Funding competition SBRI – Digital transformation of Hanoi Metro Line 5, Vietnam
Organisations can apply for a share of £300,000, inclusive of VAT, to deliver feasibility studies to support digital innovation for the Hanoi Metro System in Vietnam.
- Competition opens: Monday 13 September 2021
- Competition closes: Wednesday 13 October 2021 11:00am
This competition is now closed.
Competition sections
Description
This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition funded by Innovate UK and jointly delivered by Innovate UK and Crossrail International with support from the Department of International Trade in Vietnam.
The aim of the competition is to support organisations to undertake feasibility studies, that demonstrate how innovation can support Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) with their digital transformation.
This is a single phase competition. Successful delivery of a project is intended to demonstrate innovation for the digital management of Line 5 for Hanoi Metro. It may provide opportunities for further support to establish the innovation into the client’s business.
Any adoption and implementation of a solution from this competition would be the subject of a separate, procurement exercise with MRB and does not guarantee future work.
This competition does not cover the purchase of any solution.
In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process.
This competition closes at 11am UK time on the date of the deadline.Funding type
Procurement
Project size
Projects must have maximum total eligible costs of £75,000, inclusive of VAT.
Who can apply
Your project
Projects are expected to start on 1 January 2022, end by 31 March 2022 and can last up to 3 months. Projects must have maximum total eligible costs of £75,000, inclusive of VAT.
Applicant
To lead a project, you can be an organisation of any size.
Contracts will be awarded only to a single legal entity. However, if you can justify subcontracting components of the work, you can employ specialist consultants or advisers. This work will still be the responsibility of the main contractor.
Number of applications
You can submit multiple applications but must submit a separate application for each specific theme.
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
A total of up to £300,000, inclusive of VAT, is allocated to this competition.
Contracts will be up to £75,000, inclusive of VAT, for each project for up to 3months. We expect to fund up to 4 projects.
The total funding available for the competition can change. The funders have the right to adopt a ‘portfolio’ approach' across the competition themes, and technologies.
Research and development
Your application must have at least 50% of the contract value attributed directly and exclusively to R&D services, including solution exploration and design.
R&D does not include:
- commercial development activities, such as quantity production
- supply to establish commercial viability or to recover R&D costs
- integration, customisation or incremental adaptations and improvements to existing products or processes
Your proposal
You must undertake a feasibility study, that demonstrates how your innovation can support Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) with their digital transformation of Line 5 of the Hanoi Metro System.
MRB may consider this approach on further metro lines being planned. All future contracts will be subject to a separate commercial procurement process.
A digital strategy for MRB is being developed by Crossrail International (CI), a specialist advisory practice, wholly owned by the UK government’s Department for Transport (DfT). CI will be working with MRB to develop the digital strategy and is positioned to assist successful applicants to develop their innovative proposals in association with MRB. You must be able to work with MRB directly in order to develop the innovations in your chosen project theme.
You must be able to demonstrate a deep knowledge and understanding of the theme you have chosen and ideally show application experience in the UK market.
Due to the current challenges for international travel, it is not anticipated that significant travel to Vietnam will be required for your project. Travel and material costs are expected to be a small proportion of your total R&D services cost. You should plan to deliver your project remotely as far as practical, with provision for no more than 2 trips to Vietnam.
Applicants must read the technical annex to this competition before submitting their proposal.
Specific themes
This competition focuses on delivering feasibility studies targeting the digital innovation challenges of the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) in Vietnam.
Your project must focus on one of the following themes for this programme, identified by Crossrail International in association with MRB:
Theme 1
Digital Project Management Office (PMO)
Theme 2
Efficient data management (Common Data Environment)
Theme 3
Digital environmental acceptance
Theme 4
Digital asset information management
You can find further detail on the themes and background of the challenge in the technical annex and the competition briefing event.
Crossrail International will be able to support successful applicants to understand the needs and context of the individual themes and assist with introductions with MRB.
You can apply for multiple themes, but you must submit a separate application for each theme.
Research categories
Objective: technical feasibility studies
This means planned research or critical investigation to gain new knowledge and skills for developing new products, processes or services.
The supplier will work closely with the stakeholders to develop and deliver the identified deliverables. The objective is to support organisations in developing an understanding of the requirements of the MRB’s digital strategy and then deliver their project.
Projects we will not fund
We will not fund projects that:
- do not offer deliverables aligned to MRB’s challenges
- are not within a year of being ready for market
- do not create a significant change in the level of innovation available in the Vietnamese rail industry
- have total eligible costs or project terms outside of the eligibility guidance
- 13 September 2021
- Online briefing event: watch the recording
- 13 September 2021
- Competition opens
- 13 October 2021 11:00am
- Competition closes
- 15 November 2021
- Feedback
- 15 November 2021
- Applicants notified
- 14 December 2021
- Contracts awarded
Before you start
By submitting an application you agree to the terms of the draft contract which is available once you start your application. The final contract will include any details you have agreed with the funding authority and will be sent to you if your application is successful. The contract is binding once the contract is returned by the applicant and signed by both parties. The terms and conditions included in the draft contract should not substantially change.
