Open sector competition round 4

Key Features

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £19 million to deliver game changing or disruptive innovations with significant potential for impact on the UK economy.

Programme:     Innovate UK

Award:     Up to £700k

Opens: 11th Dec 2017

Closes: 28th Feb 2018

! This scheme is now closed

This competition is open to the best business-led cutting-edge or disruptive ideas or concepts with a view to commercialisation.

These can come from any technology (including arts, design, media or creative industries) and apply to any part of the economy.

They can fit into, or be outside of, any one or more of Innovate UK’s 4 priority sectors for growth:

  • Emerging and enabling technologies
  • Health and life sciences
  • Infrastructure systems
  • smart and resilient infrastructure

Competition Scope

To be in scope, a proposal must demonstrate:

  • a clear game-changing and/or disruptive innovative idea leading to novel, new products, processes or services that are significantly ahead of others in the field
  • a strong and deliverable business plan that addresses (and documents) market potential and needs
  • a team, business arrangement or working structure with the necessary skills and experience to run and complete the project successfully and on time
  • awareness of all the main risks the project will face with realistic management, mitigation and impact minimisation plans for each
  • sound, practical financial plans and timelines that represent good value for money
  • a clear, evidence based plan to deliver significant economic impact, return on investment (ROI) and growth through commercialisation, as soon as possible following project completion

Priority will be given to proposals that are likely to lead to sustainable gains in productivity or access to new overseas markets through export led business growth.

 

The Open competition provides support for businesses to undertake an innovative project and is designed to:

  • help businesses overcome barriers to innovation
  • reduce the risk financially and technically in developing an innovative idea or concept for commercialisation and scale up
  • enable businesses to address high-growth opportunities if their concept doesn’t fit one of the Innovate UK sectors or has multiple themes with differing scopes
  • speed up the journey from an idea to commercialisation where timing can make all the difference to prospects
  • position businesses to be able to access private investment to support their innovative ideas
  • provide crucial support for businesses with significant ambition and potential for growth, to develop highly innovative products, processes or services that demonstrate considerable opportunity for commercialisation and scale up, preferably with access to global markets

The Open competition provides support for businesses to undertake an innovative project and is designed to:

  • help businesses overcome barriers to innovation
  • reduce the risk financially and technically in developing an innovative idea or concept for commercialisation and scale up
  • enable businesses to address high-growth opportunities if their concept doesn’t fit one of the Innovate UK sectors or has multiple themes with differing scopes
  • speed up the journey from an idea to commercialisation where timing can make all the difference to prospects
  • position businesses to be able to access private investment to support their innovative ideas
  • provide crucial support for businesses with significant ambition and potential for growth, to develop highly innovative products, processes or services that demonstrate considerable opportunity for commercialisation and scale up, preferably with access to global markets

Eligibility 

To lead a project you must:

  • be a UK-based business
  • be a business of any size
  • carry out your project in the UK
  • work alone or in collaboration with others (businesses, research base and third sector)

Funding and project details

Projects can focus on:

  • feasibility studies which may include market research
  • industrial research
  • experimental development depending on the challenge identified and proposed solution

For feasibility studies (which may include market research) and industrial research, you could get up to 70% of your eligible project costs if you are an SME

For experimental development projects which are nearer to market, you could get up to 45% of your eligible project costs if you are an SME

 

Projects may last between 6 and 36 months.

Total eligible project costs should range from £25K to £1m depending on the type of R&D to be undertaken, with value for money always a consideration.