Analysis for innovators

Key Features

Businesses can apply for a share of £6.5 million to work with world-leading organisations on solutions to analysis/measurement problems

Programme:     Innovate UK

Award:     Up to £175,000

Opens: 9th Jan 2017

Closes: 1st Feb 2017

! This scheme is now closed

The aim of this competition is to help companies overcome intractable product, manufacturing or process performance problems through advanced measurement and analytical technologies. The ultimate aim is to improve companies’ overall performance and productivity.

Innovate UK are looking to fund projects that can show the negative business impact of an existing process or product variability.

Examples of the types of business problems include, but are not limited to:

  • poorly understood structure and properties of emerging technology products where the business impact is high
  • undesirable variation in product or process performance, where the root cause is not understood, but the negative business impact is high
  • repeated unexplained product failures
  • lack of precision in composition measurement or flow of multi-component systems, or processes
  • lack of detailed understanding of structure, mechanism or function, preventing further product enhancements

The latest analytical technologies and data analysis approaches may be able to identify the root causes of problems. They may also be able to enhance control measures for products or processes.

Examples of technologies that could be made available under the scheme include, but are not limited to:

  • ultra-sensitive elemental and chemical structure analysis techniques
  • dimensional measurement of complex or miniaturised parts
  • non-destructive inspection technologies and engineering measurements
  • ultra-trace nucleic acid detection technologies
  • next generation sequencing technologies
  • advanced hyphenated mass spectrometry tools and techniques
  • ultra-precise flow measurement of complex fluids
  • advanced imaging tools and techniques
  • analysis and modelling requiring novel sequential or parallel processing approaches
  • environmental measurements
  • electromagnetic technologies
  • other technologies, as recommended by an expert panel

Please note, at stage 1, applicants do not need to know what analysis or measurement is required, or how to do it.

Eligibility

  • You can be a UK-based business of any size
  • Carry out your project in the UK
  • Work with one of the 4 partner organisations (Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC), National Physical Laboratory (NPL), LGC or NEL) in stage 2.

Funding and project details

A business must lead the project, and collaborate with at least 1 of the 4 partner organisations listed above.

Stream 1

Stream 2

  • Eligible project costs to be £50,000 or above in total for both you and the funding partner, you can receive funding for a percentage of the total costs.

Stream 2 funding also applies where you expect your eligible projects costs to be under £50,000 but you are not eligible for funding under the de minimus scheme.

The rules for this funding stream are different from other Innovate UK collaborative competitions. You can receive funding for a percentage of both your costs and the costs of the expertise from funding partners, but you must pay the remainder yourself, both of your own costs and your funding partners.

The percentage of total project costs (including costs of partner expertise) that is paid varies but you could get up to 70% if you are a SME.

Innovate UK are primarily seeking to fund industrial research or feasibility studies.

Projects are expected to last 3 to 11 months and range in size from total costs of £50,000 to £250,000, depending on the type of project.