs, and with a below market interest rate of 7.4% per annum, the Defence Innovation Loan provides an excellent opportunity to apply for affordable funds to help you commercialise your defence solutions. Defence Innovation Loans: An introduction Defence Innovation Loans: An introduction How to apply? Check out the full document and submit your idea . Have questions? Defence Innovation Loans Webinar On Thursday 9th September, DASA and Innovate UK hosted a live webinar to answer all of your questions about Defence Innovation Loans, where viewers spoke to our panel of experts about how to submit a successful application. This webinar will be viewable on-demand shortly. Stay tuned! Watch our previous webinar We received some great questions during our last Defence Innovation Loans webinar. Catch up on what you missed here . How much is available for a Defence Innovation Loan? The total of £10 million is available for the Defence Innovation Loan competition this year, of which comprises £5M from the Defence Innovation Fund and £5M from Army. You can apply for a loan between £250,000 and £1.6 million with a below market interest rate of 7.4% per annum. This loan can cover up to 100% of eligible project costs to aid the commercialisation of the solution and overall term of the loan must not exceed 7 years. Please note, Innovate UK will carry out the Defence Innovation Loan credit evaluation of this competition and you will enter into a loan agreement and security agreement with Innovate UK Loans Ltd. Read the full DASA competition document for more information on Defence Innovation Loans . Who can apply for a Defence Innovation Loan? To apply for a Defence Innovation Loan you must: be a UK registered SME intend to exploit the results in the UK or overseas to make a significant and positive impact on the UK economy and/or productivity give evidence that your business is suitable to take on a loan Please note, individuals, academic institutions, research organisations and large companies are not eligible for innovation loans. What kind of innovation will be considered for a loan? The Defence Innovation Loan is open to innovative ideas to improve the defence of the UK. Your innovation must be mature at TRL 6 or above, to ensure the solution can be commercialised within the time scale of the Innovation Loan. There also must clearly be evidence of a defence need for the innovative solution. Two tracks of funding The Defence Innovation Loan has two tracks of funding, covering general Defence solutions and more specific solutions for the Army. Track 1: Defence Innovation Fund (£5M) Track 1 is open to innovative ideas to improve the Defence of the UK. Track 2: Army Innovation Fund (£5M) Track 2 is open to innovations which align with any of the priority areas below and targets an Army end user. Priority areas include: army Industrial engagement framework decision-support directed energy weapons human performance enhancement information advantage robotics and autonomous systems and more… Ready to apply? Read the full DASA competition document here . For more on Defence Innovation Loans, watch the video below: Defence Innovation Loans: Everything you need to know Defence Innovation Loans: Everything you need to know

Loans for game-changing innovations with strong commercial potential that will significantly improve the UK economy. To take on an innovation loan for a project you must: be a UK based micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) carry out your project in the UK give evidence that your business is suitable to take on a loan Please read the full competition scope before you apply.

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £8 million from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund for capital projects to improve medicines manufacturing. To lead a project you must: be a UK-based business of any size work alone or in collaboration with one or more businesses Please read the full competition scope before you make your application.

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £5 million to work with Chinese partners to develop new integrated precision farming technology and help achieve net-zero emissions. This funding is from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. Your consortium must include at least: a UK registered business of any size a UK academic institution or research and technology organisation a Chinese business of any size a Chinese academic institution or research organisation The UK partners must: carry out their project work in the UK, and in China where reasonable intend to exploit the results from or in the UK Please read the full competition scope before you apply.

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £1 million to develop AI and quantum technology or quantum sensing technologies together with organisations from EUREKA countries. To be eligible for funding from Innovate UK your collaboration: must be led by at least one UK business of any size must include at least one eligible partner from one of the EUREKA network countries must follow the full process correctly Read the full competition scope before you make your application.

Funding boost for anti-counterfeiting and motion sensing companies: MOD supports two SMEs in collaboration with higher-tier partners through the Defence Technology Exploitation Programme. The small businesses selected are Ethicronics and Silicon Microgravity Both SMEs will work with larger company sponsors that already have experience of working with defence to develop innovative new solutions The Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP) boosts defence innovation while supporting the technology supply chain. Two innovative SMEs have received funding through the Defence Technology Exploitation Programme ( DTEP ). The companies, Ethicronics and Silicon Microgravity will each receive a government grant, worth 50 per cent of the project value. The Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) will partner with a higher-tier supplier with the aim of developing innovative new solutions that meet UK defence challenges and increase capability in the UK defence supply chain. DTEP, which seeks to improve the competitiveness of the UK Defence supply chain, is sponsored by the MOD’s Directorate of Industrial Strategy, Prosperity and Exports (DISPE) and delivered through the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), Innovate UK , and ADS . A crucial aspect of DTEP involves collaboration between an SME supplier and a more experienced higher-tier partner in the defence sector. The higher-tier partner sponsoring the initiative will dedicate time, effort, and resources to engage with SMEs in these joint innovation endeavours. Anita Friend, Head of DASA, said: “We are pleased to announce the allocation of DTEP funding for these two SMEs. These innovative organisations, in collaboration with their higher-tier DTEP partners, are poised to make significant contributions to the UK’s defence supply chain and help ensure the continued success of future defence and security.” Congratulations to the DTEP winners Ethicronics: Stamping out counterfeits Ethicronics aims to develop an innovation that addresses the critical challenge of assurance, hardware integrity and authenticity to tackle issues such as counterfeit and compromised electronics. Together with higher-tier partner Thales, they will collaborate to develop a software solution that utilises innovative, unforgeable stamps that certify and authenticate hardware components. Dr Franck Courbon, CEO of Ethicronics, said: Being selected for the DASA DTEP program is a significant achievement for Ethicronics, marking a pivotal moment in our journey towards revolutionizing electronics hardware assurance for Defence but also Security, Aerospace, Automotive, Finance, Critical Infrastructures and Consumer Electronics supply chains as a dual-use solution. This collaboration enables to develop our innovative solution further, attract additional funding, establish a strong relationship with a world leader in digital security and creates a framework to bring on-board additional partners in the electronics eco-system. The DTEP program provides a clear path for integration and enables us to hire key secure software engineers while working with DASA strengthens our commitment to delivering secure, scalable, and impactful software solutions for electronics in our country and beyond. Silicon Microgravity: Inertial navigation Silicon Microgravity develops MEMS gravitational and motion sensors and has a track record for developing highly accurate, portable systems for a range of uses. They are teaming up with higher-tier partner Collins Aerospace to deliver a small, lightweight, low power MEMS accelerometer with navigation grade performance and capable of handling accelerations of up to 100g – the first of its kind on the market. Francis Neill, CEO of Silicon Microgravity, said: The DASA DTEP grant funding and our partnership with Collins Aerospace will enable SMG to commercialise our innovative, market leading, MEMS accelerometer. The modern world has become very dependent on GNSS in our everyday lives but conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated how GNSS can be denied by jamming or spoofing. Inertial Navigation using accelerometers and gyroscopes provides an alternative, unjammable, navigation solution. SMG’s high accuracy, Navigation Grade, MEMS accelerometers will provide both globally leading and UK sovereign capability in this critical area in both defence and civilian applications. DTEP’s funding for Ethicronics and Silicon Microgravity highlights the MOD’s commitment to fostering innovation and strengthening the UK defence supply chain through strategic SME partnerships. Learn more about DASA’s funding opportunities here .

Businesses from the UK, EU or EEA can apply for a share of up to £9.4 million, including VAT, to develop demonstrators for sustainability, customer experience, operations or maintenance. To lead a project, you can: be an organisation of any size be based in the UK, EU, or EEA work alone or with others as subcontractors You must: involve a railway asset owner (stations, rolling stock, infrastructure), an experienced railway organisation and a railway organisation that has the potential to become a customer (these can all be the same organisation) include a potential integration partner Please read the full competition scope before you apply.

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £968,000, plus VAT, for innovations that demonstrate security surveillance analytics in Network Rail stations. Your organisation: can be any size must be from the UK, EU or EEA must carry out your project in the UK Partners can only be involved as subcontractors. Please read the full competition scope before you apply.

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £1 million to develop innovative proposals with Singapore and other EUREKA countries. To be eligible for funding from Innovate UK your collaboration: must include at least one UK based micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME) must include an eligible Singapore lead partner can include other UK businesses of any size or UK based research organisations must follow the full process correctly Please read the full competition scope before you start your application.

Businesses can apply for a share of £5.5 million, including VAT, to develop demonstrators to enhance resilience, freight operations and the environment. To lead a project, you can be an organisation of any size and must: carry out your project in the UK involve an owner of railway assets (such as stations, rolling stock or infrastructure), an experienced railway organisation and a railway organisation that has the potential to become a customer (this can be the same organisation or 3 separate organisations) include a potential integration partner as a subcontractor Partners can only be involved on a subcontract basis. This competition closes at midday 12pm UK time on the deadline. Please read the full competition scope before you apply.

Businesses can get an Innovation Voucher worth £5,000 to pay for an external expert to help them with their cyber security. PLEASE NOTE THIS SCHEME HAS NOW CLOSED AND NO FURTHER VOUCHERS ARE AVAILABLE. Innovate UK is offering businesses Cyber Security Innovation Vouchers worth up to £5,000. They can use these vouchers to pay for an external expert to give them advice on protecting their business against cyber attacks and potential accreditation to Cyber Essentials. They can also use this advice to protect new business ideas and intellectual property in cyber security. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is investing £500,000 in the new scheme with equal funding from Innovate UK. How Cyber Essentials certification works The Cyber Essentials programme helps organisations develop a secure platform for their business activities. They can also get accreditation to show that they’ve taken these precautions. Suppliers bidding for a government contract may need this accreditation. Since 2014, all suppliers handling certain sensitive and personal information need Cyber Essentials accreditation. There are 2 levels of certification available through the scheme: Cyber Essentials – an external assessor reviews the organisation’s responses to a questionnaire Cyber Essentials PLUS - an external assessor carries out tests of the organisation’s IT security systems Details of the Cyber Security Innovation Voucher competition Innovate UK will award Cyber Security Innovation Vouchers once every 3 months from October 2015. We enter eligible applications into a draw and choose winners at random. To qualify for a Cyber Security Innovation Voucher organisations must: be starting up or running a micro, small or medium-sized UK business have not worked with this expert before need help with something that’s a real challenge for their business, not just a small improvement or change have not had an Innovation Voucher from Innovate UK or the Technology Strategy Board before Innovate UK will help winners access an expert from one of the following: universities and further education colleges research and technology organisations technical consultancies Catapult centres design advisers intellectual property advisers Innovate UK is also running Cyber Security Knowledge Transfer Partnerships . The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Innovate UK are both investing £250,000 in the new scheme and expect to fund up to 10 KTPs. These KTPs will encourage partnerships between academic institutions and cyber security companies. They will also support growth and jobs creation. Innovate UK also runs a general Innovation Voucher scheme for businesses that need expert advice in areas other than cyber security. Find out more about this competition and apply Read the press release about the scheme Read the announcement by Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey

