Looking for funding for your business innovations?
We’ve rounded up the relevant public funding and competitions that have been announced and are open for applications in December. You can also find out more about public and private funding sources in our online directory
Audience of the Future: the Investor Accelerator
Monday 4th March sees the launch of the next phase of the ISCF Audience of the Future (AotF) Challenge with a new Investor Accelerator (IA) fund. It will support the commercial development of significant innovation in the UK immersive tech sector through simultaneous grant funding from Innovate UK and venture capital investment from investor partners in UK creative and immersive businesses.
The IA will identify new and emerging innovation in the fast growing sector and pre-approve high quality R&D and potentially high growth companies for selected investors, making it an ideal opportunity for new deal flow. This competition is part of the £33m investment made by Government through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund in the UK’s creative and immersive tech sector. Find out more about the Investor Accelerator and briefing events for investors
Innovate UK Smart Grants: February 2019
UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £20m to deliver ambitious or disruptive R&D innovations with significant potential for impact on the UK economy. Closes 24th April
SBRI Keeping prescription continuity whilst moving between care providers
Organisations can apply for a share of £1.25m to develop a solution to improve the medication pathway for people entering custody. Closes 13th March
March expression of interest: UK Aerospace Research and Technology
The UK Aerospace Research and Technology Programme provides grant funding to industrial research and capital project to encourage innovation in UK civil aerospace. Closes 20th March
Analysis for Innovators: round 4 expression of interest
UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £4m to work with the best scientists and research facilities to resolve productivity and competitiveness issues. Closes 20th March
SBRI Police custody welfare, remote screening and monitoring system
Organisations can apply for a share of £150k to develop an integrated remote monitoring screening solution for the care of people in custody. Closes 20th March
Biomedical Catalyst 2019 round 1: feasibility and primer awards
UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £3m to explore and evaluate the commercial potential of a scientific idea to solve a healthcare challenge. Closes 3rd April
Biomedical Catalyst 2019 round 1: early and late stage awards
UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £7m to explore and evaluate the commercial potential of a scientific idea to solve a healthcare challenge. Closes 3rd April
Digital health technology catalyst round 4: collaborative R&D
UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £5m to develop new digital health solutions. Projects can use the services of the NICE DataLab to help with real world data. This funding is from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. Closes 10th April
SBRI Developing a travel network management system for new mobility
Organisations can apply for a share of £250k to develop innovative ideas on how to integrate new mobility options in network management centres. Closes 10th April
Spark: The Home Innovation Challenge
The Design Council is looking to help turn bright ideas into brilliant home improvement products that have the potential to help people facing mobility, dexterity or cognitive issues to do day-to-day tasks and make home life better and more enjoyable. Through its partnership with Alzheimer’s Society, it is looking specifically at products designed to aid people affected by dementia. Closes 12th April
SBRI First of a Kind (FoaK) round 3
This £5.5m SBRI competition fully funds projects and aims to get market-ready technologies from other sectors onto the railways. Round 3 focuses on 4 areas; operational resilience, infrastructure resilience, freight, noise and environmental issues. Register your interest by 17th April
Business Basics 2 – SME productivity (proof of concept)
A share of up to £2m is available to run proof of concept project aimed at how to encourage SMEs to adopt productivity boosting technology or management practices. Closes 17th April
Business Basics 2 – SME productivity (non-business led trials)
A share of up to £2m is available to run proof of concept project aimed at how to encourage SMEs to adopt productivity boosting technology or management practices. Closes 17th April
Business Basics 2 – SME productivity (business led trials)
A share of up to £2m is available for trials to build evidence on how to encourage SMEs to adopt productivity boosting technology or management practices. Closes 17th April
Demonstrators addressing cyber security challenges in the Internet of Things
UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £6m for collaborative R&D projects addressing major cyber security challenges in the Internet of Things. Closes 1st May
SBRI Developing digital roads and improving air quality
Working with Innovate UK, Highways England has up to £20m, running across 2 competitions, for UK organisations with projects to change the way UK roads are designed, managed and used. This competition is for proven feasibility projects at development stage. Closes 8th May
UK and Canada: enhancing industrial productivity
UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £5m to develop innovative technologies targeting global markets with Canadian partners. Closes 2nd May
Transforming Construction Challenge
Over £18m is being invested through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) in R&D and innovation projects to support a more efficient, highly skilled and productive construction industry by harnessing AI and digital design technologies. Read more
New funding for UK organisations to innovate with global partners
Innovate UK has up to £6m to support businesses across 2019. Part of the EUREKA Cluster programme, the funding is spread across three competitions, it will create highly-competitive, groundbreaking technologies, in tiny, micro and nano electronic devices to the next-generation 5G network. The first competition is now inviting ideas for projects – with a deadline of 1st March. Read more
Image courtesy of Tim Mossholder on Unpslash