May expression of interest: UK Aerospace Research and Technology
The Aerospace Research and Technology Programme provides grant funding to industrial research and capital projects to enhance UK civil aerospace.
- Competition opens: Tuesday 1 May 2018
- Competition closes: Wednesday 16 May 2018 12:00pm
This competition is now closed.
Competition sections
Description
The UK Aerospace Research and Technology (UKART) Programme represents a £3.9 billion joint government and industry investment. Its purpose is to maintain and grow the UK’s competitive position in civil aerospace.
This programme is co-ordinated and managed by:
- the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
- Innovate UK
- the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)
All 3 organisations work in collaboration. Together we deliver a portfolio of projects to meet the objectives and priorities of the Aerospace Technology Strategy. Applications for this funding are assessed:
- for strategic fit with UK Aerospace Technology Strategy by the ATI
- for policy review and value for money by BEIS
- through an independent assessment process by Innovate UK
The application process has 4 stages:
- Expression of Interest (EOI).
- Full proposal development on the Innovate UK Innovation Funding Service.
- Independent assessment, value for money (VfM) and strategic assessment.
- Final approvals and contracting.
This is stage 1 of 4. More information on the different stages and the application process can be found on the ATI website.
The approval process typically takes at least 6 months.Funding type
Grant
Project size
Total project costs and project duration should be appropriate and in proportion to the planned objectives and prioritisation within the UK Aerospace Technology Strategy.
Who can apply
To apply you must:
- be a UK-based organisation
- plan to carry out an aerospace research or technology development project in the UK
- address the specific requirements of the UK Aerospace Technology Strategy
- sign up to the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) framework agreement
- work alone or with others (businesses, research base or third sector)
Funding and participants
Grant funding for your eligible project costs is limited to:
- up to 50% of the total project value for research projects
- up to 100% of the total investment value for capital investment projects (for academic and research organisations only)
For research projects, total grant is limited to 50% of the total project costs. Grant funding for eligible project costs for individual organisations will be:
- up to 100% if you are an academic or research organisation
- up to 70% if you are a small business
- up to 60% if you are a medium-sized business
- up to 50% if you are a large business
Collaborative projects
Total academic and research organisation participation will be no more than 30% of the overall total eligible project costs unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Capital projects
An academic or research organisation can lead a project, provided it can demonstrate sufficient evidence there will be industrial end-users.
Programme scope
Projects must have a potential application within the civil aerospace sector. Priority areas identified within the UK Aerospace Technology Strategy include:
- whole aircraft design and integration
- aerostructures
- advanced systems
- propulsion technologies
Your project must focus on industrial research.
Your proposal will be assessed according to 3 criteria:
- Strategic fit with the UK Aerospace Technology Strategy.
- Value for money for the UK.
- Potential impact of the exploitation of your idea once the project is over.
Specific themes
The UK Aerospace Technology Strategy provides detailed information on the specific themes of the competition. These include:
- aircraft of the future: strengthening the UK’s whole-aircraft design and system integration capability, and positioning it for future generations of civil aircraft
- smart, connected and more electric aircraft: developing UK advanced systems technologies to capture high-value opportunities in current and future aircraft
- aerostructures of the future: ensuring the UK is a global leader in the development of large complex structures, particularly wings
- propulsion of the future: advancing a new generation of more efficient propulsion technologies, particularly large turbofans
Projects we will not fund
We will not fund:
- projects that are primarily aligned to defence, space or other industrial sectors, but we will recognise dual use technologies provided the primary application is in civil aerospace
- projects that cover fundamental research or early stage technologies
- projects that cover experimental development
- 1 May 2018
- Competition opens
- 16 May 2018 12:00pm
- Competition closes
- 6 June 2018 4:37pm
- Applicants notified
Before you start
Please read the general guidance for applicants for Innovate UK funding competitions. It includes information on the application process and advice on submitting a quality application.
You should also read specific information about this programme before you start your application.
When you start an application you will be prompted to create an account as the lead applicant or sign in as a representative of your organisation. You will need an account to track the progress of your application.
As the lead applicant you will be responsible for:
- collecting the information for your application
- representing your organisation in leading the project if your application is successful
You will be able to invite:
- colleagues to contribute to the application
- other organisations to participate in the project as collaborators if your application is successful
What we will ask you
The EoI application is split into 2 sections:
- Project details
- Application questions
1. Project details
Explain your project. This section is not scored, but our assessors will use it to decide whether the project fits with the scope of the competition. If it doesn’t, it will be immediately rejected.
Application details
The lead applicant must complete this section. Give your project’s title, start date and length. List any partner organisations you have named as collaborators.
Project summary
Describe your project briefly, and be clear about what makes it innovative. We use this section to assign experts to assess your application.
