Projects must always start on the first of the month and this must be stated within your application. Your project start date will be reflected in your grant offer letter if you are successful.

You must only include eligible project costs in your application.

Under current restrictions, this competition will not fund any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any Russian or Belarusian entity as lead, partner or subcontractor. This includes any goods or services originating from a Russian or Belarusian source.

You will be made ineligible if you exceed the Minimal Financial Assistance limit. You must submit a complete declaration as part of your application.

Lead organisation

To lead a project your organisation must:

• be a UK registered micro, small or medium size enterprise (SME)
• be registered or operational in one of the twelve Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) Create Growth Programme appointed regions
• not currently be in receipt of public funding for business growth
• have a demonstrable ambition for growth
• be from the creative industries and focused on one or more of the creative industries sub-sectors

The six original regions in England appointed by the DCMS Create Growth Programme are:

• Greater Manchester
• Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire
• North East of England
• West of England and Cornwall
• South East Coast
• Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Greater Lincolnshire

The six expansion regions are:

• Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
• Hull & East Yorkshire
• West Midlands
• West Yorkshire
• Devon
• Hertfordshire

You can check your local council with your post code: https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council.

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.

You can use subcontractors from overseas but must make the case in your application as to why you could not use suppliers from the UK.

You must also provide a detailed rationale, evidence of the potential UK contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you.

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

You can only apply for this competition once.

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.

Exclusions

Innovate UK are not funding projects:

• that support business as usual (BAU) activities
• that are currently in the receipt of public funding for business growth
• without evidence the proposed innovation will lead to business growth
• that do not address how potentially negative outcomes will be considered, for example, on the environment
• without innovation, for example, the creation of information-only websites
• that sit outside of the creative industries
• that sit outside of the 12 identified regions

Innovate UK cannot fund projects that:

• involve primary production in fishery and aquaculture
• involve primary production in agriculture
• have activities relating to the purchase of road freight transport
• are not allowed under De minimis regulation restrictions
• are not eligible to receive Minimal Financial Assistance
• are dependent on export performance, for example, giving an award to a baker on the condition that they export a certain quantity of bread to another country
• are dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example, if we give an award to a baker on the condition that they use 50% UK flour in their product

Funding Costs

Innovate UK have allocated approximately £3 million to fund growth focused innovation projects in this competition.

You can claim 100% of your eligible project costs up to the maximum of £30,000. The total project costs detailed within your application and your grant request must match. Costs outside the minimum and maximum limits will be deemed ineligible.

If successful, your grant will be released in instalments:

• your total grant request minus £5,000, will be paid on the return of your signed grant offer letter, this can be in advance of your project start date
• the remaining £5,000 of your grant request will be paid at the end of the project, on receipt and approval of a statement of expenditure (SOE)