Loans up to £1.6m available. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to commercialise your defence solution The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to launch Defence Innovation Loans which has £10 million to lend for innovative defence solutions. Accessible to SMEs, and with a below market interest rate of 7.4% per annum, the Defence Innovation Loan provides an excellent opportunity to apply for affordable funds to help you commercialise your defence solutions. Defence Innovation Loans: An introduction Defence Innovation Loans: An introduction How to apply? Check out the full document and submit your idea . Defence Innovation Loans Webinar On Thursday 9th September, DASA and Innovate UK hosted a live webinar to answer all of your questions about Defence Innovation Loans, where viewers spoke to our panel of experts about how to submit a successful application. Defence Innovation Loans: Webinar Watch our previous webinar We received some great questions during our last Defence Innovation Loans webinar. Catch up on what you missed here . For more Defence Innovation Loans content, check out our video playlist How much is available for a Defence Innovation Loan? The total of £10 million is available for the Defence Innovation Loan competition this year, of which comprises £5M from the Defence Innovation Fund and £5M from Army. You can apply for a loan between £250,000 and £1.6 million with a below market interest rate of 7.4% per annum. This loan can cover up to 100% of eligible project costs to aid the commercialisation of the solution and overall term of the loan must not exceed 7 years. Please note, Innovate UK will carry out the Defence Innovation Loan credit evaluation and you will enter into a loan agreement and security agreement with Innovate UK Loans Ltd. Read the full DASA competition document for more information on Defence Innovation Loans . Who can apply for a Defence Innovation Loan? To apply for a Defence Innovation Loan you must: be a UK registered SME intend to exploit the results in the UK or overseas to make a significant and positive impact on the UK economy and/or productivity give evidence that your business is suitable to take on a loan Please note, individuals, academic institutions, research organisations and large companies are not eligible for innovation loans. What kind of innovation will be considered for a loan? Defence Innovation Loans are open to innovative ideas to improve the defence of the UK. Your innovation must be mature at TRL 6 or above, to ensure the solution can be commercialised within the time scale of the Innovation Loan. There also must clearly be evidence of a defence need for the innovative solution. Two tracks of funding The Defence Innovation Loan has two tracks of funding, covering general Defence solutions and more specific solutions for the Army. Track 1: Defence Innovation Fund (£5M) Track 1 is open to innovative ideas to improve the Defence of the UK. Track 2: Army Innovation Fund (£5M) Track 2 is open to innovations which align with any of the priority areas below and targets an Army end user. Priority areas include: Army industrial engagement framework decision-support directed energy weapons human performance enhancement information advantage robotics and autonomous systems and more… Ready to apply? Read the full DASA competition document here . For more on Defence Innovation Loans, watch the video below: Defence Innovation Loans: Everything you need to know Defence Innovation Loans: Everything you need to know

UK businesses and research organisations can apply for a share of up to £3 million from DFID and Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) for projects with partners in eligible African countries. Your project must be collaborative and include all of the following: a business at least one partner from the UK one partner from an eligible African country The technical project work can be led by a partner from the UK, an eligible African country or another country. The administrative work must be led by a partner from the UK.

Silicon Microgravity secured a DASA Defence Innovation Loan to further develop and commercialise their micro-chip technology for autonomous tunnel and bunker detection The Defence Innovation Loan will help Cambridge-based SME, Silicon Microgravity, develop and commercialise their autonomous gravimeter technology for tunnel and bunker detection by the end of 2024. DASA has also funded Silicon Microgravity’s ultra-precise, gyroscope technology for alternative navigation in GPS denied environments. DASA’s Defence Innovation Loans, run in partnership with Innovate UK, is an alternative funding model to help convert mature defence innovations into viable business propositions that can compete for defence procurement. The detection of sub-surface tunnels and bunkers has long been identified as a challenge area for defence, in both asymmetric and symmetrical warfare, and recent conflicts have only highlighted the growing threat of underground structures. In order to better safeguard frontline personnel, the military needs to swiftly and efficiently detect sub-surface tunnels and bunkers to overcome potential adversaries who use them. Despite their effectiveness, current tunnel detection methods such as ground penetrating radar and electromagnetics have several drawbacks. They are often bulky, costly, and challenging to apply in situations featuring difficult to navigate terrain, making them less efficient for quick, mobile use. Introducing Silicon Microgravity Cambridge-based Silicon Microgravity identified the need to radically shrink, and lower the cost and power consumption of underground structure detection systems, to enhance their effectiveness for Defence. Drawing inspiration from the civil environment and the current use of conducting gravity surveys to detect buried infrastructure, the SME sought to adapt this technology for defence. Silicon Microgravity is developing a gravimeter (a tool for measuring minute changes in the force of gravity) which can be deployed remotely on an autonomous land vehicle or drones, to detect underground structures, keeping personnel out of danger zones. The innovation uses resonant Micro Electrical Mechanical Systems (MEMS), which is a technological process used to create tiny integrated devices or systems that combine mechanical and electrical components. MEMS has a long history in the civil world, and is used in an array of technologies such as accelerometers for airbag sensors and inkjet printer heads, however it has never had, until now, the sensitivity for use in navigation or gravity applications. Silicon Microgravity’s sensors are over a thousand times more accurate than those traditionally used in civilian applications. Thanks to their proprietary resonant MEMS technology, Silicon Microgravity has achieved a significant breakthrough in sub-surface detection technology. The technique has enabled the company to miniaturise the technology from the size of a shoe box to a tiny computer chip. As a result, the SME has been able to attach the underground sensing technology to a handheld device, or a drone, which can easily navigate hazardous terrain, land, and take readings of underground structures beneath the surface. In 2022, Silicon Microgravity received a Defence Innovation Loan to take the innovation towards commercialisation by the end of 2024. Silicon Microgravity’s journey with DASA and towards commercialisation In 2017, Silicon Microgravity first collaborated with DASA through the Open Call, marking their first foray into the Defence sector. With DASA’s funding, Silicon Microgravity completed a feasibility study and initial development on an ultra-precise gyroscope based on their resonant MEMS technology, a critical part of inertial measurement which is used in GPS-denied environments. This technology has applications both in military and civilian markets. During their first discussions with DASA, they discovered the immense potential of their MEMS technology and its applicability to a wide range of defence-related solutions. Through the feasibility study as part the Open call, Silicon Microgravity was also able to develop links into the defence sector, engage with large defence contractors, and now has two development contracts with a large global defence contractor and is in active discussions with others, both within the UK and overseas. Having further developed their resonant MEMS technology for gravity applications, Silicon Microgravity submitted their next innovation to DASA in 2021, to receive a Defence Innovation Loan to help commercialise their tunnel detection technology. The Cambridge-based SME was granted a Defence Innovation Loan of £750,000, which they will use to further develop the underground detection technology in preparation for field trials in the first half of 2024. The loan will also help commercialise the product, for potential use in applications such as security, border control, defence, cartography, civil engineering and infrastructures/utilities. Francis Neill, CEO of Silicon Microgravity, said: DASA have been absolutely fundamental in helping to get Silicon Microgravity to the stage where we will shortly be commercialising what is becoming recognised as world leading technology in gravity sensing and inertial navigation. Not only does our technology have defence applications but it is very much in line with the UK’s strategy of creating an international technology superpower. DASA have provided both market and fund raising assistance in addition the project specific funding. DASA’s A2MF Team mentors Silicon Microgravity for future investment opportunities As part of the post-contract support, DASA’s Access to Mentoring and Finance (A2MF) team has been helping Silicon Microgravity with market readiness and future investment. The A2MF team assisted Silicon Microgravity in perfecting their pitch to potential investors by offering workshops to improve presentation content and pitch decks. This culminated in the DASA Investment Showcase in 2021, where Silicon Microgravity was invited to present their business and innovative ideas to investors, alongside other innovators. Silicon Microgravity was able to secure additional investments and build belief in their project thanks to the invaluable experience and skills gained from the A2MF team, along with their successful application through Defence Innovation Loans. Need help bringing your defence innovation to market? Silicon Microgravity has made great strides in a short period of time and is preparing for an exciting year ahead, starting field trials, commercialising both their gravity and inertial products, building export markets, adding high value UK jobs and more than doubling revenue. Since their first meeting with DASA in 2017, they have made significant progress by conducting field trials, commercialising their innovation with the help of Defence Innovation Loans, attracting new investors, and expanding their organisation. One of DASA’s main financial mechanisms to support with business readiness and the commercialisation of innovations is through the Defence Innovation Loans programme. Run in partnership with Innovate UK, these are designed to help growth-minded SMEs develop and commercialise their mature defence solutions and in doing so, tackle some of the challenges businesses face in moving from technology development to product and company scale up. Defence Innovation Loans Key points: Exclusively for SMEs Innovations must be at Technology Readiness Level 6 or above Loans from £100,000 - £2 million Loans can cover up to 100% of project costs to aid commercialisation of the solution Below market interest rate In partnership with Innovate UK Learn more about Defence Innovation Loans here and submit an application.

The Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP) is a £16 million programme to boost small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) defence innovation The Defence Technology Exploitation Programme will help keep the UK at the forefront of defence technology Joining innovations and up to 50% of government funding with large suppliers Grants of up to £500,000 available per project A £16 million programme to boost small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) defence innovation has been launched today. With the innovation of SMEs, the resources of big suppliers and initial funding from government, the Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP) is designed to bring the key components together to allow pioneering projects to flourish. The aim is to keep the United Kingdom at the forefront of defence technology, improving the capabilities available to our Armed Forces, the competitiveness of UK industry and growing potential exports benefits. Individual grants of up to 50% of a project’s value – to a maximum of £500,000 per grant - will be available through DTEP for collaborative projects between SMEs and larger suppliers, supporting the integration of novel technologies, materials and processes into MOD’s supply chains. DTEP will be open for proposals year-round, with cycles closing at 3-month intervals for assessment of submissions. Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said: Innovation within defence is crucial to maintaining competitive advantage for our Armed Forces. The Defence Technology Exploitation Programme is a positive step in how we support SMEs and larger suppliers to work together to improve the resilience and competitiveness of the MOD’s supply chain. Today’s launch builds upon the successful BEIS-funded National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP) and a pilot of DTEP conducted with Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI). An example of work supported by this pilot is CCP Gransden, based near Ballygowan, collaborating with Thales and Ulster University on a project to replace the Starstreak surface-to-air missile system’s metallic canister with a composite version – reducing reliance on global supply chains for the over 50 components currently needed. Head of the Defence and Security Accelerator, Anita Friend said: DTEP has been designed to help SMEs join defence supply chains and offers SMEs and larger suppliers the opportunity to come together to solve defence problems. For an SME, DTEP offers not only funding but also the opportunity to deliver new innovations into the UK defence supply chain and a way to develop and scale up their business. DTEP is also beneficial for larger companies, offering early access to new technologies or processes that they may be able to help commercialise. Applications to DTEP can be made by UK-based SMEs looking to form a collaboration with a UK-based higher-tier supplier to help integrate and take the novel solution to market. The key areas of interest for proposals are set out in detail on the DTEP portal and are aligned with the recently published Defence Capability Framework . DASA DTEP Business Relationship Managers will be available at all steps of the process, from project formation until after project completion. They will support SMEs through signposting, mentoring and offering other support services. DTEP will be delivered by the MOD’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), in partnership with the Innovate UK group, and it is a core commitment in the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy and SME Action Plan . Submit a proposal DTEP guidance can be accessed here .

