Funding competition SBRI: Quantum Catalyst Fund, phase 1 and phase 2

Organisations can apply for a share of £15 million inclusive of VAT, to develop proposals for the application of quantum technologies, that address challenges of interests for the UK Government.

This competition is now closed.

Start new application

Competition sections

Description

This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Innovate UK (IUK).

The aim of this competition is to explore the benefit of using quantum technologies in various areas of interest for the UK Government. Accelerating the adoption of quantum solutions by the public sector and for the public benefit.

This competition is divided in two contracted phases:

  • Phase 1 has a total budget of up to £2 million and will last 3 months
  • Phase 2 has a total budget of up to £13 million and will last up to 15 months

At the end of phase 1, the UK Government will assess the proposals developed, based on the end of phase 1 reports. Only successful projects will be invited to continue with a contract to phase 2.

In applying to this competition you are entering into a competitive process.

Any adoption and implementation of a solution from this competition would be subject to a separate, possibly competitive, procurement exercise. This competition does not cover the purchase of any solution.

This competition closes at 11am UK time on the date of the deadline.

Funding type

Procurement

Project size

Phase 1 projects can range in size up to total costs of £120,000, inclusive of VAT for up to 3 months. Phase 2 projects can range between £1 million and £2.5 million, inclusive of VAT, for up to 15 months.

Who can apply

(Text update 31/05/2023: changed the year of Phase 2 start by date from 2023 to 2024)

Your project

Your phase 1 project must:

  • start by 1 September 2023
  • end by 30 November 2023
  • last up to 3 months

Your phase 2 project must:

  • start by 1 January 2024
  • end by 31 March 2025
  • last up to 15 months

Your projects total duration will be up to 18 months. There will be an interlude after the 3 month phase 1. This is to assess the progress of phase 1 projects and review the end of phase reports, after which, phase 2 contracts will be issued to successful projects.

Applicant

To lead a project, you can:

  • be an organisation of any size
  • work alone or with others from business, research organisations, research and technology organisations or the third sector as subcontractors

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

Contracts will be awarded to a single legal entity only. However, if you can justify subcontracting components of the work, you can engage specialists or advisers. This work will still be the responsibility of the main contractor.

Funding

A total of up to £15 million, inclusive of VAT, has been allocated to fund the 2 contract phases for this competition.

Up to £2 million, inclusive of VAT, is allocated to phase 1 for feasibility study R&D contracts of up to £120,000, inclusive of VAT for up to 3 months.

Up to £13 million inclusive of VAT, is allocated to phase 2, for projects selected from phase 1. Phase 2 contracts of between £1 million and £2.5 million, inclusive of VAT will be awarded to develop a prototype and undertake field testing for up to 15 months.

If your project’s total costs fall outside of our eligibility criteria for phase 2, you must provide justification by email to support@iuk.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 application has not been approved by us, you will be made ineligible. Your application will then not be sent for assessment.

The total funding available for the competition can change. The funders have the right to:

  • adjust the provisional funding allocations between the phases
  • apply a ‘portfolio’ approach

The contract is completed at the end of phase 1. Selected projects will be offered a phase 2 contract to further demonstrate their proposed solution. Successful organisations are expected to pursue commercialisation of their solution.

Value Added Tax (VAT)

You must select whether you are VAT registered before entering your project costs.

VAT is the responsibility of the invoicing business. We will not provide any further advice and suggest you seek independent advice from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

VAT registered

If you select you are VAT registered, 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. Your total project costs inclusive of VAT must not exceed £120,000.

Not VAT registered

If you select you are not VAT registered, you must enter your project costs exclusive of VAT and no VAT will be added. You will not be able to increase total project costs to cover VAT later should you become VAT registered. Your total project costs must not exceed £120,000.

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 can also include prototyping and field-testing the product or service. This lets you incorporate the results of your exploration and design and demonstrate that you can produce in quantity to acceptable quality standards.

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

Subsidy control

SBRI competitions involve procurement of R&D services at a fair market value and are not subject to subsidy control criteria that typically apply to grant funding.

