Funding competition Contracts for Innovation: International Rail Innovation Challenges

Organisations can apply for a share of £500,000, inclusive of VAT, to deliver feasibility studies addressing international rail challenges.

Competition opens: Monday 23 September 2024
Competition closes: Wednesday 16 October 2024 11:00am

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Description

This is a Contracts for Innovation competition funded by the Department for Business and Trade. The scope for this competition has been defined with the close collaboration of the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE).

The aim of the competition is to deliver feasibility studies to address the challenges of building and operating a wide range of international rail projects across the globe.

This is a single phase competition with a potential Phase 2 at a later date. Phase 2 is not currently planned at this time. Any future decision to proceed with Phase 2 will depend on the outcomes from Phase 1 and assessment of a separate application into a subsequent Phase 2 competition.

Only the successful applicants from Phase 1 will be invited to apply to take part in Phase 2, should this go ahead in the future.

In applying to this competition you are entering into a competitive process. This competition has a funding budget of up to £500,000 so we may not be able to fund all the proposed projects. If additional funding becomes available, Innovate UK reserves the right to increase the competition budget beyond this amount.

It may be the case that your project scores highly and receives positive comments from the assessors but we are still unable to fund it due to the portfolio approach we take.

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 deadline stated in this Innovate UK competition brief. We cannot guarantee other government or third party sites will always show the correct competition information.

Funding type

Procurement

Project size

Your project can range in size up to total costs of £50,000, inclusive of VAT.

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 making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.

You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this competition’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the competition deadline.

You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Who can apply

Your project

Projects must:

start on 1 January 2025
end by 31 March 2025, all spend must be completed by this date
last up to three months
have costs of between £5,000, and no more than £50,000, inclusive of VAT

Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day. You must not start your project until your Contract has been approved by Innovate UK.

Applicant

To lead a project, you can:

be an organisation of any size
work alone or with the subcontracted skills and expertise of others from business, research organisations, research and technology organisations, or the third sector (charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups)

Contracts will be awarded to a single legal entity only. The majority of the project work and key deliverables must be completed by the applicant and be carried out in the UK. Subcontractors can be used, but only for specialist skills.

Sanctions

This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions. For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.

Use of animals in research and innovation

Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.

Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both that in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation.

Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process. This information will be reviewed before an award is made.

Funding

A total of up to £500,000, inclusive of VAT, is allocated to this feasibility study research and development (R&D) competition.

Contracts will be up to £50,000, inclusive of VAT, for each project for up to three months. We expect to fund between 10 and 25 projects.

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

apply a ‘portfolio’ approach
adjust the provisional funding allocation
fund additional projects if funding becomes available

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 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 £50,000

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 £50,000.

Research and development (R&D)

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

Contracts for Innovation 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

The aim of this competition is to deliver feasibility studies to address the challenges of building and operating a wide range of international rail projects across the globe.

The contents of each feasibility study for final deliverables must include:

executive summary
description of product or service
technical considerations
marketplace and financial feasibility
marketing strategy, including requirement for further development and demonstration
organisational feasibility
delivery schedule
draft specification of proposed product or solution
conclusion and recommendations

In addition you must provide an outline of how you will demonstrate your technology at a railway test centre, for example, Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE).

You must demonstrate a credible and practical future route to market. This means your application must include a plan to commercialise your results once your innovation is fully developed. Preference may be given to projects that can identify a specific customer for the proposed innovation. In addition, teams are encouraged to involve this organisation directly in the project, for instance as a subcontractor.

A potential Phase 2 funding competition may be considered as an option but is currently not planned. Phase 2 contracts may be awarded in the future to develop a prototype and to undertake field testing.

Contracts will be given to successful applicants.

Specific themes

Your project can focus on one or more of the following, however you must indicate which single theme your project most closely aligns to:

Infrastructure

Theme 1

provide innovations to support the proactive dispatch of the cleaning crew to streamline the maintenance routines and avoid delays when wind-blown contaminants, including debris, sand, vegetation and other materials, encroach on the network

Theme 2

investigate and provide solutions for efficient and cost effective methods for controlling wind-blown contaminants, including debris, sand, vegetation and other materials, and prevent them encroaching onto the track, for example, using fences, ditches and berms, landscaping or a range of other possibilities

Theme 3

when handling aggregates, provide solutions that jointly minimise the maintenance of key components in the terminal resulting from wear and tear, and the degradation of the properties of the aggregates themselves, preferably with non-engineering interventions that are low cost

