Key Features
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £4.3 million for projects that grow their innovation activities in the life and health sciences cluster in Northern Ireland. This funding is from Innovate UK.
Programme: Innovate UK
Award: Share of up to £4.3 million
Opens: 4th Nov 2024
Closes: 11th Dec 2024
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with Invest Northern Ireland to invest up to £4.3 million in innovation projects.
This funding is from Innovate UK’s Launchpad programme which supports the UK government’s goals for local economic growth. This Launchpad is also supporting Health Innovation Research Alliance Northern Ireland (HIRANI) as the local cluster management organisation.
This will support projects across two Launchpad competition strands that target the life and health sciences innovation cluster in Northern Ireland.
The aim of this competition is to support outstanding innovation projects led by businesses. Your business must be growing your innovation activities in the life and health sciences cluster in Northern Ireland.
Your project must focus on innovation in life and health sciences.
Your project must contribute to growing your innovation activities in the cluster, both during and after your project.
This could be demonstrated by:
Your application may be considered ineligible if you do not describe clearly how your main project activities and work packages meet the scope of this competition. This includes the main project activities of any subcontractors. If you do not describe how your activities in the cluster will continue after your project, then you are unlikely to be offered funding in this competition.
The geographical requirement is set to align this competition to the UK Government’s goals for local economic growth.
Portfolio approach
Following the independent assessment, all applications scoring over 70% will be reviewed by a panel including Innovate UK and our local partners on this Launchpad. The panel will review the applications in line with the portfolio criteria, which will inform Innovate UK’s decision on the funding awards offered.
Innovate UK want to fund a variety of projects across different criteria. Innovate UK call this a portfolio approach.
Innovate UK reserve the right to prioritise projects that can demonstrate:
Your project can focus on one or more of the following:
Diagnostics, therapeutics and biomarkers
Data, digital and medical devices
Innovations in healthcare service delivery
Your project can also consider the following enabling areas:
These lists are not exhaustive.
Where you can show your proposal fits within the scope of this Launchpad competition you can focus on other themes.
Your project must:
Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day. You must not start your project until your Grant Offer Letter has been approved by Innovate UK. Any delays within Project Setup may mean we need to delay your project start date.
Lead organisation
Your business must:
More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules.
Subcontractors
Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.
Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.
Innovate UK expect all subcontractor costs to be justified and appropriate to the total eligible project costs. We will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use an overseas subcontractor.
Number of applications
A business can lead on only one MFA strand application for this competition. Any subsequent applications submitted by the same business will be ineligible and will not be forwarded for assessment.
You are not eligible to apply to this Round 2 MFA competition if you led a successful application to the Northern Ireland Launchpad Round 1 De minimus or MFA competition.
If you apply to the CR&D strand of this competition, as well as this MFA strand, each project must be clearly distinctive and separate. We will monitor closely for this separation if you are awarded funding in both competition strands.
Sanctions
This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions. For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.
Use of animals in research and innovation
Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.
Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both that in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation.
Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process. This information will be reviewed before an award is made.
You can use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.
Innovate UK are not funding projects that:
Innovate UK cannot fund projects that:
Innovate UK have allocated up to £4.3 million to fund innovation projects across the two strands of this Launchpad competition for Northern Ireland.
Funding will be in the form of a grant.
The total funding available for this Launchpad competition can change. The funders have the right to:
Your total project costs will be up to 100% funded up to the maximum grant of £100,000. If your grant funding request exceeds the £100,000 maximum then your application will be made ineligible. Your project costs can be higher than your grant funding request.
You can make a reference to any additional voluntary contribution in your application answers. It must not be detailed in the finance section.
Book an appointment to speak to one of our advisors to discuss your eligibility to apply for this Grant Funding opportunity.
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