Your Project

Quantum Technologies have developed greatly in the last ten years, helped by support from the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme. However, there is a partial understanding of the potential of quantum technologies within the UK Government and the public sector.

The Quantum Catalyst is aimed at helping innovators and the UK Government to come to a common understanding. Looking at how the potential of quantum technologies meets the specific needs of a certain sector.

The aim of this competition is to explore the benefit of using quantum technologies in various areas of interest for the UK Government. Accelerating the adoption of quantum solutions by the public sector and for the public benefit.

The UK Government has already identified some areas of interest, but this is largely as an indication of critical areas rather than a list of mandatory topics:

In phase 1 you must conduct a desk study with detailed planning for a specific application of quantum technologies in the public sector. You must align this with the UK Governments areas of interest. Phase 1 is an opportunity to engage with a government department or organisation on the challenge you propose to develop further in phase 2.

In a Phase 2 demonstrator, your project will be tested to assure and prove that the developed proposal is suitable and feasible in meeting a specific need or problem for the Government.

Your project must:

  • show how your solution is expected to have an advantage over classical technologies
  • be willing to work with the UK Government’s end-users to define the specifications and requirements of the technology

Contracts will be given to successful applicants.

At this stage contracts will be given for phase 1 only.

You must define your goals in your application and outline your plan for phase 2. This is part of the full commercial implementation in your phase 1 application.

You must demonstrate a credible and practical route to market, so your application must include a plan to commercialise your results.

Specific themes

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

  • quantum sensing and imaging
  • quantum communications
  • quantum position, navigation and timing (PNT)
  • quantum components
  • quantum computing

Suggested challenge areas for the UK Government are:

  • underground and underwater survey
  • transport
  • navigation
  • earth observation
  • healthcare
  • environment
  • security
  • autonomous systems
  • telecommunications
  • emergency services and response
  • time and frequency dissemination
  • infrastructures
  • space
  • optimisation tasks

This list is not exhaustive.

Your proposal must address one or more challenge areas for the UK Government and present a credible and realistic solution, where quantum technologies can successfully be used.

Research categories

Phase 1: technical feasibility studies

This means planned research or critical investigation, by a desk study, with detailed planning, to gain new knowledge and skills for developing new products, processes or services.

In phase 1 you will work with the stakeholders to develop a detailed solution and produce a final report that will be assessed by the UK Government and form part of the decision for an invitation to phase 2. The outcome of phase 2 will be a prototype and demonstration of the solution.

Phase 2: prototype development and evaluation

This can include prototyping, demonstrating, piloting, testing and validation of new or improved products, processes or services in environments representative of real-life operating conditions. The primary objective is to make further technical improvements on products, processes or services that are not substantially set.

Projects we will not fund

We will not fund projects that:

  • do not make use of quantum technologies and their specific application in the public sector
  • do not use second generation quantum technologies, defined as those involving the generation and coherent control of quantum states, resulting in phenomena such as superposition or entanglement
  • directly duplicate other UK government or EU funded initiatives which you have been funded to deliver a technical feasibility study
  • do not cover areas of interest or challenges for the UK Government
  • are not original in their scope
  • do not address how any potentially negative outcomes, such as on the environment or society, would be managed

29 May 2023
Competition opens
31 May 2023
Online briefing event: watch the recording
27 June 2023 11:00am
Competition closes
21 July 2023
Applicants notified
1 September 2023
Phase 1 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 terms of the contract are non-negotiable and are included in the draft contract. We reserve the right to change the terms and conditions if necessary.

The final contract will include any milestones you have agreed with the funding authority and will be sent to you if your application is successful. The contract is binding once it is returned by you and signed by both parties.

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. Using your account, you will be able to track your applications progress.

As the applicant you are 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 from your organisation to contribute to the application.

What happens next

A selected panel of assessors will review and score your application. You will be notified of the outcome and feedback will be provided. Contracts for phase 1 will then be issued to all successful applicants.

For phase 2, Innovate UK and the UK Government will take into account your end of phase 1 report. A decision to progress your project to phase 2 will be based on the outcomes from phase 1 and where your project addresses a key challenge area for the UK Government.

