Funding competition Cyber security academic startups programme: phase 3

Individuals based in a UK academic institution can apply for a share of £1,100,000 to join phase 3 of the cyber security academic startups programme.

This competition is now closed.

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Competition sections

Description

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, and in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will invest up to £1,100,000. This is for innovative cyber security ideas coming from the academic research base.

The aim of this competition is to identify the best commercial opportunities in academia in respect to cyber security. Your proposal should include the problem that you are solving, your proposed solution and your plans for building a minimum viable product.

Successful applicants will take part in a 4.5 month programme starting in September 2018. The programme will include multiple activities, including up to 10 days of attendance in London.

The programme will involve building a minimum viable product and developing a pitch for the demo day in January 2019. We encourage teams to set up a company as part of this phase. The programme will be supported by industry experts, including those from cyber security.

If your project’s total costs or duration fall outside of our eligibility criteria, email us before you apply.

Funding type

Grant

Project size

Your project’s total costs should be no more than £100,000. Projects must start by week commencing 3 September 2018 and end by week commencing 14 January 2019. Projects must last 4.5 months.

Who can apply

To be eligible for funding you must:

  • be based in a UK academic institution
  • have a cyber security idea
  • be interested in the commercialisation of your idea
  • have the support of your academic institution’s technology transfer office, or equivalent

By ‘cyber security’ we mean protecting information systems (hardware, software and associated infrastructure), the data on them and the services they provide, from unauthorised access, harm or misuse.

This includes harm caused intentionally by the operator of the system, or accidentally, as a result of failing to follow security procedures.

This competition is only open to people who completed phase 1 and 2 of the cyber security academic startups programme in the first half of 2018 and have been invited to take part in phase 3.

All individuals based in a UK academic institution are eligible, including early career researchers and senior academic researchers.

Applicants must be dedicated to the project for the 4.5 months duration from the week commencing 3 September 2018.

The grant is expected to be paid to the academic institution only.

Funding

We have allocated up to £1,100,000 to fund cyber security ideas through this competition.

We plan to accept up to 17 applications.

Applicants can apply for funding support of up to 100% of their eligible project costs.

Your proposal

The aim of this competition is to identify the best commercial opportunities in academia in respect to cyber security. Your proposal should include:

  • the problem you are solving
  • your proposed solution
  • your plan to develop a minimum viable product

The grant may be used to fund salary, travel and accommodation expenses for the individual that will take part in the programme as well as any other reasonable costs required to build the minimum viable product.

Please note that this phase is to build a minimum viable product only and not for the development of a full product or solution.

To participate in and complete the programme, successful applicants must attend all planned events in London.

Successful applicants will be contacted by the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) with full details on the programme, including definite dates.

Projects we will not fund

We will not fund projects that:

  • cover areas not related to cyber security
  • come from outside UK academic institutions
  • have no intention to commercialise

25 June 2018
Competition opens
29 June 2018
Online briefing event. Watch the recording.
18 July 2018 12:00pm
Competition closes
31 July 2018 9:36am
Applicants notified

Before you start

Please read the general guidance for applicants. It will help your chances of submitting a quality application.

When you start an application you will be prompted to create an account as the lead applicant or sign in as a representative of your organisation. You will need an account to track the progress of your application.

As the lead applicant you will be responsible for:

  • collecting the information for your application
  • representing your organisation in leading the project if your application is successful
  • submitting the final grant claim within one month of the programme close

You will be able to invite colleagues to contribute to the application.

What we will ask you

The application is split into 2 sections:

  1. Application details.
  2. Application questions.

1. Application details

Explain your project. This section is not scored, but we will use it to decide whether the project fits with the scope of the competition. If it does not, it will be immediately rejected.

Application details

The lead applicant must complete this section. Give your project’s title, start date and duration. List any organisations you have named as collaborators.