Theme 4

investigate and provide an approach to deliver high quality but low cost track inspection from onboard commercial services
include monitoring of factors which are specific to the local environment, for example, contaminant build up, including debris, sand, vegetation and other materials, in addition to detecting other defects such as metal fatigue and surface defects

Theme 5

provide a non-intrusive approach to monitor the geotechnical stability around rail infrastructure, ideally to include predictive analysis that advises of any future movement to allow for actions to be taken

Theme 6

exploit the optical fibres laid along modern rail networks and use advanced data analysis capabilities that allow an understanding of the information in the digital footprints contained within the data, including information on rolling stock and infrastructure

Operations

Theme 7

provide innovative software to assess the clearance between non-standard cargo and existing infrastructure along the railway

Theme 8

provide innovative solutions to effect rapid repair of railway infrastructure when damaged by natural or deliberate events, including conflicts, to allow restoration of services in as short a period of time as possible

Theme 9

investigate a solution to ensure the hatches of freight wagons and locking points for containers are fully closed before a train starts its journey
consider solutions that are non-intrusive, do not rely on additional sensors, and deliver a high degree of reliability with very low false alarm rates

Theme 10

propose a strategy to inspect a train’s cargo while in motion, ensuring verification and clearance with minimal manual inspection, to facilitate seamless border controls

Theme 11

provide an approach to streamline the inspection process for rolling stock, ideally while the train is in motion and before arriving at a depot
ensure all required maintenance actions can be planned for completion immediately after arrival, reducing the operator’s risk and fatigue of manual inspections
complete inspections automatically and automatically notify network managers, non-technical solutions may also be considered

Theme 12

investigate and provide strategies to enhance the aerodynamics of the entire train set, particularly for intermodal services
provide a cost benefit analysis to balance the costs of proposed solutions against the current baseline
build upon previous studies, for example, looking at options for an aerodynamic non-functional container at the head of the train

Sustainability

Theme 13

identify alternatives that capture the emissions from any fuel, your solution must be adaptable to different locomotives with minimal or no major modifications required
propose innovations that do not require major modifications to locomotives, and provide carbon capture solutions for international railway operations

Theme 14

explore sustainable solutions for construction materials to replace metal and concrete
provide a scaled integration plan is essential, include a review of the decarbonisation of metal and concrete, and the use of alternative materials

Theme 15

complete a strategic study that analyses and quantifies the best electrification approach for networks
consider the changes and modifications required to the existing rolling stock, and the double-stacked clearance needed for freight container operations
consider the design and operation of a pantograph and overhead line (OHL) electrification that operates at a height of 7 metres, along with a review of relevant standards, if any
include innovations and standards relevant to the OHL above twin stacked containers
provide a proposal for appropriate trials work to clear operations, include the issues of vehicle roll when operating under highly elevated overhead line equipment (OLE)

Strategic

Theme 16

provide an end-to-end feasibility study on the transportation of hydrogen by rail and road vehicles in a range of high potential nations interested in developing net-zero fuel options
include aspects, for example, of transportation in the chemical form and for being transported in, wagon options, loading and unloading systems, safety analysis and options for the generation of hydrogen fuel

Theme 17

provide a strategy to exploit testing facilities to seamlessly adopt and evaluate intrusive innovative solutions
consider the costs and advantages of specialised facilities and tracks, possession frameworks, or any innovative approach that is fit for the target market

Theme 18

provide solutions for revenue generation in the underutilised parking spaces at railway stations, perhaps during early years of operation of new stations, or at weekends
potential solutions might consider low cost service offerings, alternative commercial uses that are scalable and flexible

Theme 19

provide solutions to increase the resilience of railway infrastructure in the face of natural events or when exposed to the risk of deliberate damage, including conflicts

Theme 20

find a cost effective and innovative approach to increase the axle load of current rolling stock, for example, modifying the bearings with advanced materials that can handle larger axial and radial loads

Theme 21

in the context of passenger comfort, outline an onboard compact system to measure and analyse vibrations, dynamic behaviour and noise experienced in the passenger trains
data must be geolocated, and the system must be able to discern the source of any undesired digital footprint, for example, track, bogie or vehicle body
consider factors which might also enhance the customer perception of comfort, including non-mechanical solutions

Theme 22

explore and propose innovations to make railway networks more resilient to natural disasters and single points of failure
evidence how to reduce dependence on a workforce of transient specialists, solutions can be technical or non-technical

Research categories

Phase 1: technical feasibility studies

This means planned research or critical investigation to gain new knowledge and skills for developing new products, processes or services.

