The Sustainable Innovation Fund: round 2 (de minimis)

Overview

Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £26 million to fund single and collaborative research and development projects as part of The Sustainable Innovation Fund.

The aim of this competition is to help all sectors of the UK rebuild after the effects of COVID-19.

Scope

COVID-19 has affected R&D across all sectors, and our aim with this competition is to help all sectors of the UK recover, grow, and create new opportunities from the aftermath of the global health pandemic.

Your proposal must show evidence of key challenges as a direct consequence of COVID-19, and how your project can help solve them.

You must consider your proposal’s impact on climate change and/or environmental sustainability.

Innovate UK would also like you to address where necessary, equality, diversity, and inclusion in relation to your project, your organisation(s) and your approach to innovation.

Your project can also focus on:

Eligibility

To lead a project your organisation must:

• be a UK registered business of any size
• carry out its project work in the UK
• be able to carry out project work under the current restrictions of COVID-19
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK

Academic institutions and research and technology organisations (RTOs) cannot lead or work alone but can be subcontractors.

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition provided the work is procured through an open and transparent public tender. Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK. Where subcontractors are non-UK based, please justify why you are unable to use a UK alternative.

De minimis

In order to minimise distortion of competition, the European Commission sets limits on how much assistance can be given without its prior approval, to organisations operating in a competitive market. There is a ceiling of €200,000 for all de minimis aid provided to any one organisation over a 3 fiscal year period.

You need to declare any de minimis aid awarded to any other public funding body which requests it. You must also keep all documentation associated with the award for 10 years from the date the award is granted.

Funding Costs

Innovate UK have allocated up to £26 million to fund innovation projects in this competition.

Your project must:

• have total eligible costs between £50,000 and £100,000
• be ready to start by 1 November 2020
• last between three and six months

You can receive funding of 100% of your total eligible project costs, up to £100,000.

Innovate UK will provide up to £50,000 to each grant-claiming organisation as an advance on grant payment 10 working days after the return of a fully-signed grant offer letter. This will be taken off the first and any subsequent claims.

The funding will be made as a de minimis grant. All applicants for a de minimis award must complete and provide to Innovate UK a de minimis declaration, which can be found in question 1. This states any and all de minimis awards (from any source of public funding) during the current and previous 2 fiscal years.

Exclusions

This competition is not funding projects that:

• are not related to an impact on a business due to Covid-19 disruption
• have a negative impact on the environment and/or society
• have a detrimental effect on equality, diversity, and inclusion
• would duplicate other UK Government activities or EU-funded initiatives already underway such as the testing or manufacture of vaccines and ventilators
• do not involve any research and development or innovation, for example, the creation of information-only websites
• are feasibility studies
• involve primary production in fishery and aquaculture
• involve primary production in agriculture
• are not allowed under de minimis regulation restrictions