What we will ask you

The application is split into 3 sections:

  1. Project details.
  2. Application questions.
  3. Finances.

You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.

Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to make sure:

  • that all the information provided in the application is correct
  • your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria
  • all sections of the application are marked as complete

You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.

Accessibility and inclusion

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes providing support, in the form of reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us. Read more on how we have made our application process accessible and inclusive to everyone.

You must contact us as early as possible in the application process. We recommend contacting us at least 15 working days before the competition closing date to ensure we can provide you with the most suitable support possible.

You can contact us by emailing support@iuk.ukri.org or calling 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

1. Project details

This section provides background for your application and is not scored.

Application details

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.

Project and scope summary

Please provide a short summary of your project.

Describe your project briefly. Be clear about what makes it innovative and how it relates to the scope of the competition. How does it tackle different aspects of the challenge and how will it provide an integrated solution?

Give details of the lead organisation. Before you submit, we expect you to have discussed your application within your organisation.

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 the project fits the scope of the competition. If it does not, it may be rejected.

Public description

Please provide a brief description of your project. If your application is successful, we will publish this description. This could happen before you start your project. This question is mandatory, but we will not assess this content as part of your application.

Describe your project in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information. 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.

Applicant location

You must state the name of your organisation along with your full registered address.

You must also state the name and full registered address of any potential or confirmed subcontractors.

We are collecting this information to understand the geographical location of all participants of a project.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

2. Application questions

The assessors will score all of your questions except question 1 which is not scored.

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. Themes (not scored)

Select one main challenge area from the specific themes list in the ‘Scope’ section of this competition for your project. You cannot choose more than one:

  • underground and underwater survey
  • transport
  • navigation
  • earth observation
  • healthcare
  • environment
  • security
  • autonomous systems
  • telecommunications
  • emergency services and response
  • time and frequency dissemination
  • infrastructures
  • space
  • optimisation tasks
  • other

Question 2. Proposed idea or technology

How does the project meet the challenge described in the competition scope?

If you have selected ‘Other’ as your challenge area in question 1, explain what challenge area you are addressing.

Provide a description of your proposed idea or technology.

Include a description of the current state of development or readiness of the idea.

You can submit a single appendix as a PDF containing images and diagrams to support your answer. It can be no larger than 10MB and up to 2 A4 pages long. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

This question will be scored against this assessment criterion: ‘How well does the proposal meet the challenge?’

Question 3. Technical project summary

What are the main technical challenges you are addressing?

Explain:

  • how you will address the challenge
  • what the innovation is
  • the main technical deliverables
  • the research and development that will prove the scientific, environmental and 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 valid is the technical approach?’

Question 4. Current state of the art and intellectual property

Are similar products currently available in the market?

How is your proposed project differentiated from them?

You must include details of:

  • any existing intellectual property (IP)
  • its significance to your freedom to operate
  • novel concepts you develop or employ
  • new approaches or technologies you use
  • new tools or technologies

This question will be scored against these assessment criteria: ‘How innovative is this project? How much does the project develop or employ novel concepts, approaches, methodologies, tools or technologies for this area?’

Question 5. Project plan and methodology

Describe your project plan and identify the main milestones.

The plan for phase 1 must be comprehensive. For phase 2 only an outline is required. The emphasis throughout should be on practicality.

Provide evidence that the technology works, can be made into a viable product and can achieve the proposed benefits.

You must:

  • describe resources that will be needed to deliver the project
  • describe what the main success criteria will be
  • identify the project management processes that will ensure you achieve the milestones
  • provide a clear plan for establishing technical and commercial feasibility
  • describe the main technical, commercial and environmental risks and what you will do to mitigate them
  • provide a clear plan for development of a working prototype

You must explain how you would handle any intellectual property (IP) issues which might arise during the project.

Include details of how you will maintain freedom to operate and fulfil the IP requirements detailed in the contract if you are working with subcontractors.