A fund to strengthen UK science and business innovation and take on the biggest challenges that society and industry face today. What is the UKRI Challenge Fund The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Challenge Fund aims to bring together our world-leading research base with Britain’s best businesses to transform how we live, work and move around. By investing in the very best research, development and innovation, it will tackle the major industrial and societal challenges we face today and put the UK in the best position to take advantage of future market opportunities. The fund is backed by £2.6 billion of public money, with £3 billion in matched funding from the private sector. The Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund The challenges It’s made up of 23 challenges, covering the 4 challenge themes: clean growth ageing society future of mobility artificial intelligence and data economy More information can be found on Innovate UK’s blog . To find out about the latest challenge opportunities, sign up for email alerts . Search for live funding opportunities and apply .

An overview of government's programme to develop and manufacture new medicines, digital health products and medical technologies. What is the leading-edge healthcare challenge? The leading-edge healthcare challenge is part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund . We are faced with the challenge of manufacturing many different types of medicines, and getting the right drugs and treatments to individual patients when they need them. Government will invest £181 million to speed up access to new medicines and drugs and improve healthcare. It will establish new facilities and support research and innovation projects that accelerate the development and manufacture of vital advanced therapies, medicines and vaccines. The fund is estimated to return £1 billion to the UK economy, support high-value, highly-skilled manufacturing and increase productivity. Innovate UK will deliver the challenge on behalf of UK Research and Innovation , with input from the Office for Life Sciences . Accelerating Innovative Medicines challenge The funding is in 4 areas: advanced therapies treatment centres medicines manufacturing projects viral vector production projects digital health technology catalyst

Robots controlled by smart auto-navigation systems are doing battle in an £8.5 million competition to find ways to tackle Sellafield radioactive hotspots. An array of robots controlled by super-smart auto-navigation systems are doing battle in an £8.5 million competition to develop new ways of tackling some of Sellafield’s most radioactive hotspots. Last year, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and fellow government agency Innovate UK launched a search for innovative technologies that could be combined into a single seamless process for use in facilities that will soon embark on a major decommissioning journey. Working closely with Sellafield Ltd, who would use the technology, submissions to a competitive process were invited from all industrial sectors. Five promising ideas have now made it through to the final stages after being whittled down from a shortlist of 15. The newly formed consortia are each set to receive up to £1.5 million to build prototype demonstrators for testing in a simulated radioactive environment. Conventional approaches to working in high-hazard environments involve teams of workers, clad in protective air-fed suits, who would be restricted to working no more than a few hours at a time. The process is extremely time-consuming, costly and poses risks to the workers. The projects include technology developed for space missions to Mars The goal of Sellafield and the NDA is to reduce risks to workers, increase productivity, deal efficiently with waste, reduce timescales and cut overall costs to the taxpayer: safer, faster, cheaper. This is complemented by the role of Innovate UK who are looking to drive productivity and growth in the UK through the support and implementation of innovation. Announcing the projects, the NDA’s Head of Technology Melanie Brownridge said the response from suppliers and academic institutions had been so promising, that more funds were added to top up the original £3 million pot increasing it to £8.5 million: We were all incredibly excited by the quality and diversity of the submissions, which came from established nuclear organisations as well as industries, such as space and defence sectors, working with us for the first time. Such a fantastic response meant that we were able to secure additional funding from Innovate UK and the Government’s department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) which will allow more of the ideas to be fully explored and also investigated for potential use in other hazardous environments. The projects demonstrate the full range of innovation – using existing ideas in an innovative way through to cutting-edge new technologies. All the projects are being developed by collaborative consortia formed specifically for this competition. The participating organisations, almost 30 in total, include small businesses, large corporations and academic institutions. The winning project – or projects – could be put to work at Sellafield’s Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP) and Magnox Reprocessing Plant, which are both due to close by 2020. After closure, scores of rooms, or ‘cells’, at the facilities must be cleaned out, with the waste safely treated for packing and storage. Melanie added: It’s a huge challenge. The new integrated system must establish what’s inside the cells, measure the radioactivity, access spaces that have been sealed for years, cut up the contents (including large vessels and many miles of pipework), segregate the waste, then remove it for treatment and safe storage. Radioactivity levels are extremely high, restricting workforce access, so the work must be carried out remotely. A number of the technologies are tried and tested nuclear favourites; some are well established in other industries; others are brand new. One of the challenges will be to develop a smooth interaction between all the different component parts. Industries that have been keen to step up to the challenge include computer gaming, fume extraction, sea-fishing, medical imaging, oil and gas as well as space and defence. Many ideas include robots which range from large industrial giants to small ant-like devices that can work collectively and easily be replaced in the event of a break-down. One of the auto-mapping systems was developed for use in missions to Mars and will be adapted to scan the interior of a radioactive cell. Some projects will immerse operatives in a virtual world, where they will intuitively be able to control robots and equipment as if they were actually inside the cells. Melanie added: The NDA is continually seeking the best ways to encourage innovation and bring in new ideas from the supply chain and ensure everyone has an opportunity to contribute. Part of our mission is to support innovation and technology growth, with the aim of pushing forward the decommissioning of extremely complex nuclear challenges. Derek Allen, Innovation Lead for Energy at Innovate UK, said: We have been delighted by the response to this competition and the additional funding will enable us to support more innovative organisations with great ideas to make nuclear decommissioning cheaper, safer and faster. This has the potential to open up significant business opportunities for UK organisations both nationally and globally. This programme fully aligns with one of the Governments Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund priority areas: ‘Robotics and artificial intelligence in extreme environments’ which is looking to create a safer working world for people, improve productivity and support advances in industry and public services. After the first series of trials, set to take place over the next 18 months, those with potential could progress to more rigorous trials in a radioactive environment. Approval from the nuclear regulators will be required before the integrated system can be deployed at Sellafield or other NDA sites. Melanie added: We’re hopeful that a number may be successful, and could be used in various different situations at our sites as well as in other hazardous scenarios, both here and overseas. More on the projects and how they are developing will be released over the next 12 months including articles from each consortium. The five successful projects are (lead contractor in bold): Barrnon Ltd Atkins, Cambrian Intelligence Ltd, Createc Ltd, Veolia (Oxford Technologies) Createc Ltd OC Robotics, Red Engineering Design Ltd, Structure Vision Ltd, React Engineering Ltd, UKEA, Race Ltd Wood Airbus Defence & Space Ltd, Damavan Imaging, Clicks & Links Ltd, TWI, Digital Concepts Engineering Ltd, IS Instruments Ltd, i3D Robotics Ltd, University of Lancaster, University of Salford, Kawasaki Cavendish Nuclear Babcock Analytic Solutions, OC Robotics Nuvia Clicks & Links Ltd, Hu-Tech Ltd, Imitec Ltd, PaR Systems Ltd, UKEA RACE Ltd, University of Bristol, University of Manchester Integrated Innovation Competition project details ( PDF , 391 KB , 9 pages ) Read more about the background in a blog by the NDA’s Melanie Brownridge

£153 million Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund funding, alongside £205 million from industry, will support commercialisation of quantum technologies. New quantum technologies have the potential to revolutionise a range of industries – from cyber security to defence and healthcare. But as an emerging technology, research and innovation in quantum technologies requires continuing government support in order to maximise the industry’s potential in the UK. Government has announced that it will invest £153 million through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund’s (ISCF) new commercialising quantum technologies challenge. The funding will support businesses delivering quantum-enabled products and help remove technological barriers to productivity and competitiveness in the UK. It will be supported by £205 million from industry. The programme will be delivered by UK Research and Innovation, and lifts total UK investment or planned investment in the National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP) to over £1 billion. What is quantum technology? Read a blog by challenge director Roger McKinlay . Challenge scope The challenge will invest in 4 key areas, designed to support all aspects of the UK’s quantum industry growth: product and service innovations: a series of collaborative research and development competitions to deliver game-changing quantum-enabled products and services industry-led technology development projects: a programme of industry-managed research activities addressing specific challenges supply chain: feasibility projects focused on innovative components and supply chain elements across the quantum sector investment accelerator: encouraging venture capital for early-stage, spin-out and start-up quantum technologies companies Laying the foundations for a quantum industry UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive, Professor Sir Mark Walport, said: The UK is a world leader in quantum technologies. The funding announced today builds on the great progress we have made and lays the foundations for a quantum technology industry here in the UK. It will ensure that we remain at the forefront of this exciting and evolving field and that we realise its potential, from improved healthcare to more accurate and reliable navigation, that is fundamental to so many services. Transforming lives Roger McKinlay, Challenge Director for Quantum Technologies at UK Research and Innovation said: Quantum technologies will transform all aspects of our lives from more efficient infrastructure to higher levels of security in the transmission and storage of data. The announcement of this significant public funding for the industrialisation of quantum technologies exemplifies the benefits of the Industrial Strategy, both in terms of improved coordination across government departments and also the creation of long-term partnerships between government, academia and businesses. Five years of investment in the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme has given the UK a technological lead which businesses are now ready to turn in to a significant commercial advantage. Read about the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme . Building on pioneer projects’ success Through the ISCF quantum challenge, UK government has already invested £20 million in 4 pioneer projects. The projects, which are still ongoing, focused on delivering quantum-enabled prototypes within 2 years in 3 areas: gravity sensing secure communications developing a quantum-enabled clock One project has been developing a device that will use quantum technology to see underground. The device has applications in infrastructure planning and development and is being delivered by engineering and environmental firm RSK. Case study: 2020 quantum prototype will help engineers see underground . Sign up for email alerts to hear about new funding opportunities .

