Key Features
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £10 million for new projects focusing on sustainable economic recovery from COVID-19
Programme: Innovate UK
Award: Share of up to £10 million
Opens: 1st Sep 2020
Closes: 30th Sep 2020
Overview
Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £10 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 the aim of 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.
In addition, your proposal is expected to ensure that any recovery, growth and opportunity is clean and sustainable.
All projects are expected to consider COVID-19 recovery in a way that has a positive impact on climate change and/or environmental sustainability, and you should explain how this will be achieved, maintained and measured.
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 or work alone your organisation must:
Academic institutions and research and technology organisations (RTOs) cannot lead or work alone.
Sole traders are not eligible to apply for this competition.
To collaborate with the lead organisation your organisation must:
The lead and at least one other organisation must claim funding if applying as a collaboration.
The research organisations in your consortium undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 30% of the total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared between them.
Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.
Funding Costs
Up to £10 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects in this competition.
If your organisation’s work on the project is mostly commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organisation normally acts non-economically.
Under the COVID-19 Temporary Framework your business could get up to 80% funding for your eligible project costs, up to a maximum of £175,000 per organisation, regardless of size.
Research organisations working in collaboration undertaking non-economic activity will be funded as follows:
Up to £50,000 will be awarded to each grant-claiming organisation as an advance on grant payment 10 working days after the return of a fully-signed Grant Offer Letter (GOL). This will be taken off the first and any subsequent claims.
Your project’s total eligible costs must be between £100,000 and £500,000.
Each funded partner can claim a maximum of £175,000 against their eligible project costs. This amount cannot exceed their cumulative aid total of €800,000 if they have received other funding as part of the Covid-19 Temporary Framework.
You must sign and return your grant offer letter by 14 December 2020, and be ready to start by 1 January 2021. Projects can last up to 3 months.
Exclusions
This competition is not funding projects that:
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