Potential Phase 2: prototype development and evaluation

Phase 2 is not currently planned. However, Phase 1 feasibility studies should include details of a possible subsequent Phase 2 activity. 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.

Projects we will not fund

We will not fund projects that:

do not support the challenges outlined in the scope of this competition
do not demonstrate significant support and engagement from potential future customers throughout the project
do not address how any potentially negative outcomes would be managed, for example, on the environment or society
do not evidence the potential for your proposed innovation to generate positive economic or societal impact
would directly duplicate other UK government or EU funded initiatives you have already been funded to deliver
are covered by existing commercial agreements to deliver the proposed solutions

17 September 2024: Briefing event: watch the recording
Briefing slides are available to download from supporting information
23 September 2024: Competition opens
16 October 2024 11:00am: Competition closes
14 November 2024: Feedback
14 November 2024: Applicants notified
1 January 2025: 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 this competition will then be issued to all successful applicants.

What we will ask you

The application is split into four sections:

Project details.
Application questions.
Finances.
Project Impact.

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

You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, 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 can 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 questions 1, 2 and 3 which are not scored. You will receive feedback for each scored question. Find out more about how our assessors assess and how we select applications for funding.

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 theme from the specific themes list in the ‘Scope’ section of this competition. You cannot choose more than one, and it is essential you select the correct theme for your application.

Infrastructure

Theme 1: maintenance crew dispatch

Theme 2: solutions for efficient and cost-effective methods for controlling wind-blown contaminants

Theme 3: handling aggregates

Theme 4: high quality, low cost track inspection

Theme 5: non-intrusive monitoring of geotechnical stability

Theme 6: exploit optical fibres

Operations

Theme 7: clearance between non-standard cargo and existing infrastructure

Theme 8: rapid repair of railway infrastructure

Theme 9: ensuring the hatches of freight waggons are fully closed

Theme 10: inspection of a train’s cargo while in motion

Theme 11: streamline the inspection process for rolling stock

Theme 12: strategies to enhance the aerodynamics of the entire train set

Sustainability

Theme 13: capturing the emissions from any fuel

Theme 14: sustainable solutions for construction materials

Theme 15: the best electrification approach for a network

Strategic

Theme 16: transportation of hydrogen by rail and road vehicles

Theme 17: a strategy to exploit testing facilities to seamlessly adopt and evaluate intrusive innovative solutions

Theme 18: solutions for revenue generation in the underutilised parking spaces

Theme 19: solutions to increase the resilience of railway infrastructure

Theme 20: innovative approach to increase the axle load of current rolling stock

Theme 21: onboard compact system to measure and analyse vibrations, dynamic behaviour and noise

Theme 22: making the network more resilient in the face of natural disasters and single points of failure

Question 2. Animal testing (not scored)

Will your project involve any trials with animals or animal testing?

You must select one option:

We will only support innovation projects conducted to the highest standards of animal welfare.

Further information for proposals involving animal testing is available at the UKRI Good Research Hub and NC3R’s animal welfare guidance.

Question 3. Permits and licences (not scored)

Will you have the correct permits and licences in place to carry out your project?

We are unable to fund projects who do not have the correct permits or licences in place by your project start date.

You must select one option:

Yes
No
In process of being applied for
Not applicable

Question 4. Proposed idea or technology

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

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 two A4 pages long. The font must be in 11 point font size.

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

Question 5. 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 6. 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

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

If you are working with subcontractors (specialist skills only), include details of how you will maintain freedom to operate and fulfil the IP requirements detailed in the contract.

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 7. Project plan and methodology

Describe your project plan and identify the main milestones.

The plan for this Phase 1 must be comprehensive. 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 as part of a potential future Phase 2 activity

You must upload a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix in PDF format no larger than 10MB and up to two A4 pages. The font must be in 11 point font size.

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

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 8. 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 9. Costs and value for money

How much will the project cost? 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

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

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

Indicate your potential costs for Phase 2.

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 Contracts for Innovation competitions. Contracts for Innovation 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?'

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 10. Commercial potential

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

Describe your:

timescales
project's 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 markets needs

3. Finances

Enter your 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 must not exceed £50,000.

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.

VAT is the responsibility of the invoicing business. We will not provide any further advice and advise you to seek independent advice from HMRC.

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.

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

4. Project Impact

This section is not scored but will provide background to your project.

You must complete the Project Impact questions before being able to submit the application.

More information can be found in our Project Impact guidance and by viewing our Impact Management Framework video.

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles.

Assessment

Your application will be reviewed by three independent assessors based on the content of your application and their skills or expertise relevant to your project. All of the scores awarded will count towards the total score used to make the funding decision unless you are notified otherwise.

