Manufacturing and materials round 3

The aim of this competition is to stimulate and broaden innovation in manufacturing and materials. Innovate UK will fund a range of projects that address identified technical or commercial challenges.

Projects should increase productivity, competitiveness and growth for UK businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

A project may focus on technical feasibility, industrial research or experimental development. The categorisation will depend on the type of challenge being addressed.

For example, this may be achieved by:

• developing materials for ease of manufacture
• addressing the manufacturing readiness of growing sectors
• developing materials for targeted performance specifications

You can find further examples here.

A project must cover at least one, from either of, the following areas:

• innovation in a manufacturing system, technology, process or business model
• innovation in materials development, properties, integration or reuse

Examples of these, can be found here.

For this competition, materials include but are not limited to:

• nanomaterials
• ceramics
• metals and inter-metallics
• polymers
• composites
• coatings
• smart materials
• joining of dissimilar materials

You must show how your proposal will enable a step change in competitiveness and productivity for at least one UK SME involved in the project.

• Your project must focus on a manufacturing or materials innovation, rather than a product innovation. This means the main challenge and risk in the project will be in the manufacturing process or materials development.
• An element of production innovation could be in scope. For example, a process or materials innovation could depend on a product innovation, such as a tool or piece of equipment. The main purpose of that product innovation would be to enable the manufacturing process or materials innovation.
• Projects for manufacturing and/or materials innovations with the potential to impact on more than one application sector are encouraged.

Eligibility

To be eligible you must:

• be a UK-based business or research and technology organisation (RTO)
• carry out your project work, and intend to exploit the results, in the UK
• be an SME if you wish to work alone on a project no longer than 12 months and with costs of less than £100,000
• work in collaboration with others (businesses, research base and/or third sector), if your project has costs over £100,000 and/or is longer than 12 months

Funding and project details

Project costs of up to £100,000

If you are an SME and expect your eligible project costs to be up to £100,000 and the project to last no longer than 12 months, you may run the project on your own. You may also work with other businesses or research organisations.

Project costs of £100,000 or above

If you expect your eligible project costs to be more than £100,000 or the project to last longer than 12 months, you must work with other organisations. At least one of these must be an SME.

• Projects are expected to last 6 months to 3 years
• Projects are expected to range in size from total costs of £50,000 to £2 million. This will depend on the type of research activity you are carrying out

Project types

Your project may focus on technical feasibility, industrial research or experimental development. This will depend on the challenge.

For technical feasibility studies and industrial research, you could receive up to 70% of your eligible project costs if you are an SME.

For experimental development projects that are nearer to market, you could receive up to 45% of your eligible project costs if you are an SME.