Funding competition Inclusive Innovation Award 2022 to 2023

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £2.5 million for scale-up of existing or development of new work on inclusive innovations. This funding is from Innovate UK.

This competition is now closed.

Start new application

Competition sections

Description

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £2.5 million for Inclusive Innovation Awards across the UK.

The aim of this competition is to support micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SMEs), who have a track record and demonstrable positive impact for the target audience. This must be in developing innovations centred on equality, diversity and inclusion in their design and development.

We are looking for SMEs that can be role models for inclusive innovation, encouraging other businesses to see the many benefits. The awards are for businesses that have been operating for at least one year.

Your project can come from any area of technology and be applied to any part of the economy such as, digital and technologies, net zero, healthy living and agriculture. This list is not exhaustive.

Your proposal must be business focused and demonstrate how your previous innovations have supported equality, diversity and inclusion. You must highlight how an award will further develop your work on inclusive innovations.

In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process. This competition closes at 11am UK time on the deadline stated.

Funding type

Grant

Project size

Each award will provide £50,000 of funding.

Who can apply

Your project

Your project must:

  • have a total grant funding request of £50,000
  • start on 1 April 2023
  • end on 31 March 2024
  • last 12 months
  • carry out all of its project work in the UK
  • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK

Your company must be able to commit to:

  • provide at least 5 days over the duration of the award to be a role model for inclusive innovation, expenses for these activities can be included in the project costs
  • spend up to two days supporting development of the Innovate UK partners resources to support inclusive innovation

You must only include eligible project costs in your application.

Under current restrictions, this competition will not fund any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any Russian or Belarusian entity as lead, partner or subcontractor. This includes any goods or services originating from a Russian or Belarusian source.

You will be made ineligible if you exceed the Minimal Financial Assistance limit. You must submit a complete declaration as part of your application.

Lead organisation

To lead a project your organisation must:

  • be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise
  • be a business that has been operating for at least 12 months from the competition close date
  • not have exceeded your £315,000 limit of de minimis or minimal financial assistance funding during the current and previous two fiscal years
  • have a track-record delivering an inclusive innovation

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 provide a detailed rationale, evidence of the potential UK contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you. We will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use an overseas subcontractor.

We expect all subcontractor costs to be no more than 25% of total costs, unless in exceptional circumstances, and justified as appropriate within the application.

Number of applications

A micro, small or medium-sized enterprise can only lead on one application.

Previous applications

You can use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.

We will not award you funding if you have:

Minimal Financial Assistance (and De minimis where applicable)

Grant funding in this competition is awarded as Minimal Financial assistance (MFA). This allows public bodies to award up to £315,000 to an enterprise in a 3 year rolling financial period.

In your application, you will be asked to declare previous funding received by you. This will form part of the financial checks ahead of Innovate UK making a formal grant offer.

To establish your eligibility, we need to check that our support added to the amount you have previously received does not exceed the limit of £315,000 in the ‘applicable period’.

The applicable period is made up of:

(a) the elapsed part of the current financial year, and

(b) the two financial years immediately preceding the current financial year.

You must include any funding which you have received during the applicable period under:

You do not need to include aid or subsidies which have been granted on a different basis (such as an aid award granted under the General Block Exemption Regulation).

Further information about the UK subsidy control requirements can be found in:

EU Commission 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’s International Obligations to Subsidy Control or the De minimis rules, you should take independent legal advice. We cannot advise on individual eligibility or your legal obligations.

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.

Funding

Up to £2.5 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects in this competition. Each organisation must apply for a grant of £50,000.

You can claim 100% of your eligible project costs of £50,000.

The funding will be paid in 3 increments:

  • £33,333 upfront in March 2023
  • up to £11,667 at the mid-point in October 2023
  • the balance of the funding will be received at the end of your project on receipt of a completed statement of expenditure by April 2024

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 European Commission De minimis.

If you are applying for an award funded under European Commission Regulations, the definitions are set out in the European Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003.

Your proposal

The aim of this competition is to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who have a track-record and demonstrable positive impact for the target audience. This must be in developing innovations centred on equality, diversity and inclusion in their design and development.

We are looking for SME’s developing innovative products processes or services that can be role models to other businesses.

Your proposal must clearly explain:

  • the equality, diversity and inclusion challenges identified
  • how your previous innovations have addressed these challenges
  • the societal and economic impact of your innovations
  • your plans for a new project to further develop inclusive innovations
  • how you will act as a role model to other businesses

Your new project must:

  • centre on equality, diversity and inclusion in the design and development of products, processes or services
  • involve a diverse team, as appropriate to the project
  • demonstrate business growth and successful economic impact
  • deliver demonstrable societal impact

Your proposal can be from any area of innovation, where innovation is defined as the commercially successful exploitation of ideas, and be applied to any part of the economy.

