Consortia must include:

• At least one business entity from each country (UK and Switzerland)
• and at least one research institute from either UK or Switzerland. Exception: If the Swiss applicant is an individual start-up (pre-market and <50 FTE employees), the requirement to include a research institute is waived.

Additional research organizations or commercial companies from either country may participate, adhering to the funding rules of their respective countries.

To ensure genuine international collaboration, rather than internal company research, affiliated companies within the consortium will be treated as a single entity under their parent company. UK entities must not be linked to the Swiss partners or vice versa.

If an organisation is not leading an application, it may collaborate on up to three applications. Further information on maximum number of applications will follow when available.

No single country may contribute more than 70% or less than 30% of the total person-months dedicated to the project. Person-months refers to the cumulative time (in months) allocated by staff to the project. (Definition: One person-month = 154 hours of full-time work).

The project must have a duration between 18 and 36 months. Details on maximum cost per project will appear here when available.

No single country may contribute more than 70% or less than 30% of the total person-months dedicated to the project. Person-months refers to the cumulative time (in months) allocated by staff to the project. (Definition: One person-month = 154 hours of full-time work).

The aim is to support UK and Swiss collaborations and capabilities in emerging fields, thereby enhancing their global growth prospects. Proposals must contribute to the development of commercial products, processes and / or technical services with significant market potential for the UK and Switzerland.

Projects should demonstrate:

• Clear benefit and added value from collaboration between participants from both countries
• Complementary expertise and innovation capability
• Commercial advantage or access to R&D infrastructure
• New applications or accelerated development pathways

Aligning the common objectives of project consortia with the funding criteria of both agencies will increase the likelihood of funding success.

This call is open exclusively to UK and Swiss collaborators and ONLY in the following three focus areas:

• Semiconductors
• Life Sciences
• Engineering Biology

Applications in any other technology area will not be eligible for evaluation.

The search for project partners is supported and organised by Enterprise Europe Network Switzerland and Innovate UK Business Connect.

If you are in the UK and would like help to find a collaboration partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Global Alliance, Semiconductors, Engineering Biology or Health (for Life Sciences) teams.

Innovate UK will hold an applicant briefing webinar at 10am UK time (11am CET) on Tuesday 23 June: click here to register for a webinar place. A recording and slides will be available afterwards.

If you would like help to find a collaboration partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Global Alliance, Semiconductors, Engineering Biology or Health (for Life Sciences) teams.