Joint list by Maserati and The Sunday Times names 9 companies that have progressed with Innovate UK funding in top 100 game changers. The Maserati 100 highlights the emerging entrepreneurs who are challenging the established order with their disruptive technologies. Now in its third year, these awards celebrate the positive impact innovative start-ups have on the economy and society as a whole. Nine businesses that have received funding from Innovate UK featured in the list. See more success stories . The businesses Crisp Thinking Group - using Crisp’s software, companies are able to moderate and monitor social media to protect their brands. It has offices in Leeds, London and New York. Crisp received funding to prototype their real-time social media management platform Ella’s Kitchen - making and selling organic baby food since 2006, the company now employs 70 people in the UK and takes 20% of the market. Global turnover is more than $100 million. Ella’s Kitchen has taken part in 3 knowledge transfer partnerships (KTP) with the University of Reading, to look at its marketing, raw materials and packaging Ella’s Kitchen: transforming the organic baby food market Horizon Discovery - a gene-editing biotech company, Horizon Discovery supports the discovery of new medicines, including personalised medicines for treating cancer. It has already acquired a number of US companies to further grow the business. Innovate UK funded collaborative research and development projects to find innovative approaches for the manufacture of high-value, genome-edited cell lines M Squared Lasers - the Glasgow-based company designs and manufactures lasers for use in industry, defence, healthcare and energy. Its revenues totalled more than £8 million last year. Innovate UK has funded several projects to help M Squared Lasers optimise laser emission intensity, develop high precision, handheld spectrometry and grow the market Swiftkey shown working on a mobile device. Metail - offering virtual fitting rooms to allow shoppers to create 3D models of themselves and try on clothes. Evans and House of Holland are among the retailers to have signed up. Metail received Innovate UK funding for feasibility and proof of concept studies, as well as prototype testing. This helped the company to develop computer vision techniques and digitise garmets with lower costs and simpler operations Ocado - a pioneering online supermarket with annual sales of £1.3 billion. Ocado was involved in a collaborative, 24-month project to trial a range of vehicles with hydrogen dual-fuel technology, in order to reduce the carbon of its vehicles Swiftkey - predictive keyboard software that’s installed in more than 300 million smartphones and tablets. Last year Swiftkey acquired by Microsoft in a deal reported to be worth $250m. Swiftkey received 2 Innovate UK grants, to test its idea for an app that would transform the way people used keyboards and help prototype it The Floow - this tool collects data for motor insurers from a driver’s phone or a black box in their vehicle. Floow has more than 70 staff in Sheffield and clients include Direct Line and AIG. Floow was involved in a collaborative funding project to accelerate the development, market readiness and deployment of automated driving systems The Framestore - an innovative special effects firm that has worked on films including Gravity, the 2013 Oscar winner for Best Visual Effects. The Framestore received funding in 2 collaborative projects: to create an extensible, pluggable digital security framework that protects media companies; and the development of a production pipeline process that improves quality, speeds up production and reduces costs Apply for innovation funding .

13 businesses working on the challenges of population growth, accelerating urbanisation and climate change offered Innovate UK’s first innovation loans. Innovate UK has offered £8 million to 13 businesses developing innovative solutions for the UK’s urban infrastructure, energy and transport challenges. The 13 businesses compete in a new global smart infrastructure market, estimated to be worth £1.2 trillion per year by 2025. The companies applied into a competition which looked for innovative businesses who could use the loan to scale up and commercialise new technologies. This is part of Innovate UK’s 2-year pilot loans programme, through which a total of £50 million is available. First successful companies The first successful companies include: CitiLogik : analysing how people move to identify and analyse demand activity G-Volution : dual-fuel engines that are cheaper, cleaner and greener Alert Technology : the world’s first portable asbestos detectors Alcove : assistive Internet of Things-based technology for older adults Catagen : catalyst emissions testing and simulation Utonomy : smart gas grid control to increase biomethane injection capacity 3-Sci : moisture monitoring system for corrosion under insulation Lightfoot : connected car technology Read a case study about one of the first successful companies: Lightfoot . Unlocking opportunities for the UK Innovate UK’s Executive Chair, Dr Ian Campbell, said: Innovative businesses require innovative finance, so we’re excited about the opportunities innovation loans are now unlocking for UK businesses to lead the revolution in infrastructure, urban living, energy and connected transport. We’ve seen high levels of demand for this new, affordable, flexible and low interest finance option for innovation and we’re confident it will help potential UK businesses to scale up, create high-value jobs and ultimately accelerate economic growth and improve the quality of life across all regions. About innovation loans Innovate UK’s pilot programme of innovation loans was introduced to help scale some of the country’s most innovative companies. The programme will do this by helping tackle many of the key issues facing companies with innovative technologies and business models they want to take to market. If successful in the competitive application process, companies can borrow between £100,000 and £1 million. To find out about loan competition opportunities, sign up to get website updates from Innovate UK . Commercialising important new technologies David Petrie, Head of Corporate Finance at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) said: ICAEW warmly welcomes the pilot programme for innovation loans. Many of our 150,000 members are working in, advising and investing in high-growth companies. The new programme is another step by Innovate UK to increase the funding options for R&D based ventures. Innovation loans should help the commercialisation of important new technologies because they include elements that are not typically available from high-street banks. They should work very well for particular kinds of innovative, early-stage businesses that need more investment. Guidance: find out more about innovation loans .

UK businesses can benefit from a Knowledge Transfer Partnership, collaborating with a university or research organisation and highly-qualified graduate. Up to £40 million is available this financial year for businesses to take part in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). The programme helps turn academic thinking into commercial products and services, bringing new knowledge and skills into businesses to boost growth and competitiveness. Academic thinking to commercial success KTPs offer funding and support to help UK businesses bring in new insight from academia to tackle a particular challenge they face. Businesses can begin a new partnership with a university, college or research and technology organisation, working with a Knowledge Transfer Advisor to set this up, or build on an existing relationship. Through this, they will recruit a suitable graduate to work on an innovation project. Projects can focus on any technology or industry area, and last between 1 and 3 years. Search for and contact a Knowledge Transfer Adviser . KTP applications must: focus on a specific project set out the nature and goals of the project give details of who will take part establish what the graduate will be expected to deliver Qioptiq secures largest contract Qioptiq designs and manufactures photonic products for multiple markets and sectors, including X-ray imaging for medical and modules for defence. Following a KTP with the Cardiff Business School at Cardiff University - which allowed it to implement more efficient, agile forecasting - Qioptiq secured a contract with the Ministry of Defence worth £82 million. This is the company’s largest ever and will ensure UK armed forces have access to essential night vision equipment. As a result of the contract, Qioptiq opened a £3.7 million warehouse in North Wales and increased its staff numbers. Read more about the partnership . Programme information applications for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are open throughout the year the deadline for applications for this round is 3 April 2019. If an application misses a deadline it will automatically be entered into the next competition projects can last between 1 to 3 years businesses and not-for-profit organisations of any size can apply the size of the grant and own contribution can vary. Typically: small and medium-sized businesses can contribute around £35,000 per year, or around one-third of the project costs large businesses contribute about £55,000 per year, or half of the project costs Find out more about Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and how to apply .

Organisations can apply for a share of up to £20 million to develop prototype quantum devices as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. Innovate UK has up to £20 million to invest in projects that look at how quantum technologies could be used to create devices with radically new properties for commercially-viable products and services. The funding is under the government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, which aims to bring together the UK’s world-leading research with business to meet the major industrial and societal challenges of our time. Find out more about the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and the quantum technologies challenge. Prototype devices able to do new things Advances in quantum technologies could provide a breakthrough in the fields of sensing, imaging and information exchange. These could be used to develop new medical devices, new types of sensors and better, more secure communication systems. Projects in this competition must aim to develop and commercialise ‘second generation’ quantum prototype devices or systems. They should be able to do things that would be impossible by non-quantum means. They must address one or more of the following: improving situational awareness, including ensuring safety during transportation in hazardous conditions such as darkness, fog or dust increasing productivity in deployment, improvement or maintenance of buildings or national infrastructure improving identification and understanding of states and features that are impossible to see by conventional means, particularly in medical, environmental and security applications supporting secure peer-to-peer transfer of data and information, such as across smart cities and environments All projects will need to show how a device could ultimately be used by a customer and that there is a clear market in the UK. Find out more about how Innovate UK supports emerging and enabling technologies. Competition information the competition opens on 18 April 2018, and the deadline for applications is at midday on 13 June 2018 projects must be led by a UK-based business working with other businesses, charities, public sector organisations or researchers, and involve at least one SME we expect total project costs to be between £3 million and £10 million and for projects to last up to 29 months businesses could attract up to 70% of their project costs a briefing event will be held on 18 April 2018 Find out more about this competition and apply.

Up to £50 million is available to build a network of centres for digital pathology and medical imaging, via the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. UK organisations can apply for a share of up to £50 million through a funding competition to develop a network of centres of excellence in digital pathology and medical imaging technology. Run under the Industrial Strategy This competition is part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund in the challenge area: from data to early diagnosis and precision medicine. The funding – which is provided by UK Research and Innovation and delivered by Innovate UK – will maximise the UK’s potential to diagnose diseases earlier and identify the best interventions for patients, as well as developing new treatments. One of the activities in this challenge focuses on digital pathology, radiology and diagnostics. It will help to advance the digitisation of these important areas of diagnosis, increase the efficiency and quality of the review process and get new precision treatments to patients earlier. Get the latest on the challenge area . What’s the opportunity In this competition we are seeking to establish up to 6 centres that specialise in digital pathology, medical imaging or both. These centres will be based across the UK and will be expected to work together through a framework agreement. Applications should focus on how they can add value to existing processes using digital systems, enhanced analytics and artificial intelligence. They should address common themes facing the healthcare sector including standardisation, data sharing and interoperability, regulation and scale up. Applications we are encouraging We are particularly encouraging applications that: allow access to the centres by clinical and non-clinical investigators support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises use large-scale, well-archived and annotated digital images illustrate how the centre will link digital image analyses with other forms of diagnostic information to achieve new medical insights consider and address the social, behavioural and economic implications in change management Successful centres must commit to: supporting data sharing and interoperability across platforms and systems to allow seamless access to digital image repositories making available advanced data storage and analytical environments that are capable of managing large numbers of digital images and their associated data gaining public trust through best practice compliance with data security, privacy and ethical standards Competition information the competition is open, and the deadline for applications is at midday on 1 August 2018 a UK-based business, NHS organisation or trust, hospital, research organisation, charity or Academic Health Science Network can lead a project, working in collaboration with others at least 2 organisations must apply per grant award total project costs should be between £14 million and £20 million businesses could attract up to 70% of their eligible costs applications that meet the quality threshold will be invited to interview in September 2018 a briefing event will be held on 15 June 2018 Find out more about applying for funding .

