About the event

The Innovate UK First-of-a-kind (FOAK) Builder competition is now open, supporting climate tech businesses working towards first-of-a-kind deployment.

Join this applicant briefing webinar to learn more about the FOAK Builder opportunity, the support available through the programme and how to apply. The session will provide an overview of the competition, explain the technical assistance on offer and give prospective applicants the chance to better understand the application process.

Following this briefing, three online drop-in sessions will give you the opportunity to ask follow-up questions and receive further guidance throughout the competition application period.

Competition overview

The FOAK Builder will invest a minimum of £4.77 million to support ambitious, late-stage climate tech businesses as they prepare to raise the funding required for first commercial-scale deployment. This competition is for entry to the FOAK Builder pilot programme, designed to equip selected businesses with the support and capital needed to overcome the challenges associated with first-of-a-kind delivery.

In the first phase of the competition, successful applicants will receive funded access to expert technical assistance, providing practical expertise to accelerate FOAK deployments towards Final Investment Decision. This could include engineering, legal, planning, policy and regulatory, investment, team development or project development support and will be delivered by Carbon Limiting Technologies (CLT) and its technical assistance partners, including WSP, Precursor, FGS, Longspur Capital, Blue Reef Capital, PA Consulting, Jacobs, Hatch, Philip Lee, Pinsent Masons and Hyperion Search. In addition, the second phase of the programme will provide the opportunity to apply for DevEx grants exclusively for phase one companies.

Who should attend?

This briefing is for organisations considering applying to the FOAK Builder competition. Innovate UK is seeking companies developing climate tech FOAK commercial projects at an appropriate development stage. Projects must focus on one of the following climate technology areas:

• sustainable fuels, excluding those that rely on carbon from fossil sources as an input or municipal solid waste
• grid technologies, including energy storage, or technologies or solutions that enable grid efficiency or operational improvements delivered through the deployment of hardware
• engineered carbon removals, including direct air capture and innovative point source carbon capture technologies
• low carbon material production and recycling, including concrete, steel, chemicals or other key industrial inputs, including critical materials

Sessions

Competition briefing – 12 October 13:00
Drop-in clinic 1 – 16 October 12:00
Drop-in clinic 2 – 23 October 12:00
Drop-in clinic 3 – 30 October 12:00