Audience of the Future – Design Foundations 2
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £800,000 for early-stage, human-centred design projects in creative or immersive experiences.
- Competition opens: Monday 23 August 2021
- Competition closes: Thursday 30 September 2021 11:00am
This competition is now closed.
Competition sections
Description
Innovate UK as part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will invest up to £800,000 to fund early-stage, human-centred design projects through the Audience of the Future Challenge Fund (AotF).
The aim of this competition is to support early-stage projects to generate ideas that meet customer needs, using research and human-centred design principles.
Your proposal must deliver well-defined, user-validated ideas ready for further technical research and development (R&D) and discover insights about the problem space, consumer motivations and behaviours.
Projects must include activities or work packages that:
- discover customer perceptions, motivations, and behaviour
- define the problem statement and pinpoint the characteristics necessary to make any solution desirable and fit for purpose
- deliver clearly communicated ideas that have been validated through fast, low-cost prototyping and user-testing and are ready for further technical R&D
Funding type
Grant
Project size
Your project’s total eligible costs must be between £25,000 and £50,000
Who can apply
Your project
Your project must:
- have total eligible costs between £25,000 and £50,000
- start by 1 January 2022
- end by 31 March 2022
- last between 2 and 3 months
- carry out all of its project work in the UK
- intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
If your project’s total eligible costs falls outside of our eligibility criteria, you must provide justification by email to support@innovateuk.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 request has not been approved by us you will be made ineligible and your application will not be sent for assessment.
Lead organisation
To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered:
- micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) if you want to work on the project alone
- business of any size working with at least one UK registered SME partner
Only SMEs can work alone on projects and collaborations must include at least one SME.
Project team
To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:
- business of any size
- academic institution
- charity
- not-for-profit
- public sector organisation
- research and technology organisation (RTO)
Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service by the lead to collaborate on a project. Once accepted, partners will be asked to login or to create and account and enter their own project costs into the Innovation Funding Service.
If collaborative, the lead and at least one other organisation must claim funding by entering their costs during the application.
Your project can include partners that do not receive any of this competition’s funding, for example non-UK businesses. 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 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.
We 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
A business can only lead on one application but can be included as a collaborator in a further 2 applications.
If an organisation is not leading any application, it can collaborate in any number of applications.
Previous applications
You cannot use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.
We will not award you funding if you have:
- failed to exploit a previously funded project
- an overdue independent accountant’s report
- failed to comply with grant terms and conditions
Subsidy control (and State aid where applicable)
This competition provides funding in line with the UK's obligations and commitments to Subsidy Control. Further information about the UK Subsidy Control requirements can be found within the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation agreement and the subsequent guidance from the department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Innovate UK is unable to award organisations that are considered to be in financial difficulty. We will conduct financial viability and eligibility tests to confirm this is not the case following the application stage.
EU State aid rules now only apply in limited circumstances. Please see our general guidance to check if these rules apply to your organisation.
Further Information
If you are unsure about your obligations under the UK Subsidy Control regime or the State aid rules, you should take independent legal advice. We are unable to advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations.
You must make sure at all times that the funding awarded to you is compliant with all current Subsidy Control legislation applicable in the United Kingdom.
This aims to regulate any advantage granted by a public sector body which threatens to or actually distorts competition in the United Kingdom or any other country or countries.
If there are any changes to the above requirements that mean we need to change the terms of this competition, we will tell you as soon as possible.
Eligibility overview
Here is a diagram showing a summary of eligibility.
This is a new way of showing you eligibility. Your feedback will help us to improve it.
Funding
We have allocated up to £800,000 to fund innovation projects in this competition.
If the majority of 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.
Early-stage design projects are classed as feasibility studies.
For feasibility studies, you could get funding for your eligible project costs of:
- up to 70% of your total project costs if you are a small or micro business
- up to 60% if you are a medium-sized business
- up to 50% if you are a large business
For more information on company sizes, please refer to the company accounts guidance. This is a change from the EU definition unless you are applying under State aid.
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 could get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:
- 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are a Je-s registered institution such as an academic
- 100% of your eligible project costs if you are an RTO, charity, non-profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation
Your proposal
This competition is for early-stage projects that use customer research to generate ideas that meet customer needs. Fast, low-cost prototyping and user testing of those ideas is also within scope.
Your project must deliver well-defined, user-validated ideas ready for further technical research and development (R&D).You must aim to discover insights about the problem space, consumer motivations and behaviours.
Your project must use established human-centred design principles in developing your idea. for example, the Design Council’s ‘double diamond’ process.
Projects must include activities or work packages that:
- discover customer perceptions, motivations, and behaviour
- define the problem statement and pinpoint the characteristics necessary to make any solution desirable and fit for purpose
- deliver clearly communicated ideas that have been validated through fast, low-cost prototyping and user-testing and are ready for further technical R&D
We will fund a portfolio of projects, across a variety of themes, technologies and potential markets.