As part of your application, you must share with us a short video, up to 3 minutes long. This must be uploaded to YouTube and provided as an unlisted link as part of your application. If the assessors cannot view your video or it is hosted on a platform other than YouTube, the assessors will be unable to assess this question and your application will be ineligible.


Portfolio approach

We are looking to fund a portfolio of projects.

We will select a portfolio of award winners who:

  • have high potential to be inspirational role model to others
  • represent a diverse range of innovative ideas for business
  • represent a range of themes and technologies
  • are located throughout the UK
  • represent a range of company sizes

Subject to meeting the quality threshold, we reserve the right to manage the portfolio to achieve a balance of awards.

Specific themes

Your project can focus on one or more of the following:

  • digital and technologies
  • net zero
  • healthy living and agriculture

This list is not exhaustive.

Projects we will not fund

We are not funding projects that:

  • have a negative impact on the environment or society
  • have a detrimental effect on equality, diversity and inclusion
  • do not involve any research and development or innovation, for example, the creation of information only websites
  • do not meet the competition eligibility or scope
  • involve primary production in fishery and aquaculture
  • involve primary production in agriculture
  • are not allowed under De minimis regulation restrictions
  • are not allowed under Minimal Financial Assistance

We cannot fund projects that are:

  • dependent on export performance, for example giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of bread to another country
  • dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it uses 50% UK flour in their product
26 September 2022
Online briefing event: watch the recording
28 September 2022
Competition opens
9 November 2022 11:00am
Competition closes
5 January 2023 2:26pm
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:

  1. Project details.
  2. Application questions including a video submission.
  3. Finances.

1. Project details

This section provides background for the assessors and is not scored.


Application team

You can invite people from your organisation to help complete the application.

Application details

Give your project’s title, start date and duration.

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 or personal 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. If your project is not in scope it 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 11 to 17, question 1 to 10 are not scored. You will receive feedback for each scored question. Find out more about how our assessors assess.

You must answer all questions. Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers unless explicitly requested.

Question 1. Applicant location (not scored)

You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and any subcontractors working on your project. We are collecting this information to understand the geographical location of all applicants.

Your answer can be up to 200 words long

Question 2. Minimal Financial Assistance declaration (not scored)

You must download the declaration template. You must complete this, declaring any funding received under Minimal Financial Assistance (previously referred to as Special Drawing Rights) or De minimis awards, (from any source of public funding) in the applicable period.

You must complete all the fields on your form before uploading.

You must write “declaration attached” in the text box.

You must upload the completed declaration as an appendix. It must be a PDF and no larger than 10 MB.

You must keep all documentation relating to Minimal Financial Assistance (previously referred to as Special Drawing Rights) and other De minimis awards for a period of 6 years and be prepared to release it to any public funding body which requests it.

Your answer can be up to 20 words long.

Question 3: Project start date (not scored)

Can you confirm that you are able to start your project on 1 April 2023?

You must be able to start your project on the 1 April 2023 to apply for this competition or your application will be made ineligible.

Please select yes to confirm you are able to start your project on this date. If you select no, your application will be made ineligible and not sent for assessment.

Question 4. Role model commitment (not scored)

Can you commit five days over the duration of the award to activities related to being a role model?

Select:

  • yes
  • no

If you select no, you will be made ineligible.

Question 5. Resource development commitment (not scored)

Can you commit up to two days over the duration of the award to activities related to supporting the Innovate UK partners in developing inclusive innovation resources?

Select:

  • yes
  • no

If you select no, you will be made ineligible.

Question 6: Previous support (not scored)

Have you previously received support for your business from the Innovate UK partners including Innovate UK EDGE, Innovate UK KTN and the Catapults? Existing business support will not affect your eligibility for the award.

You must state Yes or No as part of your answer and explain what support you have received.

Your answer can be up to 200 words long.

Question 7: How you heard about the Awards (not scored)

How did you find out about the Inclusive Innovation Award? You must select one of the following:

  • recommended by a colleague
  • recommended by a friend
  • Innovate UK’s social media channels such as LinkedIn or Twitter
  • Innovate UK KTN’s social media channels such as LinkedIn or Twitter
  • an email or other communication from Innovate UK
  • an email or other communication from Innovate UK KTN
  • Innovate UK EDGE
  • other

Question 8. Further business support (not scored)

Even if you are unsuccessful, we may be able to find you some business support through our partner organisations. Are you happy for us to share your details with our partner organisations, Innovate UK KTN, Innovate UK EDGE and the Catapult network?

