Emerging & enabling technologies round 2

Key Features

Businesses can apply for a share of £15 million to develop technologies to stimulate future products, services and industries

Programme:     Innovate UK

Award:     Up to £1.4m

Opens: 6th Mar 2017

Closes: 10th May 2017

! This scheme is now closed

Innovate UK’s emerging and enabling technologies programme identifies and invests in new technologies and the underpinning capabilities that improve existing industries. The aim is to inspire the products, processes and services of tomorrow: those with the potential to unlock billions of pounds of value to industry and disrupt existing markets.

This competition has 4 priority areas:

  • emerging technologies
  • digital
  • enabling capabilities, including electronics, sensors and photonics (ESPs), robotics and autonomous systems, and creative economy
  • space applications

Innovate UK is looking to fund projects that meet all of the following criteria. Proposals must:

  • show significant innovation in one of our priority areas
  • show outputs that could be applied in more than one industry, sector or market
  • improve business growth, productivity and/or create export opportunities for at least one UK SME involved in the project

Innovate UK are looking to fund a portfolio of projects. These may include technical feasibility, industrial research or experimental development.

Specific competition themes

Emerging technologies

An emerging technology is one that is still emerging from, or has only recently emerged from, the research base. It allows you to do something that was not possible before or was only possible in theory; because of this, it disrupts existing markets and leads to new ways of improving our lives as well as sources of wealth generation.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate a step change in performance and bring a totally new technology sector to market. We are particularly looking to fund projects in:

  • biofilms
  • energy harvesting
  • graphene and novel single-layer (2D) materials
  • cutting-edge imaging technologies
  • unconventional new computational paradigms such as biological computing

Digital

Applicants should be able to demonstrate a significant development in, or use of, one or more of the following technologies:

  • machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)
  • cybersecurity
  • data analytics or ‘big data’
  • distributed ledger technology (such as blockchain)
  • internet of things
  • immersive technology (such as virtual or augmented reality)
  • innovative services or applications employing new forms of connectivity, including 5G

Enabling capabilities

This theme covers:

  • Electronics, sensors and photonics (ESP)
  • Robotics and autonomous systems
  • Creative economy

For more information on what Innovate UK is looking for in the areas above, click here.

Space applications

Proposals must have innovations in at least one of the following areas:

  • satellite communications, such as new services or applications using satellite communications infrastructure. We are particularly interested in innovations related to ground segment and user terminals for telecommunications
  • satellite navigation, such as new services or applications using global navigation satellite system (GNSS) infrastructure. We are particularly interested in innovations that combine GNSS data with other forms of sensor data to deliver sensor fusion or hybrid systems
  • earth observation and environmental monitoring services, such as new services or applications using existing satellite infrastructure or technology that directly links to new commercial service provision
  • market or technical feasibility projects that will lead to future in-orbit service demonstrations

Eligibility

To be eligible you must:

  • be a UK-based business of any size
  • have at least one SME involved in your proposal
  • carry out your project work, and intend to exploit the results, in the UK

Funding and project types

All projects must involve at least one SME. A business or RTO must lead the project.

Projects should last between 6 months and 3 years. Innovate UK expect projects to range in total costs between £35,000 and £2 million.

Your project may focus on technical feasibility, industrial research or experimental development.

For technical feasibility studies and industrial research, you could receive:

  • up to 70% of your eligible project costs if you are an SME

For experimental development projects that are nearer to market, you could receive:

  • up to 45% of your eligible project costs if you are an SME