Innovate UK

Projects should aim to lead to new products, processes or services (or novel use of existing ones) believed to be significantly ahead of anything similar in the field. They must focus on commercialisation, growth or scale-up.

The competition scope will specify the category of R&D activity for that particular funding opportunity.

Innovate UK supports the following R&D categories:

• Fundamental research means experimental or theoretical work primarily to gain new knowledge of underlying phenomena and visible facts without any direct practical application or usage
• Feasibility studies: means of analysing and evaluating a project’s potential, aimed at supporting the decision-making process. This is achieved by uncovering its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and identifying the resources needed and the prospects for success.
• Industrial research means planned research or critical investigation to gain new knowledge and skills. This should be for product development, processes or services that improve existing products, processes or services.
• Experimental development means acquiring, combining, shaping and using existing scientific, technological, business and other relevant knowledge and skills to develop new or improved products, processes or services.

Each Innovate UK competition will have a different set of criteria your application must meet.

But there are a few general standards that all applications should adhere to.

Make sure the application does not:

• Deliberately increase word count using punctuation.
• Use unprofessional, aggressive or threatening language.
• Have a notable lack of content.
• Have no evident innovation.

The application will be rejected if it:

• Is the same as, or very similar to, a project that has received public funds previously.
• Is the same as, or very similar to, another application.

Has already been submitted for assessment in 2 other competitions.

If you are a UK-based business, you can apply for funding. All kinds of companies are eligible, from startups to large multi-national corporations.

If you are a UK-based business, you can apply for funding to:

• Test the feasibility of your idea and make sure it will work.
• Create a new product, process, or service, or improve an existing one through research and development.
• Work with other business or research organisations on collaborative projects.

Innovate UK focus their main activities on five strategic themes:

1. Future economy: what the UK economy will be like in the future.
2. Growth at scale: how companies can grow and scale up.
3. Global opportunities: helping build new supply chains, positioning UK companies as the partners of choice and attracting inward investment.
4. Innovation ecosystem: working with partners to ensure our system offers excellent support for business innovation.
5. Government levers: helping the government support business innovation through procurement, standards, codes, regulation and other levers.

Learn more about these on the UKRI website: https://www.ukri.org/about-us/innovate-uk/our-plan-for-action/ 

Preparation of an Innovate UK application takes 150 to 300 hours of work.

You will need the right combination of people to cover the application's key aspects: the technology, market knowledge, commercialisation plan, and financial details.

Only applications that meet the funding competition’s eligibility criteria and scope are sent for assessment. You will be notified if your application is out of scope, with full reasons why.

Applications are assessed by up to five independent assessors, who judge the applications against the same scoring criteria. The assessors provide written feedback for each scored question.

All applications are judged on individual merit, with the Innovate UK funder’s panel making the final funding decision.

Some competitions are subject to a ‘portfolio’ approach to ensure that funds are allocated across the strategic areas of the competition’s scope. All successful applications must meet a quality threshold.

Your Innovate UK application is more likely to succeed if it:

• Shows how the project results in a real innovation and doesn’t replicate products currently on the market.
• Provides a convincing company description which explains why you are more likely to succeed than a competitor.
• Includes a clear and thorough description of the business opportunity, not just the project description.
• Demonstrates a clear understanding of the target market, including commercialisation and competitor information.

Innovate UK applications are scored by up to five external assessors who are experts in the area of innovation identified in the application. These experts represent both business and research sectors.

Innovate UK aims to inform you whether or not your project will be funded around three months after the submission deadline.

Assessor feedback is provided on all applications. This is usually four weeks after you are notified of a decision.

For Innovate UK, project costs are only eligible if they are incurred and paid between the project start and end dates. These claims may be subject to an independent audit. Grants are claimed quarterly, in arrears, and are paid once the required audits and reports are complete.