Innovate UK as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) has up to £12 million to invest in innovative projects exploiting new quantum technologies and is seeking private investment partners to join it. New quantum technologies could transform products and services in many business sectors including automotive, healthcare, infrastructure, telecommunications, cybersecurity and defence. Quantum physics is at the heart of the electronics, media, computing and infrastructure systems we use in everyday life. A second generation of quantum technologies based on new quantum effects could lead to more secure digital communication, improved construction and radical increases in computing power. The UK government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) Commercialising Quantum Technologies Challenge is a £153 million investment in projects that will help the UK to lead the world in development of these new technologies. Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, has up to £12 million from the fund to invest in innovative research and development projects in the field. It is seeking investors willing to partner it by helping to find suitable businesses, managing the grant allocation and investing their own private equity capital. The aim is to improve access to financial and commercial support for SMEs developing innovative quantum technologies. Find out more about the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Commercialising Quantum Technologies Challenge. Aim is to invest in quantum technologies with clear potential The aim of the partnership is to invest in quantum technologies that would not otherwise be supported within an investor’s risk strategy and to support innovations that have clear potential to be adopted at scale. Innovate UK is seeking investors that: demonstrate the interest, capability and capacity needed to invest in early-stage companies, including university spin-outs and businesses looking for their first investment opportunities demonstrate the ability to add value beyond their investment commit to helping the company grow and scale have access to relevant sector and technology-specific expertise Phase 2 of the competition will see successful investors work with Innovate UKthe ISCF to fund a broad range of SMEs working on promising projects that exploit the new generation of quantum technologies including: connectivity: techniques for securing data in storage and in flight situational awareness: this includes autonomous systems, sensors and detectors for the built environment, transport and infrastructure, and imaging and sensing to “see things currently invisible” computing: transformational computers for solving currently intractable problems Funded business projects are expected to range in size between £250,000 and £2 million. Competition information the competition opens on 19 August 2019, and the deadline for registration is at midday on 25 September 2019 it is open to equity providers holding a full UK registration at Companies House including charities and trusts with the power to make investments investors can apply for a grant allocation of between £2 million and £12 million and must demonstrate they can invest at least an equal sum into companies a briefing event takes place on 27 August 2019 Find out more about this competition and apply.

Businesses can apply for a share of up to £33 million to work with others on developing new products and services that exploit quantum technologies. Quantum physics underpins the computing, media and infrastructure systems at the heart of modern life. Now a second generation of technologies based on new quantum effects promises to deliver more secure digital communication, improved construction and radical increases in computing power. This could transform many business sectors including automotive, healthcare, infrastructure, telecommunications, cybersecurity and defence. There is up to £33 million from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to invest in projects that aim to speed up commercialisation of these quantum technologies. Find out more about the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Commercialising Quantum Technologies Challenge. Projects must speed up commercialisation Projects must aim to speed up commercialisation of second-generation quantum technologies and should address at least 1 of the following areas: connectivity and techniques for securing data in storage and in flight situational awareness including autonomous systems; sensors and detectors for the built environment, transport and infrastructure; imaging and sensing of things currently invisible transformational computing to solve currently unmanageable problems The competition has 2 strands: up to £27 million is available for consortia undertaking large research projects up to £6 million is available for projects with costs of less than £500,000 that can be undertaken by companies working alone or with partners Find out more about applying for funding. Competition information the competition opens on 5 August 2019, and the deadline for applications is at midday on 30 October 2019 businesses of any size may apply we expect projects to range in size between £50,000 and £10 million a briefing event takes place on 2 September 2019 Find out more about the competition for larger projects and apply. Find out more about the competition for smaller projects and apply.

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £9 million to develop more effective and efficient treatments through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. There is up to £9 million for businesses with ideas to develop novel digital technology solutions for healthcare challenges. Funding is provided by UK Research and Innovation and delivered by Innovate UK. Find out more about the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund . Accelerating the development of digital innovations Advancing new and novel digital technologies could significantly improve outcomes for patients, and provide cost benefits for healthcare providers. The digital health technology catalyst aims to accelerate the development of digital health innovations and grow the sector. Health-tech firm FundamentalVR has previously received funding through the catalyst. The company is leading a project to develop a VR surgical training platform for students to practice and gain confidence before operating on people. ISCF Winners. Medicines Manufacturing - FundamentalVR This competition is part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to deliver leading-edge healthcare in the UK. This £181 million fund will transform how we develop and manufacture medicines and other healthcare products, such as digital technologies, to get the right drugs and treatments to patients when they need them. Read more about digital health and medicines manufacturing projects that have recently received funding . Improving on the current system We are looking for projects that span a variety of technologies, markets and healthcare needs and improve on the current health and care system. There are 2 competitions that businesses can apply into, depending on the stage of their project: up to £1 million for feasibility studies up to £8 million for collaborative research and development Technologies you could look at include: virtual and augmented reality artificial intelligence and machine learning the Internet of Things data analytics and security Your idea could be for use in a clinical or non-clinical setting. This could include digital technologies to: support clinical decision-making improve access to healthcare, support treatment compliance or patient-led management improve the patient experience from disease prevention through to diagnosis, treatment, recovery and long-term care overcome privacy challenges with managing, sharing and exploiting data create significant improvements in quality, speed, costs and outcomes Feasibility studies competition information the competition is open and the deadline for applications is midday on 31 October 2018 to lead a project, you’ll need to be a UK-based small or medium-sized business (SME) SMEs can work alone or collaborate with others, including businesses, NHS organisations, universities, research and technology organisations, public sector organisations or charities your project can last up to 12 months and have total costs of between £50,000 and £75,000 businesses could get up to 70% of their project costs projects must start by 1 April 2019 Find out more about this competition and apply . Collaborative research and development competition information the competition is open and the deadline for applications is midday on 31 October 2018 to lead a project, you’ll need to be a UK-based SME you will need to collaborate with others, including businesses, NHS organisations, universities, research and technology organisations, public sector organisations or charities your project can last up to 24 months and have total costs of between £300,000 and £1 million businesses could get up to 70% of their project costs applicants that meet a quality threshold will be invited to interview from 7 to 11 January 2019 projects must start by 1 April 2019 Find out more about the collaborative research and development competition and apply .

The up to £3 million competition is for UK organisations to work with partners in Africa to innovate in agriculture and food systems. UK businesses and research organisations can apply for a share of up to £3 million to develop and embed agri-tech and food chain innovations in Africa, collaborating with African countries. The funding, announced by International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt, is part of a package of support to help farmers across Africa grow their businesses and protect livestock. Funding in this Agri-tech Catalyst competition comes from the Department for International Development (DFID), with the process managed by Innovate UK. Read about how aid from DFID is supporting farmers across Africa to grow their businesses and protect livestock . The challenge in Africa Three-quarters of the poorest people in Africa (75%) live in rural areas and are reliant on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods. Yet, while agriculture and food systems are quickly evolving, uptake of new technologies and practices is low in African countries. For example, just 28% of cultivatable land in Africa grows modern crop varieties, compared with 65% worldwide. Action is needed to ensure that Africa can adapt in order to deliver a nutritious, sustainable and secure food supply that supports a healthy population. For UK organisations, there is an opportunity to apply agri-tech skills and knowledge to a new market, further innovate and support international development. Increase pace and scale up This competition aims to increase the pace of development and scale up innovative agricultural and food systems in Africa. It is looking for projects that transform how Africa approaches existing and new technologies and embraces change. These should target farmers and others involved in the food value chain including manufacturers, processors, retailers, distributors and wholesalers. Projects can be for early-stage feasibility studies, mid-stage industrial research or late-stage experimental development. They should: be sustainable and support environmental challenges such as climate change and resource scarcity minimise negative outcomes such as pollution, food losses and waste promote safe, healthy and nutritious diets for people They could include: primary crop and livestock production, including aquaculture non-food uses of crops, for everything excluding ornamentals challenges in food processing, distribution or storage, and adding value, such as through a change in the physical state or form of the product improving the availability and accessibility of safe, healthy and nutritious foods Other factors to consider are gender equality, particularly how empowering girls and women could tackle unequal access and control of assets and improve agricultural productivity or food security. Projects should also have the potential to benefit animal welfare. Competition information the competition is open and the deadline for registrations is at midday on 21 November 2018 to lead a project in the UK, you can be a business, academic organisation, charity, public sector or research organisation. You’ll need to work with at least one partner from an eligible African country projects can be carried out in the UK or in Africa projects can last between 1 year and 3 years with total costs between £100,000 and £1 million, depending on the project type you could get up to 70% of your eligible costs projects must start by 1 April 2019 you can register to attend an online briefing webinar on 10 September 2018 to find out more about the competition and how to make a quality application Find out more about this competition and apply .

Businesses can apply for a share of £3.5 million to demonstrate new ways to reduce carbon on the railways and improve customer experiences in stations. The £3.5 million funding opportunity for businesses will encourage innovation in the UK rail sector, demonstrate new technologies to customers and industry and build better railways for everyone. Innovate UK is launching this competition on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT) . It is being run through the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI). Find out more about SRBI and how it works . Read the initial competition announcement from the DfT . Growing demand and expectations Statistics show that the UK rail industry transported more than 1.7 billion passengers as well as millions of tonnes of freight last year. The number is likely to double within a decade. This, coupled with growing customer expectations, present a real challenge to the rail and light-rail industries. New technologies could help to meet the demand and offer more sustainable, quality services, journeys and better value to users. Greener railways and a better customer experience We are looking for well-developed innovations that are ready to be tested in an environment with railway customers and industry. The competition has 2 themes. In the first, projects should look at reducing the carbon footprint of railways across stations, rolling stock and infrastructure. Your project could focus on: building stations with a zero carbon footprint improving air quality in stations and across the network reducing noise and pollution finding alternatives to fossil fuels, batteries or dual power systems, or supporting cheaper electrification developing lightweight, energy-efficient rolling stock transferring knowledge from other sectors, such as automotive or aerospace making better use of energy generation and storage The second is inviting projects that use innovative technology to build a station of the future that improves the passenger experience. This could include: offering a seamless end-to-end journey supporting accessibility for all passengers developing ticketless gate lines and barrier-free access developing virtual assistant technology providing reliable, consistent information during disruption and delays Addressing the big 4 Funding is for integration and direct testing with users. Your project should gather feedback, show how it would benefit passengers and demonstrate a significant change for the rail industry. It must also look at: reducing costs by 50% or more doubling capacity halving carbon emissions improving the experiences of customers Competition information the competition opens on 8 October 2018 and the deadline for registration is midday on 21 November 2018 it is open to organisations of all sizes and sectors we expect to fund up to 12 projects with total costs of between £250,000 and £350,000, including VAT projects will be 100% funded briefing events will be held on 9 October 2018 in York , 11 October in London as well as an online webinar projects must start by 1 March 2019 and can last up to 9 months Find out more about this competition and apply .