Select:

  • yes
  • no

Question 9. Your innovation area (not scored)

Select your innovation area from the list below. You can only select one.

  • Digital and Technologies
  • Net Zero
  • Healthy Living and Agriculture
  • Other (please specify)

Question 10. Your project Equality, Diversity and Inclusion category (not scored)

Select the characteristic that your proposal supports. You can only select one.

  • age
  • sex and gender
  • gender reassignment
  • ethnicity
  • disability
  • sexuality
  • religion
  • marriage and civil partnership
  • pregnancy and maternity
  • socioeconomic status
  • levelling up
  • caring responsibilities
  • educational background
  • multiple characteristics

If you do not make a selection, you will be made ineligible.

Question 11. Your commitment to inclusive innovations – video submission

What is your motivation to be a leader in inclusive innovation?

You must upload a video to YouTube. The video can be in any style; it will be judged on its content and not the production quality.

The video must be no longer than three minutes. If your video is over three minutes long, only the first three minutes will be used to assess your application.

You must ensure your video is ‘unlisted’ in the privacy settings using YouTube. Give the link and any passwords required in your answer to this question.

More information on how to create an unlisted video on YouTube.

If the assessors cannot view your video or it is hosted on a platform other than YouTube, the assessors will be unable to assess this question and your application will be ineligible. The video must remain available until 1 April 2023.

If you cannot upload your video to YouTube, you should contact support@iuk.ukri.org as soon as possible before the competition closes for advice. Your application will be ineligible if you submit your application without a video.

You can confirm the successful upload of your video by contacting support@iuk.ukri.org.

Requests for extensions due to problems uploading a video will not be accepted.

In your video you must:

  • introduce yourself, your team, and your business
  • provide your insights into the social and economic benefits of inclusive innovations
  • describe any particular equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) challenges in your sector or innovation area that have motivated you to apply
  • explain the difference that an award will make to your business
  • describe how you and your business are a role model for inclusive innovation would inspire more businesses to develop inclusive innovations

This question is worth 16% of the total score.

If successful your videos or transcripts might be used to create promotional material for the awards, and therefore will be shared with third parties to create the material. Third parties can include Innovate UK KTN and partner public relations (PR) agencies.

Question 12. Track record

What is your track record for delivering inclusive innovations?

Describe:

  • the previous needs that you addressed
  • the innovations that you delivered
  • how you engaged with the target audience to understand their need
  • the impact of the innovation(s) for the target audience and for society
  • the impact of the innovation(s) for your business

This question is worth 14% of the total score.

You can submit one appendix to support your answer. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF and can be up to 2 A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 13. Need or challenge

What are the equality diversity and inclusion challenge(s) or market opportunities behind your innovation that this programme would fund?

Describe:

  • the equality diversity and inclusion challenges you are focussing on
  • the business need, technological challenge or market opportunity
  • how you have engaged with the target audience to understand their need
  • 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

This question is worth 14% of the total score.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 14. Approach and innovation

What innovation would you develop with the award and what is the expected impact?

Describe:

  • the new idea or business opportunity and why this is important
  • how your new idea or business opportunity will respond to the challenge identified in question 13
  • whether the innovation will focus on the application of existing technologies, services or processes in new areas, the development of new technologies, services or processes for existing areas or a totally disruptive approach
  • the freedom you have to operate, for example patents, IP
  • how this project fits with your current product, service lines or offerings
  • the dynamics of the markets (domestic, international or both) you will be targeting in the project, and any other potential markets
  • your target customers or end users and their location (whether they are based in specific regions, across the UK or other locations)
  • the value to your target customers or end users, for example; why they would use or buy your product

You can submit one appendix to support your answer. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF and can be up to 2 A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

This question is worth 14% of the total score.

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

Question 15: Plan for the award

How will you deliver the award?

Describe:

  • the specific activities you will undertake with £50,000 of funding
  • the cost of each activity you plan to undertake and explain how this represents value for money
  • the roles, skills and experience of all members of the project team that are essential for delivering an inclusive innovation
  • how you have ensured that you understand the lived experience of the need or challenge outlined in question 13
  • any project inputs that are critical to completion, such as resources, expertise, data sets
  • any resources, equipment and facilities required for the project or activity and how you will access them
  • who you will need to work with to successfully execute your project or carry out the planned activity, such as subcontractors
  • how you will manage the project to keep it on track and maximise the likelihood of success, including any tools and mechanisms that will be used to ensure successful delivery
  • the main risks and uncertainties of your project or planned activity, for example any technical, commercial, managerial or environmental risks, and explain how these will be mitigated
  • any output likely to be subject to regulatory requirements, certification, ethical issues and so on, and how you will manage this
  • how you will protect and exploit the outputs of the project, for example through know-how, patenting, designs or changes to your business model
  • how you are going to profit from the innovation, including increased revenues or cost reduction

Your answer can be up to 800 words long.

