Key Features
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £2.9 million for business led projects that grow their innovation activities in the net zero industrial cluster in Southwest Wales. This funding is from Innovate UK.
Programme: Innovate UK
Award: Share of up to £2.9 million
Opens: 24th Feb 2025
Closes: 9th Apr 2025
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with Welsh Government and its agencies to invest up to £2.9 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 Net Zero Industry Wales as the local cluster management organisation.
The aim of this competition is to support outstanding innovation projects led by businesses. Your project must help to grow your innovation activities in net zero industry.
Your project can focus on the markets for industrial decarbonisation in Southwest Wales and globally. This region consists of Carmarthenshire, Neath-Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea.
Your business must use the funding to grow your innovation activities in the net zero industrial cluster in Southwest Wales, both during and after the 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 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 categories. Innovate UK call this a portfolio approach.
Innovate UK reserve the right to prioritise projects that:
Your project can focus on one or more of the following core areas:
Projects can also consider the following areas:
This list is not exhaustive. Where you can show your proposal fits within the scope of this 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.
You must only include eligible project costs in your application. See our overview of eligible project costs. For specific guidance, see the eligibility section in this competition.
If your project’s total costs request or duration falls outside of our eligibility criteria, you must provide justification by email to support@iuk.ukri.org at least 10 working days before the competition closes. We will decide whether to approve your request.
If you have not requested approval or your application has not been approved by us, you will be made ineligible. Your application will then not be sent for assessment.
Lead organisation
To lead a project your organisation must:
More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules.
If the lead organisation is an RTO it must collaborate with two businesses (one SME, and one business of any size).
Academic institutions cannot lead or work alone.
Project team
To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:
Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) by the lead to collaborate on a project. Once partners have accepted the invitation, they will be asked to login or to create an account in the IFS. They are responsible for entering their own project costs and completing their Project Impact questions in the application.
To be an eligible collaboration, the lead and at least one other organisation must apply for funding when entering their costs into the application.
Non-funded partners
Your project can include non-UK partners, including partners based in the EU, who bring their own funding. Non-UK partners are permitted to carry out project work from within their home countries and exploit results overseas. Their costs will count towards the total eligible project costs.
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 cannot use non-UK based subcontractors.
All subcontractor costs must be justified and appropriate to the total project costs.
Number of applications
A business, or research and technology organisation (RTO), can only lead on one application and can be included as a collaborator in any number of applications. Any subsequent applications submitted with the same project lead will not be forwarded for assessment.
If you are not leading any application, you can collaborate in any number of applications.
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.
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 are:
Innovate UK have allocated up to £2.9 million to fund innovation projects in this competition. Funding will be in the form of a grant.
If your organisation’s work on the project is commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organisation normally acts non-economically but for the purpose of this project will be undertaking commercial or economic activity.
The balance between your total eligible project costs and the amount of grant awarded must be funded by the organisation receiving the grant.
For industrial research projects, you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:
For experimental development projects which are nearer to market, you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:
For more information on company sizes, please refer to the company accounts guidance.
If you are applying for an award funded under State aid Regulations, the definitions are set out in the European Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003.
Research participation
The research organisations 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. Of that 30% you can get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:
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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