Innovate UK Analysis for Innovators

Each EoI application should cover an issue that impacts the company’s productivity or competitiveness. As well as the responses to questions about the problem the company is trying to address, the applicant must produce a video (up to 2 minutes) that illustrates the problem.

In the video you can show the production line, products, diagrams or a presentation. The quality of the video is not critical – it could be made using a smart phone or a webcam and is submitted via a browser based platform.

It is important that an application includes details of the potential economic benefit (£k) from solving the issue – this should be a ‘best estimate’ with some explanation.

After the closing date, each application is checked to ensure it meets the scope of this round and then reviewed by each of the partners. Successful applications are those that are in scope and where one or more partners believe they can assist the company.

Successful applicants at this EoI stage will be invited to brokerage consultations with relevant Innovate UK Analysis for Innovators partners. These meetings will focus on potential approaches to solve the problem.

They will then work together to propose joint proposals to address the problem which are submitted to Stage 2 of the competition. Successful Stage 2 applications will then be funded through Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) (replaces SDR), or as a match funded grant. There may also be an MFA implication based on the partners share of costs, this will be explained in the Stage 2 briefing.

Every successful applicant from Stage 1 is invited to one or more meetings with experts from the partners who can potentially help the company solve its problem.

These initial meetings allow a more detailed discussion of the company’s problem and how the partner might approach a solution. They are the first step towards defining a costed project for Stage 2.

Round 14 brokerage meetings will be held between 18 November 2024 and 29 November 2024.

Every company that has been through brokerage and identified one or more partners they can work with, will be invited to apply for a grant funded project in Stage 2.

In addition to timings and max costs, the requirements for the projects are:

• To carry out all of its project work in the UK
• Intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• Involve at least one of the Innovate UK Analysis for Innovators co-funding partner organisations
• The application form will be similar to a normal Innovate UK funding application. The application should include the project costs of both the company and the partner(s). Grant funding will be applied to the total project costs.

Note: Information on Stage 2 will be issued (by invitation only) after the close of Stage 1.