Future Flight Phase 2: Fast Track Development

Overview

Innovate UK will invest up to £30 million in innovation projects as part of phase 2 of the Future Flight Challenge.

This competition will fund projects that develop integrated aviation systems and/or vehicle technologies that enable new classes of electric or autonomous air vehicles. Solutions should be able to be integrated into a mature operational environment, ensuring safe and reliable operation in flight and on the ground.

Scope

The aim of the competition is to develop and demonstrate integrated aviation systems enabling the introduction of new classes of electric and/or autonomous air vehicles. These could include drones, urban air mobility vehicles or electric regional aircraft.

A ‘system of systems’ approach is required to address the interdependencies between vehicles, the airspace and the broader infrastructure of aviation, including operators, service providers and end users. Projects are expected to address the integration challenges of new air vehicles, and by default their innovative capabilities, for example autonomy, into the aviation system. The aviation system is the operational framework into which air vehicles fly in and out of airports, airspace, rural and urban environments.

Projects are sought in the following areas:

1. Development. The development of a system of capabilities which will lead to a specific use case demonstration. This demonstration can be within the timescales of phase 2 or could require further activity to develop and demonstrate in phase 3. In either case, Innovate UK will require a roadmap for your proposed activities in both phases.
2. Enabling. Development of enabling systems of capabilities that could be used nationally, aiding UK registered businesses collectively to accelerate commercialisation whilst influencing international regulatory developments. Innovate UK are particularly interested in the development of national capabilities in:

• networks of test facilities
• data infrastructure
• aviation system simulations or “digital twins”

Exclusions

Innovate UK are not funding:

• projects which only focus on aircraft technology development, such as ones with consortia made up entirely of aerospace manufacturers
• applications solely focussed on defence or space applications of autonomous and/or electric flight
• fundamental research or experimental development projects

 
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Specific Themes

For development projects, you can focus one or more of the following but will ideally take a ‘system of systems’ approach covering several of:

• air traffic management (ATM) and unmanned traffic management (UTM) systems
• both physical and digital infrastructure to support future flight objectives
• autonomy
• digital and communications systems
• new business models
• public acceptance
• transport integration
• vehicle technologies enabling integration to the new aviation systems
• simulation
• non-aerospace regulation
• viable, challenging, use cases
• total security systems

This is not an exhaustive list. Projects not on this list but can address the Future Flight Challenge objectives may also be considered in scope.

Eligibility

To lead a project your organisation must:

• be a UK registered SME
• carry out its project work in the UK
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• collaborate with other businesses, research organisations, public sector organisations or charities

The lead and at least one other organisation must claim funding.

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must:

• be a UK registered business, public sector organisation, charity or research and technology organisation (RTO)
• carry out its project work in the UK
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• be invited to take part by the lead organisation
• enter its costs in the Innovation Funding Service

Your project can include partners that do not receive any of this competition’s funding, for example non-UK businesses. Their costs will count towards the total eligible project costs. They must be entered into an appendix to question 10 and not into the finance summary in your application.

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition. Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the European Economic Area (EEA). Subcontractor costs are expected to be justified and appropriate to the total eligible project costs.

Funding Costs

Up to £30 million has been allocated across the 2 strands to fund innovation projects in this phase 2 competition.

Your project’s total eligible costs must be between £150,000 and £500,000

In addition to the match funding, projects must also state in their application:

• how much follow-on investment is expected in the 24 months after project completion
• and how this will be reported to Innovate UK

All projects must end by 30 March 2022. Projects can last between 6 months and 18 months.

Shorter duration projects that can deliver rapid impact are welcomed.

If your organisation is primarily engaged in commercial or economic activity (known as selective advantage) as part of the project you must ensure your request for funding does not exceed the limits defined below. This includes organisations that typically act non-economically but for the purpose of this project will be undertaking commercial or economic activity.

For industrial research and feasibility projects you could get funding for your eligible project cost of:

• 70% if you are a micro or small organisation
• 60% if you are a medium-sized organisation
• 50% if you are a large organisation

The research organisations in your consortium undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can claim up to 100% of their total eligible project costs and share up to 30% of the total eligible project costs.