You must upload a risk register as an appendix in PDF format no larger than 10MB and up to 1 A4 page long. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

You can also upload a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix in PDF format no larger than 10MB and up to 1 A4 page long. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

This question is worth 14% of the total score.

Question 16. Wider impacts

What impact might this project have outside the project team?

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

Describe, and where possible, measure:

  • any expected impact on government priorities
  • any expected economic impacts of the project
  • any expected environmental impacts, either positive or negative
  • any expected regional impacts of the project

Describe what activity you would undertake to act as a role model for inclusive innovations to other businesses, for example:

  • how you will successfully disseminate the activities of your business and undertake any knowledge sharing or transfer
  • any specific networks or audiences you intend to engage with

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

This question is worth 14% of the total score.

Question 17. Added value

What impact would an injection of public funding have on the business?

Describe or explain:

  • your vision for where you see your business in the future
  • the current status with your business and progress to date including other relevant support that you have received
  • your current position in the markets and supply or value chains and whether you will be extending or establishing your market position
  • the added value of the award to the business and why this is the right time for the injection of support it offers
  • how the award will affect your productivity and growth in both the short and long term
  • how this award will make you more competitive

This question is worth 14% of the total score.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

3. Finances

You must complete your full project costs, organisation details and funding details in the application.

To complete the finances section in your application, you must enter your full project costs and make sure that the funding you are applying for is no more than £50,000.

If you apply for funding of more or less than £50,000 you will be ineligible and your application will not be sent for assessment.

For full details on what costs you can claim see our project costs guidance.

Background and further information

Innovate UK is committed to supporting innovations that have a focus on equality, diversity and inclusion.

We believe that innovations can be designed to be more inclusive and accessible, delivering better outcomes for society and businesses.

Innovate UK defines an ‘inclusive innovation’ as one that centres equality, diversity and inclusion:

  • in the design and development of the innovation
  • in meeting a societal need that promotes equity and functions to eradicate prejudice and discrimination

The innovation might focus on a specific demographic, or it might be something that has been developed to be specifically accessible to all.

The Inclusive Innovation Awards winners will be showcased as businesses leading the way in developing inclusive innovations. A campaign will provide the cohort of businesses with press opportunities to highlight their work and influence positive change in other businesses. The award holders will be expected to be role models to other businesses.

Innovate UK KTN

Innovate UK KTN has a wide network, deep sector expertise, and can connect you to people and organisations to help accelerate your ideas and project.

Visit the Inclusive Innovation programme page on the Innovate UK KTN website to:

  • register for the briefing event
  • learn more about inclusive innovations
  • read frequently asked questions

Innovate UK EDGE

Innovation and Growth specialist at Innovate UK EDGE focus on growing innovative businesses and ensuring that projects contribute to their growth. Working one-to-one, they can help you to identify your best strategy and harness world-class resources to grow and achieve scale.

We encourage you to engage with Innovate UK EDGE, delivered by a knowledgeable and objective specialist near you.

Data sharing

This competition is jointly operated by Innovate UK, and Innovate UK KTN (each an ‘agency’).

Any relevant information submitted and 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 passed on to Innovate UK KTN and vice versa. This would include, but is not restricted to:

  • the information stated on the application, including the personal details of all applicants
  • scoring and feedback on the application
  • information received during the management and administration of the grant, such as Monitoring Officer reports and Independent Accountant Reports

Innovate UK and Innovate UK KTN 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 Innovate UK KTN will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application. Innovate UK’s Privacy Policy is accessible here.

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.

Support for SMEs from Innovate UK EDGE

If you receive an award, you will be contacted about working with an innovation and growth specialist at Innovate UK EDGE. This service forms part of our funded offer to you.

These specialists focus on growing innovative businesses and ensuring that projects contribute to their growth. Working one-to-one, they can help you to identify your best strategy and harness world-class resources to grow and achieve scale.

We encourage you to engage with Innovate UK EDGE, delivered by a knowledgeable and objective specialist near you.

Contact us

If you need more information about how to apply or you want to submit your application in Welsh, email support@iuk.ukri.org or call 0300 321 4357.

Our phone lines are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Innovate UK is committed to making support for applicants accessible to everyone.

Diversity and Inclusion is a priority at Innovate UK, and we welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes providing support for people who have a disability or long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.

If you would like any support, please contact Customer Support Service on 0300 321 4357 or support@iuk.ukri.org as early as possible during your application process.

Need help with this service? Contact us