Specific themes
Projects must explore innovation opportunities in one or more of the following themes:
Designing for Net Zero
- behaviour-change, by exploring new ways of living and working in cities, homes, and offices
- storytelling, using the power of creativity to tell different stories about environmental impact and net zero
- world-building, using extended reality (XR) to imagine different futures through which to engage multiple-actors
Design for Build Back Better
- new products, services, or experiences, that support live venues and performance spaces, in the creation and delivery of immersive content
- methods, processes and adaptations, for hybrid revenue streams post Covid-19
- products, services, or technologies, which support distributed audiences and multichannel revenue models
- content delivery systems, that allow audiences to feel connected and part of a shared community experience
Design for Cross Sector Immersive Projects
- enable the development of new products and services by applying immersive and associated technologies developed for the creative industries and then applied in other industrial sectors
- you can include but are not limited to, design prototyping studies for products, services and experiences in healthcare, education, mobility, transport, energy, or manufacturing
Research categories
Project we will not fund
We are not funding projects that are:
- focused on solutions in areas other than the creative industries
- late-stage design development, for example the progression of an existing, well-defined idea towards a final specification
- dependent on export performance – for example giving a subsidy to a business on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of products to another country
- dependent on domestic inputs usage - for example giving a subsidy to a business on the condition that it uses 50% UK content in their product
- 23 August 2021
- Competition opens
- 1 September 2021
- Online briefing event: watch the recording
- 30 September 2021 11:00am
- Competition closes
- 22 October 2021 2:30pm
- Applicants notified
Before you start
You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.
What we ask you
The application is split into 3 sections:
- Project details.
- Application questions.
- Finances.
1. Project details
This section provides background for the assessors and is not scored.
Application team
Decide which organisations will work with you on the project. Invite people from those organisations to help complete the application.
Application details
The lead applicant must complete this section. Give your project’s title, start date and duration.
Subsidy Basis
Will the project, including any related activities, you want Innovate UK to fund, affect trade between Northern Ireland and the EU?
All participants must complete this section.
Research category
Select the type of research you will undertake.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We collect and report on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) data to address under-representation in business innovation and ensure equality, diversity and inclusion across all our activities.
All participants must complete this EDI survey and the lead applicant must then select yes in the application question. The survey will ask you questions on your gender, age, ethnicity and disability status. You will always have the option to ‘prefer not to say’ if you do not feel comfortable sharing this information.
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 400 words long.
Public description
Describe your project in detail, and in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information. If we award your project funding, we will publish this description. This could happen before you start your project.
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Scope
Describe how your project fits the scope of the competition. You must include which of the competitions specific theme or themes your project is aligned with.
If your project is not in scope, it will be immediately rejected and will not be sent for assessment. We will tell you the reason why.
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
2. Application questions
The assessors will score your answers to questions 2 to 11, question 1 is not scored. You will receive feedback for each scored question.
You must answer all questions. Your answer to each question can be up to 400 words long. Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers.
Question 1. Applicant location (not scored)
You must state the name of your organisation along with your full registered address.
If you are working in collaboration, you must also state the name and full registered address of all your partners.
We are collecting this information to understand the geographical location of all participants of a project.
Question 2. Need or challenge
What is the business need, technological challenge or market opportunity behind your innovation?
Describe or explain:
- the main motivation for the project
- the business need, technological challenge or market opportunity
- the nearest current state-of-the-art, including those near market or in development, and its limitations
- any work you have already done to respond to this need, for example if the project focuses on developing an existing capability or building a new one
- the wider economic, social, environmental, cultural or political challenges which are influential in creating the opportunity, such as incoming regulations, using our Horizons tool if appropriate
Question 3. Approach and innovation
What approach will you take and where will the focus of the innovation be?
Describe or explain:
- how you will respond to the need, challenge or opportunity identified
- how you will improve on the nearest current state-of-the-art identified
- whether the innovation will focus on the application of existing technologies in new areas, the development of new technologies for existing areas or a totally disruptive approach
- the freedom you have to operate
- how this project fits with your current product, service lines or offerings
- how it will make you more competitive
- the nature of the outputs you expect from the project (for example report, demonstrator, know-how, new process, product or service design) and how these will help you to target the need, challenge or opportunity identified
You can submit one appendix. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF, up to 2 A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.
Question 4. Team and resources
Who is in the project team and what are their roles?
Describe or explain:
- the roles, skills and experience of all members of the project team that are relevant to the approach you will be taking
- the resources, equipment and facilities needed for the project and how you will access them, particularly in the light of any continuing COVID-19 restrictions
- the details of any vital external parties, including subcontractors, who you will need to work with to successfully carry out the project
- (if your project is collaborative) the current relationships between project partners and how these will change as a result of the project
- any roles you will need to recruit for taking into account the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the team structure
You can submit one appendix. This can include a short summary of the main people working on the project to support your answer. It must be a PDF, up to 4 A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.
