Launchpad: net zero industry, South West Wales – Rd 2 MFA

Your business must:

• be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
• be growing your innovation activities in the net zero industry innovation cluster in South West Wales
• not have previously been awarded funding from the Round 1 MFA competition strand for this South West Wales Launchpad
• have a demonstrable ambition for business growth

A business can lead on only one MFA strand application for this competition.

To establish your eligibility for MFA, we need to check that our support added to the amount you have previously received does not exceed the limit of £315,000 in the ‘applicable period’ (the elapsed part of the current financial year, and the two financial years immediately preceding it).

Your project must:

• have a total grant funding request between £25,000 and £100,000
• last between 6 and 12 months
• carry out all of its project work in the UK
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• not start before 1 April 2025
• end by 30 June 2026

The aim of this competition is to support outstanding innovation projects led by businesses. Your business must be growing your innovation activities in the net zero industrial cluster in South West Wales. This region consists of Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and the City and County of Swansea.

Your project must focus on the markets for industrial decarbonisation in South West Wales and globally.

Your project must contribute to growing your innovation activities in the cluster, both during and after your project. This could be demonstrated by:

• your local innovation activities
• the value that your innovation activities create in the cluster
• your engagement with other innovation active organisations in the cluster, such as with Net Zero Industry Wales, this Launchpad’s cluster management organisation

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

• offshore renewable generation
• novel onshore renewable generation
• carbon dioxide capture, distribution and storage
• nature based solutions to achieving net zero, excluding primary production in fisheries, aquaculture, and agriculture
• the circular economy
• fuel switching
• electrification

Projects can also consider the following:

• offshore wind (FLOW) Celtic Sea
• sustainable fuel and platform chemical production
• low carbon heat distribution and utilisation
• mini grid community systems
• innovation in skills development
• advances that empower your business to start your journey to net zero
• innovation that enables other businesses to learn from you and replicate your example

These lists are not exhaustive. Where you can show your proposal fits within the scope of this competition you can focus on other themes.

Innovate UK have produced a pre-recorded briefing covering Investor Partnerships, CR&D and MFA for all the competitions running in late 2025: click here to watch the recording. They have also supplied briefing slides which can be downloaded here.

In addition, Innovate UK Business Connect will host an online briefing event on Thursday 14 November, 1pm-2.15pm: click here to register for a place. This will start with a plenary overview of the Launchpad programme, alongside information on how to apply to the competitions. Breakout rooms will then follow for each of the seven Launchpads and their respective competitions where delegates will be briefed on the key areas of interest for each cluster.

If you have any queries about the opportunity, please contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Energy or Net Zero teams.