Business-Led Innovation in Response to Global Disruption (De Minimis) – Funding

1. Title: BUSINESS-LED INNOVATION IN RESPONSE TO GLOBAL DISRUPTION (DE MINIMIS) – FUNDING2. Awarding Authority: Innovate UK, UK Research and Innovation, GB Tel: 03003214357. Email: support@innovateuk.ukri.org.3. Contract type: Service contract4. Description: The Awarding Authority , will invest up to £20 million in innovation projects.The aim of this competition is to support Specified location businesses to focus on emerging or increasing needs of society and industries during and following the Covid-19 pandemic. By fast-tracking innovation, the UK will be better placed to maintain employment levels, a competitive position in global markets and make the UK more resilient to similar disruption.Your application must demonstrate both realistic and significant benefits for society (including communities, families and individuals) or an industry that has been severely impacted and/or permanently disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.Your proposal must focus on a clear need and the proposed innovation to address it. You must have the ability to deliver the project during the working restrictions of Covid-19 pandemic.You can claim 100% of your project costs up to the maximum of £50,000. These will be paid in advance of the project start date.We intend to monitor and review projects during implementation with a view to providing follow-on funding and support for those with the most potential for impact.The competition closes at midday 12pm UK time on the deadline stated.Project sizeYour project’s total eligible costs must be between £25,000 and £50,000.Who can applyDe minimisThe funding will be made as a de minimis grant. All applicants applying for a de minimis award must complete a de minimis declaration and provide it to Innovate UK as part of the application. This declares any and all de minimis awards, from any source of public funding, during the current and previous 2 fiscal years. Any applications that exceed the de minimis limit will be considered ineligible.We will monitor and review projects during implementation with a view to providing follow on funding and support where projects have the potential to provide real impact.Whilst the intent of this grant is to focus on innovation in the face of global disruption, the de minimis aid itself cannot be used for direct export-related activities (except attendance at trade fairs) or aid favouring domestic goods over imports; this does not prohibit you from exporting your innovation post-project completion.Your projectYour project must:have total eligible costs between £25,000 and £50,000be able to start by 1st June 2020 at the latestbe no longer than 6 months in durationLead organisationTo lead a project your organisation must:be a UK registered business of any sizecarry out its project work in the UKintend to deliver the proposed outcomes for UK domestic or global benefitSole traders are not eligible to apply for this competition.SubcontractorsSubcontractors are allowed in this competition. We would expect subcontractor costs to be justified and appropriate to the total eligible project costs.Multiple applicationsAny one business can apply for this competition with up to 2 applications. However, we will only award grant funding to up to 1 project per business.Previous applicationsResubmissionsYou cannot use a resubmission to apply for this competition. Any application to this competition identified as a submission to a previous competition (i.e. a resubmission) will be deemed ineligible.Failure to exploitIf you applied to a previous competition as the lead or sole organisation and were awarded funding by Innovate UK or UK Research and Innovation, but did not make a substantial effort to exploit the innovation/outputs, we will award no more funding to you, in this or any other competition. Our decision on this will be final. We will:assess your efforts in the previous competition against your exploitation plan for that projectreview the monitoring officers’ reports and any other relevant sources for evidencedocument our decision, which will be made by 3 team members, and communicate it to you in writingPrevious projectsIf you or any organisation in your consortium failed to submit an Independent Accountant’s Report (IAR) on a previous project, we will not award funding to you in this or any other competition until we have received the documents.5. CPV Code(s): 73110000, 731000006. NUTS code(s): UKK, UKK1, UKK147. Main site or location of works, main place of delivery or main place of performance: UK8. Reference attributed by awarding authority: Not provided.9. Estimated value of requirement: UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £20 million to respond to new and urgent needs in UK and global communities during and following the Covid-19 pandemic.FundingWe have allocated up to £20 million to fund innovation projects in this competition. Each organisation can apply for up to £50,000 within de minimis limits.You can claim 100% of your project costs up to the maximum of £50,000. These will be paid in advance of the project start date.De minimisTo minimise distortion of competition, the European Commission sets limits on how much assistance can be given without its prior approval to organisations operating in a competitive market. There is a ceiling of €200,000 for all de minimis aid provided to any one organisation over a 3 fiscal year period.You need to declare any de minimis aid awarded to any public funding body that requests it. You must also keep all documentation associated with the award for 10 years from the date the award is granted.Your proposalYour application must demonstrate:a clearly innovative