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £5 million to develop new digital health products through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. Advancing new and novel digital technologies can significantly improve outcomes for patients and reduce costs for healthcare providers. Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation , has up to £5 million to invest in projects through the digital health technology catalyst – a programme that aims to accelerate the development of digital health innovations. The competition is part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to deliver leading-edge healthcare in the UK. This £181 million fund will transform how we develop and manufacture medicines and other healthcare products, such as digital technologies, to get the right drugs and treatments to patients when they need them. Find out more about the leading-edge healthcare challenge . Using real-world data This competition is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which will provide successful projects with its real-world data advisory services, DataLab. DataLab aims to connect expertise across the NHS and academia through the institute’s data research. It is a collaboration between NICE, the University of Manchester and Health Innovation Manchester. Successful applicants in the competition will be able to work with DataLab to get advice and consultancy across 4 main areas: the application and use of real-world data ensuring health data is secure how to evaluate digital health interventions additional scientific advice from NICE, and how to demonstrate the value of a project to the UK and international health systems Advancing health care through digital solutions Previous digital health technology catalyst winners include Neurofenix , whose tool helps patients that have had a stroke to recover. Neurofenix video Read more about digital health and medicines manufacturing projects that have recently received funding . Better healthcare solutions The competition is for collaborative research and development projects that span a variety of technologies, markets and healthcare needs and demonstrate the potential for significant innovation. Projects must do one or more of the following: improve health and wellbeing transform care to improve quality control costs and enable change Technologies could include: virtual and augmented reality artificial intelligence and machine learning the Internet of Things data analytics and security Ideas could be for use in a clinical or non-clinical setting. This could include digital technologies to: support clinical decision-making improve access to healthcare, support treatment compliance or patient-led management improve the patient experience from disease prevention through to diagnosis, treatment, recovery and long-term care overcome privacy challenges with managing, sharing and exploiting data create significant improvements in quality, speed, costs and outcomes Competition information the competition opens on 11 February 2019, and the deadline for applications is midday on 10 April 2019 to lead a project, you’ll need to be a UK-based small or medium-sized business (SME) SMEs can work alone or collaborate with others, including other businesses, NHS organisations, universities, research and technology organisations, public sector organisations or charities total costs can be between £300,000 and £1 million businesses could get up to 70% of their project costs projects can last up to 18 months. They must start by 1 October 2019 and must be completed by 1 March 2021 Find out more about this competition and apply

Up to £6 million funding to support new ideas that can help keep connected devices and applications safe and secure. Connected devices and sensors in our homes and workplaces – known as the Internet of Things (IoT) – offer huge potential for improving how we live and move around. We can measure health data, travel habits and energy use, predict demand for public services and support planning and management of critical national infrastructure. But as more devices become connected, the more vulnerable they are to sophisticated cyber security threats. This becomes even more important as critical applications for the IoT emerge. Innovate UK has up to £6 million to invest in organisations with ideas that address industry-focused cyber security-related challenges. The investment forms part of the UK Research and Innovation Strategic Priorities Fund, which supports the highest priorities identified by researchers and businesses. Find out more about the Strategic Priorities Fund . It is part of a set of measures by UK government to build increased security and protections into digital devices and online services. As well as this programme, this includes an up to £70 million investment through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to tackle digital security by design. Read the announcement . More resilient, intelligent systems The competition aims to join up the UK’s research base with industry to transfer knowledge and develop new products and services that tackle cyber security in the IoT. Projects should include artificial intelligence or machine learning and have a clear plan for commercialisation. They should focus on at least 1 of the following: operational resilience technologies that can protect and recover data intelligent control systems for industry, commercial and public sector buildings protection of people living in digital homes and their smart systems Projects could also look at complementary technologies, such as distributed ledger technologies that support the sharing of data across multiple locations, or 5G mobile networks. Competition information the competition opens on 18 February 2019 and the deadline for applications is at midday on 1 May 2019 UK-based businesses of any size can lead a project, working with other businesses, research organisations, public sector organisations or charities. Collaborations should involve at least one academic partner and one small or medium-sized enterprise businesses could receive up to 70% of their project costs total eligible project costs can be between £2.5 million and £4 million projects must start by 1 December 2019 and can last between 18 and 24 months projects that pass the written application stage will be invited to an interview panel between 1 and 5 July 2019 to present their ideas Find out more about this competition and apply .

Organisations can apply for a share of £1 million to identify innovative new technologies that improve security for the Internet of Things. The ‘internet of things’ is a network of sensors that communicate with their environment. This creates security problems and challenges. The aim of this competition is to identify new ways of meeting these challenges. Up to £1 million is available for phase 1 of this competition. Successful organisations will receive between £60,000 and £90,000 for projects lasting around 3 months. A further £1 million will be available for phase 2. The Centre for Defence Enterprise is funding this competition on behalf of UK intelligence agencies. This includes the Security Service (MI5), Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) (MI6). Proposals should show how they can: pull together data from a diverse environment operating across different protocols and standards show how 2 events/users/devices connect, based on the data gathered Competition information this competition is open now the deadline for applications is 5pm on 29 October 2015 we expect projects to last up to 3 months and range in value from £60,000 to £90,000 applicants can attend a briefing event in London on 1 October 2015 there will be a webinar on 8 October 2015 Find out more about this competition and apply Find out more about SBRI

Businesses are being challenged to come up with new ways to minimise the use of animals when researching skin metabolism and gene therapies. Under the CRACK IT challenge programme led by the National Centre for the Replacement Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) there are 2 challenges: the Metaboderm Challenge – a search for modelling techniques to establish absorption, distribution and metabolism properties of chemicals in skin the InMutaGene Challenge – to devise a new platform to assess the risks of gene therapies Successful new tests under the Metaboderm Challenge could help in the design and risk assessment of drugs and cosmetics applied to the skin. A new platform devised under the InMutaGene Challenge could help in the successful development of gene therapies for many disorders. The competition for 100% SBRI (Small Business Research Initiative) contracts is funded by NC3Rs and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). Multinational pharmaceutical and consumer product companies will sponsor the competition with in-kind contributions and support for the challenges. Business will be asked to explore approaches in the first phase of the competition. The most promising ideas could attract further funding for development in phase 2. Up to £2 million is available across both challenges. Competition information the competition opens on 14 September 2015 and the deadline for registration is noon 4 November 2015 up to 3 contracts of up to £100,000 are available for phase 1 projects under each challenge phase 1 projects should last 6 months and phase 2 projects 3 years projects are open to businesses working in collaboration with other businesses and academics a launch meeting takes place in central London on 10 September 2015 at which potential applicants can meet sponsors and learn more about the challenges Find out more about this competition and apply Find out more about SBRI

Organisations can apply for funding of up to £1 million for projects that help to replace, refine and reduce the use of animals in research. A new challenge-led funding competition aims to help replace, refine and reduce the use of animals in research. The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research ( NC3Rs ) runs annual CRACK IT Challenges to: minimise the use of animals in research fund collaborations between industry, academics and SMEs support the development of marketable products and/or improved business processes This year, NC3Rs and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) are funding two challenges: Metaboderm The challenge aims to develop new capability to understand and interpret human relevant skin metabolism. This includes rates of metabolism in the skin and approaches towards metabolite identification. InMutaGene This challenge aims to develop a new platform to address the risks of insertional mutagenesis / oncogenesis. It also aims to improve the efficiency of translational research in gene therapy. Each challenge offers a research contract through the SBRI programme with up to 3 years to complete the project. More information on these challenges can be found on the CRACK IT website . Competition information this competition is open now the registration deadline is noon on 4 November 2015 Find out more about this competition and apply Find out more about SBRI

Businesses can get an Innovation Voucher worth £5,000 to pay for an external expert to help them with cyber security. Innovate UK is offering businesses Cyber Security Innovation Vouchers worth up to £5,000. They can use these vouchers to pay for an external expert to give them advice on protecting their business against cyber attacks and on potential accreditation to Cyber Essentials. They can also use this advice to protect new business ideas and intellectual property in cyber security. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is investing £500,000 in the scheme with equal funding from Innovate UK. How Cyber Essentials certification works The Cyber Essentials programme helps organisations develop a secure platform for their business activities. They can also get accreditation to show that they’ve taken these precautions. Suppliers bidding for a government contract may need this accreditation. Since 2014, all suppliers handling certain sensitive and personal information need Cyber Essentials accreditation. There are 2 levels of certification available through the scheme: Cyber Essentials – an external assessor reviews the organisation’s responses to a questionnaire Cyber Essentials PLUS - an external assessor carries out tests of the organisation’s IT security systems Details of the Cyber Security Innovation Voucher competition This round of Cyber Security Innovation Vouchers closes at noon on 5 January 2016. Eligible applications will be entered into a draw and the winners chosen at random. To qualify for a Cyber Security Innovation Voucher organisations must: be starting up or running a micro, small or medium-sized UK business have not worked with this expert before need help with something that’s a real challenge for their business, not just a small improvement or change have not had an Innovation Voucher from Innovate UK or the Technology Strategy Board before Innovate UK will help winners access an expert from one of the following: universities and further education colleges research and technology organisations technical consultancies Catapult centres design advisers intellectual property advisers Find out more about this competition and apply

Innovative organisations can apply for a share of up to £1 million to develop new ways of improving aviation security screening. The Department for Transport and the Home Office are to invest up to £2 million in improving aviation security screening. As the aviation sector continues to grow, the threat to aviation security continues to evolve. The aim of this competition is to develop new technologies and approaches to enhance threat detection. At the same time, they should reduce the inconvenience of undergoing screening and of carrying out that screening. There should be a positive impact on the customer and the operator. Solutions should be in line with the government’s aim of creating a safer, more secure and sustainable transport system. This will help the government, the Civil Aviation Authority and the aviation industry continue to improve airport security processes. It will help them stay ahead of evolving threats and maintain a high level of confidence in threat detection. This competition seeks proposals to the following 2 challenges: screening people and their hand luggage screening aviation cargo and hold luggage The Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) is running this Small Businesses Research Initiative (SBRI) competition, which is part of the £25.5 million Future Aviation Security Solutions (FASS) programme. By 2021, the FASS programme aims to have made significant improvements to existing aviation security capabilities. It will do this by developing and exploiting technology, capabilities and knowledge. This competition is in 2 phases: phase 1 – funding of between £40,000 and £80,000 per project with total funding of £1 million available. We expect projects to last up to 6 months and be complete by the end of October 2017 phase 2 – £1 million will be available. Only projects funded in phase 1 will be eligible to take part Competition information phase 1 of this competition opens on Thursday 20 October 2016 the application deadline is 5pm on Thursday 19 January 2017 there will be a briefing for potential applicants on Thursday 17 November 2016 Find out more about this competition and apply online Get guidance from the CDE website on how to submit your proposal