When you start an application on the Innovation Funding Service 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
What happens next
A selected panel of assessors will review and score your application and the winners will be selected. One assessor will be from Crossrail International.
All applicants will be provided feedback.
What we will ask you
The application is split into three sections:
1. Project details
2. Application questions
3. Finances
1. Project details
These sections are not scored.
Application details
The lead applicant must complete this section. Give your project’s title, start date and duration.
Who made you aware of the competition?
Select a category to state who made you aware of the competition. You cannot choose more than one.
How long has your organisation been established for?
Select a category to state how long has your organisation been established for. You cannot choose more than one.
What is your organisation’s primary area focus?
Select a category to state your organisation’s primary focus area. You cannot choose more than one.
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
Please provide a short summary of your project and describe how it meets the scope of the competition.
Describe your project briefly. Be clear about what makes it innovative and how it relates to the scope of the competition.
Give details of the lead organisation. Before you submit we expect you to have discussed your application within your own organisation and any other relevant organisations.
List any organisations you have named as subcontractors.
Your answer for this section can be up to 800 words long.
This section is not scored, but we will use it to decide whether your proposal is relevant in the context of the competition. If it is not, it may be rejected.
Public description
Please provide a brief description of your project. This question is mandatory, but we will not assess this content as part of your application.
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. We have the right to amend the description before publication if necessary, but will consult you about any changes.
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Specific themes
You must select one theme from the specific themes list for this competition. You cannot choose more than one.
Theme 1
Digital Project Management Office (PMO)
Theme 2
Efficient data management (Common Data Environment)
Theme 3
Digital environmental acceptance
Theme 4
Digital asset information management
You can apply for multiple themes, but you must submit a separate application for each theme.
2. Application questions
The assessors will score your answers for questions 2 to 6. Question 1 is not scored. You will receive feedback for each scored question.
Your answer to each question can be up to 400 words long.
Do not include any URLs in your answers unless we have explicitly requested a link to a video.
Question 1. Project partners location (not scored)
You must state the name of your organisation along with your full registered address.
We are collecting this information to understand the geographical location of all participants of a project
Question 2. Proposed idea and Technical Project Summary (scored out of 20)
Describe the technical deliverables you will offer, how these meet the requirements of the competition, and how you will align these to MRB’s requirements.
You must include:
- what the innovation is
- how you will address the challenges of the Hanoi Metro Line 5
- the research and development that will prove the commercial merit of the project
- what might be achieved by deploying the innovation to address the selected challenge
This question will be scored against this assessment criterion: “How does the concept and technical project summary meet the requirements of the competition, and how does it align with MRB’s requirements and the challenges of Hanoi Metro Line 5?”
Question 3. Project plan and methodology (scored out of 10)
Describe your project plan and identify the main milestones.
The emphasis throughout should be on practicality. We are seeking evidence that the innovation is relevant to the requirements of the challenges identified by Hanoi MRB.”
You must describe or explain:
- what resources will be needed to deliver the project
- the technical deliverables you will offer as part of your feasibility study
- what the main success criteria would be
- the identified project management processes that will ensure you achieve the milestones
- the main technical, commercial and environmental risks and what you will do to mitigate them
- how you would handle any IP issues which might arise during the project
Indicate your required payment schedule by month.
Please ensure that if you are working with subcontractors you explain how you will maintain freedom to operate and fulfil the IP requirements detailed in the contract.
You must upload a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix in PDF format no larger than 10MB and up to 2 A4 pages. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.
Your milestones must be:
- clear
- defined using SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) criteria
- associated with the appropriate deliverables and payments
This question and the milestones entered under the Finance section will be assessed against these assessment criteria: ‘Does the proposal show a clear plan for establishing technical and commercial feasibility? What are the main technical, commercial and environmental risks to project success? Will these be effectively managed? Are the milestones and success criteria procedures appropriate?’
Please note information from the finances section will be used to support the assessment of this question. Proposed milestones and associated payments stated in this section must match those entered in the finance summary on your application.
Question 4. Technical team and expertise (scored out of 10)
Provide a brief description of your technical team.
Include the expertise of each team member or subcontractor that is relevant to your application, outlining why they are critical to the project’s success and how much of their time will be spent on the project.
This question will be scored against this assessment criterion: ‘Does the applicant have the skills, capabilities and experience to deliver the intended benefits?’
Question 5. Costs and value for money (scored out of 10)
How much will the project cost? How does it represent value for money for the team and the UK taxpayer?
Describe or explain:
- the total eligible project costs, inclusive of VAT, you are requesting in terms of the project goals
- how this project represents value for money for you and the UK taxpayer
You can submit a single appendix as a spreadsheet no larger than 10MB and up to 2 A4 pages long to support your answer. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.
Costs quoted must reflect actual costs at a “fair market value” and not include profit.
SBRI is a procurement of R&D services. If successful, you will receive a contract to deliver the proposed activity. You will submit an invoice for the work undertaken. If you are VAT registered, your total costs are expected to include VAT that you would charge as a service provider. VAT is the responsibility of the invoicing business, and applications are expected to list total costs inclusive of VAT.
