£30m funding for the ISCF Manufacturing Made Smarter Smart Factory & Digital Supply Chain Innovation Hubs
A NEW Expression of Interest competition for Innovation Hubs launched on 23rd November as part of the Manufacturing Made Smarter Challenge, funded through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
The two planned Hubs, Smart Factory Innovation Hub and Digital Supply Chain Innovation Hub, will be grant-funded at £20m and £10m respectively and will be tasked with bringing in further co-investment from industry.
This programme is a core part of our strategy to create a connected ecosystem harnessing the power of the UK’s leading manufacturing companies, technology developers, start-ups and spinouts, and our world-leading research institutions; increasing the number of collaborations up the value chain.
The challenge aims to use the transformative power of this ecosystem to deliver a modern, connected, resilient and flexible, significantly more productive, and environmentally sustainable UK manufacturing sector, with a vibrant technology sector that enables that transformation. By increasing the sustainability of the UK Manufacturing industry, this will create an increase of reusable resources and reduction in waste and carbon emissions.
The Innovation Hubs will develop a national network or cluster of existing facilities. These will be accessible by industry to develop, demonstrate and test digital manufacturing applications, aiding the innovation and deployment of innovative digital systems.
Grant Details
The grant funding is available to cover:
- overall management of the hub
- setting up testbeds, living labs and other types of development environments
- funding projects using hub facilities and accessing capabilities identified by the hub
Who should apply?
Applications for this competition are welcomed from single applicants and collaborations from UK registered organisations of any size from the following categories:
- business
- research organisation
- research and technology organisation (RTO)
- charity
- not-for-profit
- public sector organisation
Competition Links
Manufacturing Made Smarter Innovation Hub – Smart Factory EoI
Manufacturing Made Smarter Innovation Hub – Digital Supply Chain EoI
Please review our frequently asked questions here.
Concepts & Collaboration Building workshop
Watch the recording of our concepts and collaboration workshop where we explore the concept underlying Innovation Hub strategy, including the use of test beds, living labs and other development environments to stimulate innovation, and the learnings gained through the test bed pilots currently running.
Looking for collaboration partners? Sign up for our collaboration app and find companies you can collaborate with as part of this competition. Register here!