Organisations can apply for a share of £3 million to show and evaluate the benefit of using swarms of unmanned air systems for defence. The Ministry of Defence is to invest up to £3 million in this ‘Many drones make light work’ competition. The aim is to find technology solutions that show and evaluate the benefits of using drones for defence. The challenge is to operate swarms of more than 20 unmanned air systems (UAS), also known as drones. A single operator should be able to coordinate these drones to fly closely coupled. They must be usable for military purposes in a contested environment. They must be also usable across the electro-magnetic spectrum. This means ranging from visible frequencies through to low frequency radio waves. The competition challenges are: open, modular UAS mission management of UAS swarms development of technology enablers for UAS swarms As well as developing technology components, proposals should show integrated system solutions. These should comprise technology components from more than one supplier. The competition has 2 phases: Phase 1 Up to £1 million is available. We expect to fund several projects, allocating between £40,000 and £80,000 each. Projects should last up to 6 months. Phase 2 Up to £2 million is available. This phase is open only to projects funded through phase 1 of the competition. Competition information This competition is open now The application deadline is Thursday 3 November 2016 There will be a briefing for potential applicants at the CDE Innovation Network event on Thursday 22 September 2016 Find out more about this competition and apply online

Organisations can apply for a share of £6 million to investigate new ways of using data to improve decision-making in defence. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has up to £3 million to invest in innovative new technologies, processes and ways of operating that improve the ability of defence staff to analyse and exploit data in decision-making. A further £3 million could be invested to develop the best ideas in a second phase of the competition. The MOD is seeking solutions in 3 challenge areas: rapid and automated integration of new sensors freeing up personnel by the innovative use of machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence for military advantage effective use of operator cognitive capacity, particularly by human-machine teaming The MoD is making more and more use of sensors. This means there is an increasingly large volume of complex data available to military operators and decision-makers. It needs to increase its ability to analyse data and quickly use it to make informed and effective decisions. This funding competition is part of SBRI (the Small Business Research Initiative). A first phase seeks initial ideas. Winners of phase 1 funding will compete in a second phase to develop the idea further. The competition will also see projects split between a fast track and standard track approach. The aim is to achieve greater pace but also to allow smaller companies and low maturity solutions to take part. Find out more about SBRI. Competition information the competition is open, and the deadline for phase 1 proposals is midday on 21 March 2017 SBRI is open to any organisation, and projects will attract 100% funded development contracts phase 1 fast track projects could attract up to £150,000 and are expected to last up to 3 months phase 1 standard track projects could attract up to £100,000 and are expected to last up to 6 months briefing events for potential applicants will be held on 23 February 2017 and 27 February 2017 Find out more about this competition and apply.

Businesses can win a share of £14 million to either develop quantum technology prototypes or establish technical or market feasibility. Innovate UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) are inviting business to apply for a share of up to £14 million to develop quantum technologies. Quantum technologies have the potential to significantly improve imaging and computing. We predict they will have a major impact on the finance, defence, aerospace, energy and telecommunications sectors. The competition aims to encourage collaborative research and development (CR&D) projects and feasibility studies that will either: develop prototype devices and demonstrators of quantum technologies or their component technologies improve the understanding of the technical, business or market challenges of taking a new device or service to market Find out more about Innovate UK’s work in the emerging and enabling technologies sector . There are 2 streams of the competition to support technologies at different stages of development. Feasibility studies This competition strand is seeking collaborative feasibility studies that will improve understanding of the technical or market feasibility of a product or service. Projects can be technical or non-technical projects and focus on understanding the business or market opportunity and challenges. They should last between 6 and 12 months with costs from £50,000 to £500,000. Collaborative R&D Projects in the collaborative research and development strand should be challenge-led. We are looking to fund projects that produce prototype devices and demonstrators with a clear commercial application or market need. They should last between 12 and 18 months with costs from £500,000 to £2 million. Competition information this competition is open and the deadline for registration is midday on Wednesday 29 March 2017 proposals must be collaborative and a UK-based business must lead the project there will be briefing events for potential applicants in Edinburgh (21 February) and Birmingham (2 March) Find out more about this competition and apply .

Organisations can apply for up to £2 million SBRI funding for projects reducing the threat from terrorists and explosives in public spaces. The Home Office is to invest up to £2 million in ideas that will reduce the threat from terrorists and the use of explosives and weapons in public spaces by using the crowd as a sensor. Funding is available for the development of technologies that will use the crowd to identify a threat by: detecting the crowd’s conscious and sub-conscious reaction to threats training the public to spot threats enabling the crowd to report threats This competition seeks proposals for technologies, systems and behavioural sciences. This is a Defence and Security Accelerator and Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition. It’s part of the Home Office security-related science and technology programme. This is phase 1 of a 2-phase competition. Competition details this competition is open now the application deadline is midday on 20 September 2017 there will be an innovation network event on 27 July 2017 SBRI is open to any type of organisation successful projects will attract 100% funded development contracts up to £1 million is available for phase 1 of this competition up to £1 million will be available for phase 2 Find out more about this competition and apply online .

Organisations can apply for a share of £200,000 to examine ways of improving school transport for pupils in Northern Ireland. The Education Authority (EA) in Northern Ireland has up to £200,000 to invest in smart transport projects that improve the way it delivers home-to-school transport. Around 89,000 school-age pupils in Northern Ireland currently use school transport assistance provided by EA, including 50,000 that receive paid for passes for Translink public transport services and 25,000 that use authority-owned buses free of charge. Smart solutions for transport challenges The authority is looking for projects that examine ways of: improving convenience for pupils, for example, by replacing physical passes and loading lists with smart alternatives understanding usage patterns, for example, by facilitating data capture on each individual trip made by each pupil improving fleet logistics by analysing data received on routes used and vehicle telematics improving pupil safety and security, for example, through a system of alerts on bus timings or if a pupil unexpectedly fails to board a service linking with other transport providers Funding will be for feasibility studies under the SBRI (Small Business Research Initiative) programme. Extra funding could be available to develop promising ideas under a second phase of the competition. Find out more about SBRI. Competition information the competition is open, and the deadline for submission of tenders is 3pm on 1 December 2017 we expect phase 1 contracts to range in size up to £50,000 and be completed by April 2018 SBRI is open to any organisation that can demonstrate a route to market for its idea successful projects will attract 100% funded development contracts a briefing event will be held on 1 November 2017 Find out more about this competition and register to apply.

Up to £10 million is available in loans to UK SMEs in a pilot programme offered by Innovate UK. Small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) working on late-stage infrastructure systems projects can apply for a share of £10 million in a pilot loans competition – the first opportunity to access Innovate UK’s new alternative financial support scheme. This loans competition aims to help businesses overcome barriers to scaling up innovation in infrastructure systems. It will do this by enabling them to demonstrate their ideas work as expected in real-world applications with users, and take their solutions to market. It was announced today at Innovate 2017 . Smarter, better infrastructure The growing, ageing population, increased urbanisation and urgent need to reduce carbon emissions calls for new and novel infrastructure solutions. But developing, testing and commercialising new ideas in this sector can be risky. You could get an innovation loan of up to £1 million for a first of a kind deployment of infrastructure technologies. Demonstrator projects must be in one of Innovate UK’s priority areas. These are: smart infrastructure, adding intelligence to improve physical infrastructure or the design process urban living, addressing the challenges people face in urban areas in order to improve user experience and lower costs. This could be: ‘hard’ systems, such as energy, transport, waste, water and communication ‘soft’ systems, such as security, law and justice (for example, public order and safety), health, wellbeing, social care and education ‘environmental’ systems such as green spaces and waterways energy supply and systems, specifically improving the value proposition, affordability, emissions and security of energy connected transport, looking at solutions that move people and goods more efficiently and sustainably, and make transport more secure, user-centric and accessible Find out more about how we support infrastructure systems . Introducing innovation loans This is the first time Innovate UK has run a loans competition. Innovations need different types of funding support depending on how close they are to market. Getting the right funding at the right time can scale up businesses’ productivity and growth. We believe that a patient, flexible loan scheme will be useful for innovations that are near to market, where there is less risk involved. A pilot loan scheme worth up to £50 million will be offered over the next 2 years. Loans will be made through Innovate UK Loans Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Innovate UK. Learn about innovation loans . About the infrastructure systems loan competition the loans competition is open, and the deadline for registration is 10 January 2018 you could get between £100,000 to £1 million to cover up to 100% of eligible project costs this opportunity is for UK-based SMEs applications can only be made by single SMEs loans are for late-stage experimental development only they are available for up to 10 years there is a briefing event for applicants on 16 November 2017 Find out more and apply for an infrastructure systems innovation loan .

Digital and technology companies are invited to pitch innovative solutions to the challenge of identifying online still image propaganda created by Daesh. Daesh poses a threat to UK national security as it seeks to expand its terror network, using propaganda to radicalise and recruit citizens from the UK and across the world. The Home Office already has the technology to determine 94% of Daesh videos with 99.995% accuracy. However, 80% of Daesh media is still imagery. These images, tailored for local markets, rarely contain consistent features meaning innovation is needed to have the same success as for video. We are looking for concepts that can be developed into workable solutions. Winning companies will be awarded up to £50,000 to develop their ideas. A further £500,000 may be available to continue development and test the successful solutions in the public sector. There are 5 different challenge competitions in the first GovTech Catalyst round. This challenge competition closes on 27 June 2018. Registration for this competition closes on 20 June 2018. No late applications can be accepted. Why pitch a solution to a GovTech challenge competition The GovTech challenge is your opportunity to help improve vital public services while growing your business. We’re looking for firms to come up with smart solutions to fix public-sector problems. You’ll get the opportunity to work with high-profile public-sector partners and to raise your profile both nationally and internationally. How to pitch a solution Companies can pitch a solution to an open challenge competition on the Innovation Funding Service website . Each challenge competition page includes information on how to apply, the dates, funding available, project scope and challenge context. There will also be launch events for each challenge competition where interested companies can meet people from the public sector body responsible for the challenge (the challenge owner). Sign up to the GovTech community mailing list for dates and more information. You can also join the GovTech Catalyst team at monthly meetups to connect the GovTech sector to the public sector. Round 1 competition schedule Identifying Daesh still imagery (open 14 May to 27 June 2018) Tracking waste through the waste chain (open 11 June to 18 July 2018) Tackling loneliness and rural isolation (opening July 2018) Cutting traffic congestion (opening August 2018) Deploying smart sensors on council vehicles to improve services (opening September 2018) You can see an updated timeline of GovTech Catalyst competitions and challenges . About the GovTech Catalyst GovTech aims to encourage small, emerging technology businesses to create and develop innovative solutions to public services, that once proven can move to scale both to the advantage of markets and society. Read more about the GovTech Catalyst programme aims . GovTech Catalyst competitions help the public sector identify and work with cutting edge technology firms. They use the SBRI process , supported by Innovate UK . Read how public sector bodies submit challenges .