If you are not VAT registered, then you must give your costs without VAT. You will not be able to increase invoice values to cover VAT after you have submitted an application.
We cannot provide VAT advice and advise you to seek independent advice for example from HMRC.
Full Economic Cost (FEC) calculations are not relevant for SBRI competitions. SBRI is a competitive process and applications will come from a variety of organisations. Whatever calculation you use to arrive at your total eligible project costs your application will be assessed against applications from other organisations. Bear this in mind when calculating your total eligible project costs. You can include overheads but remember that this is a competitive process.
The assessors are required to judge the application finances in terms of value for money. In other words, does the proposed cost for effort and deliverables reflect a fair market price? They will score your finances against this assessment criterion: ‘Are the budget and costs realistic, justified and appropriate for the aims and methods?
Please note information from the finances section will be used to support the assessment of this question. Proposed costs stated in this section must match those entered in the finance summary on your application.
Question 6. Commercial potential (scored out of 20)
Describe how you would realise the commercial potential of your proposal and to what timescales, including a clear plan to deliver that and a route to market.
You must focus on your proposed customer’s needs but you can also mention the future commercial potential across the public or private sectors and international markets.
You must outline your capability to deliver to an export market.
How far is the challenge you are addressing relevant to the Hanoi metro? Describe the competitive advantage that your proposal has over existing or alternative technologies that meet market needs.
This question will be scored against these assessment criteria: ‘Is there a clear commercial potential for a marketable product, process or service and a clear plan to deliver that and a clear route to an export market? How significant is the competitive advantage of this technology over existing technologies that meet the market’s needs? Does the team have the potential to export?
3. Finances
Enter your project costs, milestones, organisation details and funding details. For full information on what costs you can claim, see our project costs guidance.
You must select whether you are VAT registered before entering your project costs.
If you are VAT registered then you must enter your project costs exclusive of VAT. As part of the application process VAT will be automatically calculated and added to your project cost total.
If you are not VAT registered, then you must enter your project costs exclusive of VAT. You will not be able to increase invoice values to cover VAT later should you become VAT registered.
VAT is the responsibility of the invoicing business. We will not provide any further advice and advise you to seek independent advice from HMRC.Background and further information
The technical annex must be read by applicants before submitting a proposal. Key information regarding the themes and context of the competition is provided in this document. Instructions are also provided for the structure of the final report that is required on your project’s outcomes, in addition to the standard SBRI end of project report.
About Small Business Research Initiative competitions
SBRI provides innovative solutions to challenges faced by the public sector. This can lead to better public services and improved efficiency and effectiveness.
The SBRI programme:
- supports economic growth and enables the development of innovative products and services through the public procurement of R&D
- generates new business opportunities for companies
- provides a route to market for their ideas
- bridges the seed funding gap experienced by many early-stage companies
SBRI competitions are open to all organisations that can demonstrate a route to market for their solution. The SBRI scheme is particularly suited to small and medium-sized businesses, as the contracts are of relatively small value and operate on short timescales. Developments are 100% funded and focused on specific identified needs, increasing the chance of exploitation.
Suppliers for each project will be selected by an open competition process and retain the intellectual property generated from the project, with certain rights of use retained by the contracting authority. This is an excellent opportunity to establish an early customer for a new technology and to fund its development.
Data sharing
This competition is jointly operated by Innovate UK, and Crossrail International (each an “agency”).
Your submitted application and any other information you provide at the application stage can be submitted to each agency on an individual basis for its storage, processing and use. Any relevant information produced during the application process concerning your application can be shared by one agency with the other, for its individual storage, processing and use.
This means that any information given to or generated by Innovate UK in respect of your application may be shared with Crossrail International and the Department for International Trade and vice versa.
Innovate UK is directly accountable to you for its holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. It is held in accordance with its Information Management Policy.
Innovate UK and Crossrail International are directly accountable to you for their holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. Data is held in accordance with their own policies. Accordingly, Innovate UK, and Crossrail International will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.
Innovate UK complies with the requirements of GDPR, and is committed to upholding the data protection principles, and protecting your information. The Information Commissioner’s Office also has a useful guide for organisations, which outlines the data protection principles.
Further help and information
If you want help to find a project partner, contact KTN.
If you have any questions about the scope requirements of this competition, email: support@innovateuk.ukri.org.
If you need more information about how to apply or you want to submit your application in Welsh, email support@innovateuk.ukri.org or call 0300 321 4357.
Our phone lines are open from 9am to 11:30am and 2pm to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).
Innovate UK is committed to making support for applicants accessible to everyone.
We can provide help for applicants who face barriers when making an application. This might be as a result of a disability, neurodiversity or anything else that makes it difficult to use our services. We can also give help and make other reasonable adjustments for you if your application is successful.
If you think you need more support, it is important that you contact our Customer Support Service as early as possible during your application process. You should aim to contact us no later than 10 working days before the competition closing date.
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