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
  • be defined using SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) criteria
  • be associated with the appropriate deliverables and payments
  • indicate your payment schedule by month

This question will be assessed against these assessment criteria:

  • does the proposal show a clear plan for establishing technical and commercial feasibility and the development of a working prototype
  • is there a clear management plan
  • what are the main technical, commercial, and environmental risks to the project’s success
  • how will these be effectively managed
  • are the milestones and evaluation 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 6. Technical team and expertise

Who is in the technical team? What expertise do they offer?

Provide a brief description of your technical team, including any subcontractors.

Describe:

  • how each organisation has the skills, capabilities, and experience to deliver the intended benefits
  • 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 7. Costs and value for money

How much will the project cost for phase 1? How does it represent value for money for the team and the taxpayer?

Describe:

  • the total costs inclusive of VAT (If applicable) you are requesting in terms of the project goals
  • how this project represents value for money for you and the taxpayer
  • your expected overall costs for phase 2

Proposed costs stated in this section for phase 1 must match those entered in the finance summary.

All costs quoted must reflect actual costs at a ‘fair market value’ and not include profit.

You can submit a single appendix as a spreadsheet in PDF format, no larger than 10MB and up to 2 A4 pages long to support your answer. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Indicate your potential costs for phase 2.

Progression to phase 2 depends on your success in phase 1 and assessment of your phase 1 final report.

Please note that all payments are made quarterly in arrears on submission of an invoice. The invoice must be submitted within 30 days of the end of each monitoring period for all completed milestones.

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. 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 8. Commercial potential

What is the commercial potential of your project? You must focus on your proposed customer’s needs.

Describe your:

  • timescales
  • projects commercial potential for a marketable product, process or service
  • delivery plan
  • expected route to market

Describe the competitive advantage that your project has over existing or alternative technologies that meet market needs.

Describe any existing commercial relationships relevant to the project.

With the focus on your proposed customer’s needs, you can also mention the future commercial potential across the public or private sector and international markets.

This question will be scored against these assessment criteria:

  • is there a clear commercial potential for a marketable product, process or service
  • is there a clear plan to deliver that and a clear route to market
  • how significant is the competitive advantage of this technology over existing technologies that meet the market’s needs

3. Finances

Enter your phase 1 project costs, organisation details and funding details.

You must select whether you are VAT registered before entering your project costs. We advise you answer the VAT registered question first before entering your costs. Your total project costs for phase 1 must not exceed £120,000.

If you select you are VAT registered, 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 select you are not VAT registered, you must enter your project costs exclusive of VAT and no VAT will be added. You will not be able to increase total project costs 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.

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

Background and further information

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 eligible organisations that can demonstrate a route to market for their solution. Under current regulations, SBRI contracts are open to applications from organisations registered in the UK, European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). 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.

SBRI is a procurement of R&D services. If successful, you will receive a contract to deliver the proposed activity. Costs quoted must reflect actual costs at a ‘fair market value’ and not include profit.

You must submit an invoice for the work undertaken. All payments are made in arrears on submission of an invoice. Invoices must be submitted within 30 days of the end of each monitoring period for all completed milestones.

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.

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.

Quantum Catalyst

Quantum Technologies have developed greatly in the last ten years, helped by support from the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme.

The UK Government has already identified some areas of interest, but this is largely as an indication of critical areas rather than a list of mandatory topics. These are the type questions they have for exploring the potential of quantum technologies:

Transport

How could quantum technologies improve our ability to survey underground to improve infrastructure project delivery and maintenance?

How could quantum technologies provide more precise positioning and timing of trains in real time?

How can quantum technologies improve transport infrastructure utilization, focusing on logistics and traffic management?

Space

How might quantum technologies be integrated into space-based platforms to provide insights into the Earth’s climate and its environment? For example, quantum sensing for tracking greenhouse gas emissions, monitoring land and ocean temperature fluctuations, and assessing the health of ecosystems. As well as other aspects of monitoring climate change monitoring and environmental degradation.