You can find out more about our assessment process in the General Guidance.

Your submitted application will be assessed against these criteria:

Contracts for Innovation International Rail Innovation Challenges - assessor guidance for applicants.pdf (opens in a new window)

Background and further information

About Contracts for Innovation competitions

Contracts for Innovation provides innovative solutions to challenges faced by the public sector. This can lead to better public services and improved efficiency and effectiveness.

The Contracts for Innovation 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 new ideas
creates opportunities to work directly with the public sector

Contracts for Innovation competitions are open to all eligible organisations that can demonstrate a route to market for their solution. Under current regulations, Contracts for Innovation contracts are open to applications from organisations registered in the UK, European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). Developments are 100% funded and focused on specific identified needs, increasing the chance of exploitation.

Contracts for Innovation encourages the creation and protection of new intellectual property (IP). Applicants retain all the rights to both foreground and background IP, but will be expected to grant certain royalty-free licences to the funder for use of the foreground IP.

Contracts for Innovation 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 applicants should ensure that VAT has been calculated correctly as part of their application. You will need to confirm your VAT status as part of the application process

Note: we are seeing a rise in double counting of VAT during the application process, making some applicants ineligible. To avoid this, it is important you input your costs minus VAT. VAT is added on by us in the Innovation Funding Service (IFS).

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.

Briefing Slides

Download the briefing slides.

International Rail Applicant Briefing .pdf (opens in a new window)

If your application is successful

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

You will be notified by email on the date published for this competition. Notifications may be sent any time up to 5pm.

You must follow the unique link embedded in your email notification. This takes you to your Innovation Funding Service (IFS) Set Up portal, where we gather the information to set up your project.

Watch our video on what steps there are before a project starts.

During the project set up you will be assigned a delivery executive who will guide you through the whole project set up process.

Following your email notification, you will need to provide the following within 5 days (including weekends and bank holidays):

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

You will need to provide the following within 30 days (including weekends and bank holidays):

a collaboration agreement, if collaborative
an exploitation plan

You will have 90 days (including weekends and bank holidays) to complete all of your project set up. Within this time, you will also be required to submit:

project location
any answers to financial queries we have requested
any requested documentation to support your project such as a spend profile

Your funding offer may be withdrawn if project setup is not completed within this or an alternative timeframe as advised by Innovate UK.

In order for us to process your claims, you must make sure you have a valid UK business bank account. It can take several weeks for a new account to be created if required. We recommend starting this process as early as possible to avoid any delays to your project start date.

The bank account which grant is to be paid into must:

be a business account in the same name as the organisation listed in IFS
be from a UK bank regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)
have a cheque and credit clearing facility

Online accounts are eligible as long as they meet the above criteria.

Innovate UK will accept most banking societies apart from:

Viva Wallet
Intesa Sanpaolo
Equals Money UK Limited
Modulr FS Limited

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.

Failure to complete project setup may result in your grant offer 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 for us to approve. Once approved we will send you an email with permission to start your project on your confirmed start date.

You must not start your project before the date stated on your email and Contract. Any costs incurred before your agreed start date cannot be claimed as part of your grant.

If your Contract is approved on or before the fifteenth of the month it will be dated from the first of that month. If your Contract is approved after the fifteenth, it will be dated the first of the next month.

Support for SMEs from Innovate UK Business Growth

If you receive an award, you will be contacted about working with an innovation and growth specialist at Innovate UK Business Growth. 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 Business Growth, delivered by a knowledgeable and objective specialist near you.

Protecting your innovation

A Secure Innovation campaign has been developed to help founders and leaders of innovative startups protect their technology, competitive advantage, and reputation.

This was developed by UK’s National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Data sharing

This competition is jointly operated by Innovate UK and Department for Business and Trade (DBT), in collaboration with Department for Science 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 DBT and 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 Service Provider (MSP) reports and Independent Accountant Reports

Innovate UK, DBT 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, Innovate UK Business Connect, DBT and DSIT will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.

Innovate UK’s Privacy Policy

Innovate UK Business Connect Privacy Policy

Department for Business and Trade Privacy Policy

Department for Science and Technology Privacy Policy

The Information Commissioner’s Office also has a useful guide for organisations, which outlines the data protection principles.

Further help and guidance

If you want help to find an organisation to work with as subcontractors, contact Innovate UK Business Connect.

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 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 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Innovate UK or any of our partners will not tolerate abusive language in any written or verbal correspondence, applications, social media or any other form that might affect staff.

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