Your answer can be up to 100 words long.
Project scope
Describe how your project is aligned to the UK Aerospace Technology Strategy. If your project is not in scope it will be rejected. We will give you feedback on why.
Describe how your project fits the scope of the competition. If your project is not in scope it will not be eligible for funding.
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.2. Application questions
In this section, answers to these questions are scored by the assessors. Following assessment, you will receive feedback from the assessors and be informed of whether you are being progressed to the next stage of the application.
Question 1: Business opportunity
What is the business opportunity that your project addresses and what is the size of the potential market?
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Describe:
- the business opportunity identified and how you plan to take advantage of it
- how it is done today and the limits of current practice
- the customer needs that have been identified and how the project will meet them
- the challenges you expect to face and how you will overcome them
- the target market, and how the outputs from this project are required to progress or achieve strategic targets
- the growth opportunity your project will create
You can submit charts in a single PDF appendix no larger than 1MB and up to one page long to support your answer. It must be legible at 100% zoom.
Question 2: Exploitation and dissemination
How will you exploit and disseminate your project results? What economic, social and environmental benefits do you expect your project to deliver, and when?
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Consider:
- expected project outputs, including products, services, processes and capabilities
- your initial exploitation plan: the route to market, intellectual property, changes to business models or processes, research and development (R&D), and manufacturing services
- spill-over or dissemination of ideas, demonstrating how your activities will contribute to the wider aerospace industry and other sectors
- the UK benefits expected to be delivered as a result of this project, such as R&D and capital expenditure, supply chain, jobs, training and skills, and environmental benefits
Question 3: Technical approach and management
What technical approach will you use and how will you manage your project?
Your answer can be up to 200 words long.
Consider:
- the technical approach, including the main objectives of the work
- how and why the approach is appropriate
- how you will make sure the innovative steps in the project are achievable
- how you will measure your success
- the areas of work and your objectives
You must submit a work breakdown structure (including cost of each work package) as a single PDF appendix no larger than 1MB and up to one page long to support your answer. It must be legible at 100% zoom.
Question 4: Innovation
What is innovative about your project?
Your answer can be up to 200 words long. Upload a table as an appendix to support your answer. List the technology, why the technology is innovative, and the change in technology or manufacturing readiness at the start and end of the project.
Consider:
- how it will push boundaries beyond current leading-edge science and technology
- how it will apply existing technologies in new areas
- what competitors are doing, and how they are trying to achieve the same outputs
- how and why any IP from the project will be free from restriction and readily exploited
- how the research is novel in an industrial and/or academic context
You must submit a table in a single PDF appendix no larger than 1MB and up to one page long to support your answer. It must be legible at 100% zoom.
Question 5: Skills, experience and facilities
Does your proposed project team have the right skills, experience and facilities to deliver this project?
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Demonstrate that the likely project team:
- has the right mix of skills and experience to complete the project
- has a track record in managing research and development projects
- has clear objectives and roles or responsibilities
- includes project partners with clear objectives and roles or responsibilities
If you are part of a consortium, describe the benefits of the collaboration. What advantages does being part of a consortium offer the project?
Question 6: Adding value
How does financial support from the UK Aerospace R&T Programme add value to the UK? What will happen to the project in the absence of funding?
Your answer can be up to 200 words long.
Describe what will occur if the application for funding is not successful.
Question 7: Finances
Provide us with estimates of partner contributions and the funding you are seeking.
Type “Table attached” in the answer field and give your estimates in a table in an attached appendix. It can be a single PDF no larger than 1MB and up to one page long. It must be legible at 100% zoom.
Give your table the following headings:
- partner
- partner contribution (£)
- funding sought (£)
- total (£)
Background and further information
The ATI’s mission is to help the UK realise growth by creating a coherent and ambitious portfolio of research and technology (R&T) projects. It is responsible for developing the UK Aerospace Technology Strategy, and encourages industry-led projects that fit with this strategy and maximise the potential to the UK economy.
The ATI oversees the R&T pipeline, co-chairing the Strategic Review Committee with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and advising on project investments. BEIS is the government department accountable for the £150 million yearly programme budget. BEIS decides which projects will be funded with government resources. It also performs value for money (VfM) assessments on project proposals.
Innovate UK administers the UK Aerospace R&T Programme. It provides independent assessors and manages the programme, from the contracting of projects, through performance monitoring to close-out. Innovate UK, along with BEIS, also manages project change requests, provides feedback on project strategic alignment and supports evaluation of the programme.
In securing funding from this programme, each industry participant receiving a grant will pay an industrial contribution to the ATI operating budget. This will be proportional to its grant. Contributions are detailed in the ATI Framework Agreement
If you need more information, contact the Innovate UK competition helpline on 0300 321 4357 or email us.
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