Solution Development for Advanced Connectivity Technologies – Competition Briefing

Watch the recording above to learn more about the opportunity, eligibility and full scope, and hear the team answer questions from attendees.

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Competition details

Your proposal must address one of three strategic categories; each aligned to the UK’s overarching ACT Grand Challenges and the Integrated Security Fund (ISF) priority on sovereign telecoms components:

Your proposal must address one of three strategic categories; each aligned to the UK’s overarching ACT Grand Challenges and the Integrated Security Fund (ISF) priority on sovereign telecoms components:

• Grand Challenge 1: Secure and Resilient Networks – Projects in this category should contribute to a demonstrable improvement in the security, reliability, and robustness of UK connectivity infrastructure.
• Grand Challenge 2: Sustainable Networks – This category supports innovations that enable more energy efficient and spectrum efficient networks.
• ISF Strategic Focus: Sovereign Telecoms Components and Applications – The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) aligned category focuses on developing sovereign UK capability in critical telecoms hardware and sensing technologies, with an emphasis on advanced Radio Frequency (RF) and integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) systems that strengthen national resilience.

Where relevant it is recommended that projects will utilise the national labs and facilities that are available and relevant to the projects. Including, but not limited to the Catapult Network, and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded Federated Connectivity Hubs and the Joint Open Infrastructure for Networks Research (JOINER) testbed.

Your project must:

• have a grant funding request between £200,000 and £5 million
• last between 3 to 24 months
• start by 1 September 2026
• end by 31 August 2028.

Learn more about the competition and read the full brief here (closing date 13 May 2026).

We warmly recommend attending the briefing event to explore the full details of the competition, and learn more about the scope and eligibility of this opportunity.

There is also a simultaneous call for Contracts for Innovation in Advanced Connectivity Technologies, closing 3 June 2026: the specific themes for the CfI call are AI Enabled Network Resilience and Automation, Seamless Integration of Terrestrial and Non‑Terrestrial Networks, Reducing Energy Use in Critical Network Components, and Improving Spectrum Efficiency and Fair Access. If your innovation relates to one of these four areas, see more details about the Contracts for Innovation call here.