How might quantum technologies be utilised for space-based applications including:

  • secure communications between satellites and ground stations
  • developing accurate Inertial Navigation Systems for spacecrafts
  • Quantum computing for example, to solve complex optimisation tasks, such as efficient mission planning, trajectory calculations, and resource allocation, or help analyse the vast amounts of data collected by Earth observation satellites in real-time.
  • advanced measurement techniques for space-based experiments in fundamental physics

Health

How might quantum technologies provide new or enhanced capabilities in healthcare?

Home Office

How might we use quantum technologies to enhance our ability to detect anomalies in cargo and parcels, such as contraband or people smuggling?

Position, Navigation, Timing (PNT)

How might we use quantum enabling technologies to advance time and frequency dissemination infrastructure, including for, but not limited to, building a National Timing Centre?

Defence

How can we use quantum technology to enable agile automatous systems that can undertake collision avoidance and navigate safety in cluttered environments and in the dark?

How can the detection of underwater ordnance be improved through the use of quantum technology?

Beyond Quantum Key Distribution, how could quantum technology enable lower power more efficient future telecommunications?

How could quantum technology provide emergency services with an enhanced search capability and improved situational awareness?

How can quantum computing solve data analytics challenges in defence? For example:

  • Hydro-dynamic simulation including, design of platforms and vehicles through fluids and modelling the effects of shock waves from munitions (computational fluid dynamics or Navier-Stokes Equations)
  • Modelling systems under extreme or hazardous conditions including ‘fast’ reactions at high temperatures and pressures
  • Large scale distributed science problems such as environmental monitoring and weather prediction

Net Zero

How could quantum technologies help to reach net zero? For example:

  • quantum computing for optimising electricity grids
  • simulations for reducing emissions in hard-to-decarbonise sectors
  • quantum tech for innovation, including, increasing solar efficiency or battery design
  • support foundational research into storage and nuclear fusion
  • better (real time) monitoring of climate impacts and the effect of individual actions, sites, or processes on the system
  • assessments of optimal usage of industrial processes
  • how quantum technologies help value and monitor environmental resources more effectively

Data sharing

This competition is jointly operated by Innovate UK, and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) (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 DSIT 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 DSIT 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 DSIT 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.

Next steps

If you are successful with this application, you will be asked to set up your project.

You must follow the unique link embedded in your email notification. This takes you to your IFS Set Up portal, the tool that Innovate UK uses to gather necessary information before we can allow your project to begin.

You will need to provide:

  • the name and contact details of your project manager and project finance lead
  • a redacted copy of your bank details

In order to process your claims, we need to make sure that the bank details you give to us relate to a UK high street bank that is regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). The account must have a BACS clearing facility and be in the same company name as your application.

If you have any doubts that your bank account will not meet Innovate UK's funding criteria, you can use the sort code checker. If you input the sort code and find a tick next to the ‘BACS Direct Credit payments can be sent to this sort code’, this will give you an indication that the bank account you hold is acceptable.

Finance checks

We will carry out checks to make sure you are an established company with access to the funds necessary to complete the project.

You must check your IFS portal regularly and respond to any requests we have sent for additional information to avoid any delays. We will also review your milestones, which, if not suitable, will need to be amended during project setup.

Failure to complete project setup may result in your contract being withdrawn.

Your Contract

Once you have successfully completed project setup, we will issue your contract.

The contract will be made available on your IFS portal. You will need to sign and upload this before you start your project, and this must be completed within 30 days of being notified your application was successful.

Your contract will show the start date for your project, do not start your project before this date. Any costs incurred before your start date cannot be claimed as part of your contract.

If your application is unsuccessful

If you are unsuccessful with your application this time, you can view feedback from the assessors. This will be available to you on your IFS portal following notification.

Sometimes your application will have scored well, and you will receive positive comments from the assessors. You may be unsuccessful as your average score was not above the funding threshold or your project has not been selected under the portfolio approach if this is applied for this competition.

Further help and guidance

If you want help to find an organisation to work with, contact the Innovate UK KTN.

If you have any questions about the scope requirements of this competition, email support@iuk.ukri.org.

If you need more information about how to apply, 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).

Need help with this service? Contact us