Creative Catalyst Challenge Fund 2024

£250,000 for creative entrepreneurs and companies to decarbonise or reduce waste in the Creative Industries in the UK.

Opportunity Details

When

Registration Opens

10/06/2024

Registration Closes

22/07/2024

Award

1 award of up to £100,000 for a more established business with market traction and customers of a product, ideally with co-investment in place; 2 awards of up to £50,000 each for businesses 2+ years old looking to develop a new product or idea; and 2 awards of up to £25,000 each for very early-stage/new businesses and R&D ideas.

Organisation

Innovate UK

Share this opportunity

The Creative Catalyst Challenge fund is a bespoke fund offering a total grant pot of £250,000 for creative entrepreneurs and companies working within the Creative industries in the UK. The fund will finance research and development of an innovative new product/system or process that decarbonises or reduces waste within the Creative Industries, reducing impact on our climate and/or leading us towards net zero. 

The proposed new product/system or process will enable companies to build upon their creative and commercial ideas, creating opportunity for business growth. 

For Round 2 – we will allocate the £250,000 funding pot as follows: 

  • 1 award of up to £100,000 for more established businesses with market traction and customers of a product, ideally with co-investment in place 
  • 2 awards of up to £50,000 each for businesses 2+ years old looking to develop a new product or idea 
  • 2 awards of up to £25,000 each – very early-stage/new businesses and R&D ideas

You may only make one submission per company. 

We Are Creative will host a briefing webinar on Monday 1 July at 3.30pm: click here to register for a place.

  • The Creative Catalyst Challenge Fund is open to Creative Industries SMEs registered and trading in the UK.   Please note – if you applied for Round 1 and were unsuccessful, please do not apply again with the same idea. 

    Applications are invited from Registered Ltd Companies/SMEs based in the UK and working in the following sub-sectors of the Creative Industries:   

    • Music & Sound   
    • Advertising & Marketing  
    • Crafts  
    • Visual Arts  
    • Dance, Theatre & Performance  
    • Architecture  
    • Publishing  
    • AR, VR & Immersive   
    • Createch  
    • TV & Broadcasting  
    • Film  
    • Gaming   

     Due to the availability of other funds and support – we will not be accepting applications from: 

    • Fashion businesses/products/ideas 
    • Monitoring or reporting tools for the sector – these are already in existence and we’re looking for new cross cutting ideas. 
  • Your project must:  

    • Have a total grant funding request of either £100,000, £50,000 or £25,000 
    • Start by 01/10/2024 
    • All projects must be completed and budgets allocated by 31st March 2025 
    • Carry out all of its project work in the UK   
    • Intend to exploit the results from or in the UK   

    Project budgets can exceed the requested amount, but any additional funding must be clearly identified and in place.

    Proposals need to be for new projects – we can’t fund projects that are already in progress.

  • Your proposal must:   

    • be from the creative industries and support the creative industries.   
    • demonstrate clear benefits for the UK creative industry and the wider UK.   
    • focus on a clear opportunity and the proposed innovation which addresses it  
    • address and engage in cross-sector innovation that has positive impact on the environment

    Examples  of the types of projects we are looking for:

    • Developing/protoyping innovative new manufacturing processes for an everyday product within a creative industry
    • Developing/prototyping innovations in energy efficiency or low-carbon power in creative industry operations, e.g. on film sets and at events or in creative technologies
    • Developing/prototyping new tech or services for reducing waste and introducing more circular economy principles e.g. in production, at events, in creative industries specific manufacturing
  • Applications are invited from Registered Ltd Companies/SMEs based in the UK and working in the following sub-sectors of the Creative Industries:   

    • Music & Sound   
    • Advertising & Marketing  
    • Crafts  
    • Visual Arts  
    • Dance, Theatre & Performance  
    • Architecture  
    • Publishing  
    • AR, VR & Immersive   
    • Createch  
    • TV & Broadcasting  
    • Film  
    • Gaming   

     Due to the availability of other funds and support – we will not be accepting applications from: 

    • Fashion businesses/products/ideas 
    • Monitoring or reporting tools for the sector – these are already in existence and we’re looking for new cross cutting ideas. 
  • We Are Creative will host a briefing webinar on Monday 1 July at 3.30pm: click here to register for a place.

    Any questions? Contact We Are Creative’s team at creative.catalyst@wearecreative.uk 

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