Project summary

Describe your project briefly, and be clear about what makes it innovative. We use this section to assign experts to assess your application. Your answer can be up to 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 eligible for funding. Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

2. Application questions

Your answers to these questions will be scored by the assessors. You will receive feedback from the assessors for each 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: Problem

What is the business need, technological challenge or market opportunity behind your idea? Please also explain how this project has evolved from the value proposition stage.

You should describe or explain:

  • the main motivation behind your idea
  • the business need, technological challenge or market opportunity, including how you have carried out your market analysis and got evidence of demand
  • the current known competition in this area, including those near market or in development
  • how your idea has evolved from the start of the programme; briefly describe any significant changes and why

This question is worth 10 marks.

Question 2: Solution and innovation

What is your proposed solution to the problem you identified and where will the focus of the innovation be?

You should describe or explain:

  • how your proposed solution addresses the need, challenge or opportunity identified
  • how your proposed solution will improve on the current competition
  • 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
  • how your solution and innovation have evolved from the start of the programme; briefly describe any significant technology changes and why

This question is worth 10 marks.

Question 3: Commercialisation

How do you intend to commercialise your idea?

You should describe or explain:

  • your approach to commercialisation, outline your preferred route (such as spin-out, licence, in house service)
  • your business model and how you plan to make money from the product and services
  • the status of intellectual property (IP) and commercialisation discussion with your academic institution and/or other parties
  • outline your timeline for commercialisation and main deliverables in order to achieve this (what do you need to achieve prior to spin-out approval)

This question is worth 10 marks.

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
  • the details of any vital external parties, including sub-contractors, who you will need to work with to successfully carry out the project
  • any gaps in the team that will need to be filled

This question is worth 10 marks.

Question 5: Market awareness and validation

What does the market you are targeting look like? What evidence do you have that your product or solution will be appropriate?

Describe or explain:

  • the evidence gained through market validation of the proposed product or solution
  • the markets (domestic, international or both) you will be targeting in the project and any other potential markets (for example, other sectors or verticals)
  • 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
  • the current UK position in targeting these markets
  • the size and main features of any other markets not already listed

This question is worth 10 marks.

Question 6: Project management and risks

What is your overarching plan to deliver the minimum viable product phase? What are the main technical and commercial risks for this project and how you will mitigate these?

Describe or explain:

  • your comprehensive plan to deliver the minimum viable product, including the main milestones
  • the main risks and uncertainties of the project, including the technical, commercial, managerial and environmental risks, providing a risk register if appropriate
  • how these risks will be mitigated
  • any project inputs that are critical to completion, such as resources, expertise and data sets
  • any output likely to be subject to regulatory requirements, certification, ethical issues and so on, and how you will manage this

This question is worth 10 marks.

Question 7: 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?

Describe or explain:

  • the total project cost and the grant being requested in terms of the project goals
  • any contribution coming from your academic institution or other parties (financial or in-kind)
  • how this project represents value for money for you and the taxpayer
  • any sub-contractor costs and why they are critical to the project

This question is worth 10 marks.

Question 8: Public description

Describe your project in detail, and in a way that you are happy to see published. Please 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.

This question is not scored, and will be used for reference only.

Background and further information

The 2016 National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS) set out the government’s vision for the next 5 years. This vision is that the UK will be secure, resilient to cyber threats, prosperous and confident in the digital world. There are 3 broad strands of activity:

  1. Defend our cyberspace.
  2. Deter our adversaries.
  3. Develop our capabilities.

The aim for the UK is to become the world’s leading digital nation and the best place to do business online. However this cannot happen unless organisations within the UK are secure and resilient. This involves promoting the UK’s cyber security sector, ensuring government, industry and academia work together to support a thriving ecosystem of successful, innovative companies.

The cyber security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme (ASAP) aims to increase the amount of academic research being commercialised within UK universities through a bespoke programme of support.

A successful pilot concluded in October 2017.

Extra help

If you want help to find a project collaborator, contact the Knowledge Transfer Network.

If you need more information, call the competition helpline on 0300 321 4357 or email us at support@innovateuk.gov.uk.

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