Question 5. Market awareness
What does the market you are targeting look like?
Describe or explain:
- the markets (domestic, international or both) you will be targeting in the project, and any other potential markets
- the size of the target markets for the project outcomes, backed up by references where available
- the structure and dynamics of the target markets, including customer segmentation, together with predicted growth rates within clear timeframes
- the target markets’ main supply or value chains and business models, and any barriers to entry that exist
- the current UK position in targeting these markets
- the size and main features of any other markets not already listed
If your project is highly innovative, where the market may be unexplored, describe or explain:
- what the market’s size might to be
- how your project will try to explore the market’s potential
Question 6. Outcomes and route to market
How are you going to grow your business and increase your productivity into the long term as a result of the project?
Describe or explain:
- your current position in the markets and supply or value chains outlined, and whether you will be extending or establishing your market position
- your target customers or end users, and the value to them, for example why they would use or buy your product
- your route to market, particularly if COVID-19 has changed market dynamics
- how you are going to profit from the innovation, including increased revenues or cost reduction
- how the innovation will affect your productivity and growth, in both the short and the long term
- how you will protect and exploit the outputs of the project, for example through know-how, patenting, designs or changes to your business model
- your strategy for targeting the other markets you have identified during or after the project
If there is any research organisation activity in the project, describe:
- your plans to spread the project’s research outputs over a reasonable timescale
- how you expect to use the results generated from the project in further research activities
Question 7. Wider impacts
What impact might this project have outside the project team?
Describe, and where possible, measure the economic benefits from the project such as productivity increases and import substitution, to:
- external parties
- customers
- others in the supply chain
- broader industry
- the UK economy
Describe, and where possible, measure:
- any expected impact on government priorities
- any expected environmental impacts, either positive or negative
- any expected regional impacts of the project
Describe any expected social impacts, either positive or negative on, for example:
- quality of life
- social inclusion or exclusion
- jobs, such as safeguarding, creating, changing or displacing them
- education
- public empowerment
- health and safety
- regulations
- diversity
Question 8. Project management
How will you manage the project effectively?
Describe or explain:
- the main work packages of the project, indicating the lead partner assigned to each and the total cost of each one
- your approach to project management, identifying any major tools and mechanisms you will use to get a successful and innovative project outcome
- the management reporting lines
- your project plan in enough detail to identify any links or dependencies between work packages or milestones, taking into account the possible impact of further COVID-19 restrictions
You must submit a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF, up to 2 A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.
Question 9. Risks
What are the main risks for this project?
Describe or explain:
- the main risks and uncertainties of the project, including the technical, commercial, managerial and environmental risks, providing a risk register if appropriate
- how you will mitigate these risks
- any project inputs that are critical to completion, such as resources, expertise, data sets
- any output likely to be subject to regulatory requirements, certification, ethical issues and so on, and how you will manage this
You can submit a risk register as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF, up to 2 A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.
Question 10. Added value
What impact would an injection of public funding have on the businesses involved?
Describe or explain:
- whether this project could go ahead in any form without public funding and if so, the difference the public funding would make, such as a faster route to market, more partners or reduced risk
- the likely impact of the project on the businesses of the partners involved
- why you are not able to wholly fund the project from your own resources or other forms of private-sector funding, and what would happen if the application is unsuccessful
- how this project would change the nature of R&D activity the partners would undertake, and the related spend
Question 11. Costs and value for money
How much will the project cost and how does it represent value for money for the team and the taxpayer?
In terms of the project goals, describe or explain:
- the total eligible project costs
- the grant you are requesting
- how each partner will finance their contributions to the project
- how this project represents value for money for you and the taxpayer
- how it compares to what you would spend your money on otherwise
- the balance of costs and grant across the project partners
- any subcontractor costs and why they are critical to the project
3. Finances
Each organisation in your project must complete their own project costs, organisation details and funding details in the application. Academic institutions must complete and upload a Je-S form.
For full details on what costs you can claim see our project costs guidance.Background and further information
The Audience of the Future Challenge Fund has invested £39.3 million in the development of new immersive technologies such as virtual, augmented, and mixed reality.
We have also commissioned research to better understand audiences for immersive productions in the fields of art, culture, heritage, and entertainment.
The challenge has invested in:
- a demonstrator programme of immersive experiences, covering four main entertainment sectors, e-sports and gaming, performance, moving image, and visitor experience
- production innovation for immersive content, projects creating faster, more efficient immersive content
- an Immersive Technology Investment Accelerator, to support early-stage businesses to help them access later-stage investment beyond grant funding
- design foundations support for projects exploring human-centred design seeking to transform the way people engage with immersive content
- The StoryFutures Academy, a UK national centre for immersive storytelling
Finding a project partner
If you want help to find a project partner, contact the Knowledge Transfer Network.
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