Wide range of innovative business project funding opportunities from different UK government departments Businesses can apply for development contracts in a range of sectors, to help public sector organisations and government departments use innovation to solve their problems. Find out more about the SBRI scheme Wave Energy Scotland - feasibility studies Wave Energy Scotland is aiming to reduce the duration, cost and risk of offshore operations for early stage wave energy converters. This competition focusses on the technology and operations used to make the connection between a wave energy device and its moorings and/or electrical system. The competition is open for applications and closes at midday on 16 September 2019. Find out more and apply CivTech 4.0 challenges CivTech, part of the Scottish Government’s digital directorate, has launched a number of challenges offering SBRI funding. There are 11 challenges all running on separate deadlines. Find out more details and how to apply UK Seafood Innovation Fund The Seafood Innovation Fund is a 3-year, £10 million research and development (R&D) fund focusing on: delivering longer term, cutting-edge innovation across the seafood sector helping to take innovative ideas from early stage research to commercial viability This competition aims to support the development and testing of innovative technologies across a range of sector areas including: primary producers onshore supply chains marine and diadromous fisheries marine and land-based aquaculture There are 2 options for applicants: smaller feasibility studies designed to test new ideas (proof of concept) and can be up to a maximum £50,000 value and 3 months’ duration larger full R&D projects for more developed ideas, up to a maximum value of £250,000 and 18 months’ duration The competition is open and the closing date is midday on 12 September. Find out more and apply 2019 CRACK IT challenges NC3Rs has announced 3 new challenges for 2019: Sharp and to the point – developing needles for high throughput and critical compound administration in mice CleanCut – animal free tumourigenicity assessment of genome edited human haematopoietic stem cells Transgene Track – development of a sensitive absolute quantification method for tracking AAV gene therapies and CAR-T cells in vivo Register for the 11 September launch event by 4 September Find out more about the CRACK IT challenges Point-of-care diagnostics at the frontline The Defence and Security Accelerator is seeking proposals for innovative ‘point of care’ diagnostics technologies that provide earlier diagnosis, improved treatment and long-term health outcomes for individuals exposed to chemical and biological hazards. The competition is open and closes on 26 September 2019 at midday. Read the competition news story Read the detailed competition notice and apply for funding

UK organisations can express an interest in seeking funding to develop receivers for a future UK global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The UK Space Agency is to invest in research and development that explores challenges and ideas around receivers for a future UK global navigation satellite system. Global navigation satellite systems are being used more and more to support basic functions in fields such as transport, agriculture and science. They are also an important element in national security. The UK Space Agency is seeking organisations interested in investigating and developing concepts for satellite system receivers. The best ideas could be awarded contracts in a later stage of the competition under the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI). Find out more about SBRI. Organisations can develop original ideas Projects could develop original ideas or adapt successful technologies from other cutting-edge science and technology fields. The competition aims to look at the feasibility of the ideas, and projects could look at them from several perspectives including: identifying and understanding the impact and potential of state-of-the-art technologies and capabilities technical readiness and scope for innovation improved security features, including innovations in authentication and trust ability for the receivers to be used by a wide range of sectors innovative concepts of implementation and operation Competition information the competition opens on 21 October 2019, and the deadline is at midday on 13 November 2019 organisations of any size may express an interest contract sizes and duration will be briefed at an industry day on 28 November Find out more about this competition and apply.

Businesses can express an interest in a share of £30 million to tackle barriers to new products and services that exploit latest quantum technologies. New products and services based on the latest quantum technologies could transform the automotive, healthcare, infrastructure, telecommunications, cybersecurity and defence sectors. Quantum physics underpins the electronics, media, computing and infrastructure systems we use in our daily life. A second generation of quantum technologies based on new quantum effects potentially offers more secure digital communication, improved construction and radical increases in computing power. Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, has up to £30 million to invest in projects that remove technological barriers to speeding up commercialisation of these quantum technologies. The funding is from the UK government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. Find out more about the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Commercialising Quantum Technologies Challenge. Projects must use latest quantum technology Projects should involve at least 2 partners and must look at removing a technological barrier to speeding up commercialisation of second-generation quantum technologies. They must address at least one of the following areas: connectivity: techniques for securing data in storage and in flight situational awareness including autonomous systems, sensors and detectors for the built environment, transport and infrastructure, imaging and sensing of things currently invisible transformational computing to solve intractable problems 2-phase competition Potential projects express an interest in the first phase. If they are successful, they will be invited to apply for funding in the second phase. Find out more about applying for Innovate UK funding. Competition information the competition opens on 28 October 2019, and the deadline for expressions of interest is at midday on 27 November 2019 businesses of any size may apply we expect total costs of projects to range in size between £4 million and £20 million a briefing event takes place on 30 October 2019 Find out more about this competition and express an interest.

Organisations can apply for a share of up to £30 million to develop ways to support safe operations of novel modes of air transportation – minimising the environmental footprint and improving connectivity. Flying taxis, drones delivering medical supplies, small electric aircraft, vertical take-off and landing vehicles and autonomous aircraft are some of the innovations that could transform aviation and broader transportation in the future. New systems and technologies must be developed to allow them to use existing airports and airspace to fly in and around rural and urban environments. New business models must be created, and the public must have confidence in new services. The government has set aside £125 million as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Future Flight Challenge to make the UK a world leader in aviation systems, products and markets. The funding supports development of capabilities to enable safe operations of these new modes of air transportation. Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, has up to £30 million from the fund to support projects that develop and demonstrate integrated aviation systems for new electric and autonomous aircraft. Find out more about the Future Flight Challenge. Projects should help new aircraft to fly in and out Projects should aim to develop and demonstrate integrated aviation systems that allow drones, urban aircraft or electric regional aircraft to fly in and out of airports, airspace, and rural and urban environments. They should take a ‘system of systems’ approach and could focus on several areas including: air traffic management and unmanned traffic management systems physical and digital infrastructure to support future flight autonomy digital and communications systems new business models public acceptance transport integration vehicle technologies enabling integration to new aviation systems simulation non-aerospace regulation viable, challenging, use cases total security systems There are two strands to the competition, one for smaller fast-track projects and the second for larger consortia undertaking more ambitious projects. Applications are sought from businesses that work in the aviation sector and from businesses outside the sector that can bring in new technologies. Find out more about how to apply for Innovate UK funding. Strand 1 the competition is open, and the closing date is at midday on 1 July 2020 projects must be led by an SME working with at least one other business, research organisation, public sector organisation or charity we expect projects to range in size between £150,000 and £500,000 and to last between 6 and 18 months a briefing event will be held on 19 May 2020 Find out more about strand 1 of this competition and how to apply. Strand 2 the competition is open, and the closing date is at midday on 1 July 2020 projects can be led by businesses of any size but must include at least 1 SME as a project partner we expect projects to range in size between £500,000 and £10 million and to last between 6 and 18 months a briefing event will be held on 19 May 2020 Find out more about strand 2 of this competition and how to apply.

Businesses can apply for a share of up to £10 million to support development of innovative battery technologies for electric vehicles. There is a growing global demand for new and more efficient batteries to support the switch to electric transport. This demand is driven by plans by the UK and other governments to ban the sale of conventional petrol and diesel vehicles within the next two decades. The battery supply chain could be worth £12 billion to the UK economy by 2025 if the country can establish itself as a global leader in battery technology. The UK government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Faraday Battery Challenge has up to £317 million to help businesses and researchers to develop market-leading battery technologies. Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, has up to £10 million from the fund to invest in feasibility studies and in research and development into promising and innovative battery technologies. Find out more about the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Faraday Battery Challenge Work could include battery cost, efficiency, and recycling Projects can focus on a variety of improvements to battery technologies for the propulsion of electric vehicles. They could look at automotive applications or other sectors such as rail, marine, aerospace, defence, or off-highway vehicles where innovation could meet challenging performance requirements or enable electrification. Areas of work could include: cost reduction at the cell and pack level and in manufacturing increasing energy density of battery cells increasing the power density of battery packs eliminating thermal runaway risks lengthening cell and pack life broadening the temperature ranges for efficient operation of a pack new models to better predict range and battery health recyclability, including second life, design for end of life, reuse, or recycling technologies enabling the efficient design, development, or manufacture of batteries next-generation battery technologies Find out more about applying for Innovate UK funding. Competition information for feasibility studies the competition is open, and the deadline for applications is at 11am on 9 December 2020 projects can be led by a business of any size working with other businesses or researchers projects could range in size between £100,000 and £1 million and last between 3 and 12 months Find out more about this competition and apply. Competition information for research and development the competition is open, and the deadline for applications is at 11am on 9 December 2020 projects can be led by a business of any size working with other businesses or researchers projects could range in size between £300,000 and £1.5 million and last between 3 and 12 months Find out more about this competition and apply.

Seeking low-collateral solutions to counter hostile Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS), used for contraband delivery, surveillance near prisons and sensitive sites Introduction This UKDI (UKDI) competition is run on behalf of Ministry of Justice (MOJ), His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), Ministry of Defence (MOD), the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), Home Office, Police, Innovate UK and wider UK security stakeholders. It is seeking proposals that offer innovative, low-collateral solutions to counter or defeat hostile drones targeting secure sites and locations. Drones, or ‘uncrewed aerial systems’ (UAS), pose a growing challenge when used for contraband delivery, surveillance and disruption near prisons, sensitive sites or critical national infrastructure, including in congested urban areas. The end-users for the solutions would include HMPPS security teams , MOD, police, law enforcement agencies, and operational staff, these groups need solutions to work alongside existing ‘last line of defence’ technology that are activated when other mitigation measures fail. This competition focuses on two competition challenge areas: Challenge 1: Higher TRL Solutions must reach technology readiness level(TRL) 7 by the end of the project. maximum project length is within 3-6 months Challenge 2: Medium TRL Concepts for Future Capability must reach TRL 4 or 5 maximum project length 12 months Competition key information Key Information Competition Details Submission deadline 12:00 Midday on 31 March 2026 (BST) Total funding available Up to £1.85m (excluding VAT). A number of proposals may be funded. Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Challenge 1 must reach TRL7 and Challenge 2 must reach TRL4 or 5 Contract start month Aim to start Early Aug 2026 Project duration Equal to or less than 12 months Cyber Risk Assessment (CRA) number and risk level RAR-LJCLJ3E, Cyber Risk Profile – Level 1 Feedback release date 24 June 2026 Pre-sift criteria See Section 8 Pre-sift Criteria UKDI Webinar: Countering Illegal Use of UAS Around Prisons and Sensitive Sites