and ambitious idea, which would realistically and significantly meet a societal need that has emerged or increased due to the Covid-19 pandemic or the need of an industry that has been severely impacted and/or permanently disruptedthat you have the capacity and capability to deliver the project successfully and on time during the working restrictions of Covid-19the ability to start your project no later than June 2020value for moneySpecific themesWe are interested in solutions, which tackle the new or emerging societal or industry needs in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, including but not exclusively:community support servicescouriers and delivery (rural and/or city based)education and cultureentertainment (live entertainment, music, etc.)financial servicesfood manufacture and processinghealthcarehospitalitypersonal protection equipmentremote workingretailsocial caresport and recreationtransportwellbeingWe are also interested in projects which are both in scope and aligned to the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) challenges.We are looking to fund a portfolio of projects, across a variety of technologies, markets and applications.Projects we will not fundWe will not fund proposals that:do not meet the competition eligibility or scopecannot be undertaken within the working restrictions of Covid-19do not evidence the potential for their proposed innovation to lead to significant and positive economic and/or societal impact, or value for money that will be achievedare resubmissions of previous Innovate UK applicationsare focused on aquaculture and fisheries, road freight transport or the production of agricultural products (due to de minimis restrictions)would directly duplicate other UK Government activities already underway regarding the current Covid-19 healthcare situation, such as, ventilators and vaccinesdo not address in their response how any potentially negative outcomes (e.g. on the environment) would be considered10. Competition closes: 17.4.2020 (12:00:00).11. Address to which they must be sent: For further information regarding the above contract notice please visit: 12. Other information: Competition opens: Friday 3 April 2020Competition closes: Friday 17 April 2020 12:00pmFunding type Grant3 April 2020 Competition opens17 April 2020 12:00pm Competition closes1 May 2020 Applicants notifiedBefore you startYou must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.What we ask youThe application is split into 3 sections:Project detailsApplication questionsFinancesProject detailsThis section provides background for the assessors and is not scored.Project summaryBriefly, describe your project, and be clear about the need you will address and what makes the approach you propose innovative.Your answer can be up to 400 words long.Public descriptionDescribe your project in detail, and in a way that you would be happy to see published. If we award your project funding, we will publish this description. This could happen before you start your project. Do not include any commercially sensitive information.Your answer can be up to 400 words long.ScopeDescribe how your project fits the scope of the competition. If your project is not in scope it will be immediately rejected and will not be sent for assessment. We will not give you feedback on why due to the rapid timescale of the assessment process. Your answer can be up to 400 words long.Application questionsThe assessors will score your answers. Please be aware we will not be able to give you feedback due to the rapid timescale of the assessment process and grant distribution.Your answer to each question can be up to 400 words long. Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers.Question 1. (not scored)Have you received funding from Innovate UK before as a project partner?Please answer yes or no. If yes, please give us brief details including any project number and title.Question 2. De Minimis (4 words not scored)Please download the de minimis declaration template. You must complete this declaring any other de minimis aid you have received during the current and previous 2 fiscal years. You must also keep all documentation relating to this and other de minimis awards for a period of 10 years and be prepared to release it to any public funding body that requests it.Type ‘De Minimis form attached’ as your answerYou must submit a copy of your de minimis declaration as an appendix. It must be in an A4 PDF format. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.Question 3. The IdeaWhat is the problem you wish to solve, who is it a problem for, and what is innovative about the approach or technology?We will score this question out of 25You should include in your answer a description of:the specific need you propose to address and who would benefit from it in the immediate and longer termthe specific innovation you propose to develop and how this is different and better than alternative solutionsany previous technical and business planning work you may have conducted in relation to the proposed project, and your freedom to operatethe size of the market for the innovation, and your route to market, (such as partnerships and business models)Question 4. Deliverables and added valueWhat will be the specific outputs and outcomes of your project, how will society benefit, and why do you need public funding to help you succeed?We will score this question out of 25You should include in your answer a description of:the outputs of the project in terms of specific deliverables, where will you have moved your project from and to – use technology/system/manufacturing readiness levels or similar if useful to illustrate the developmental stages of the innovation to be achievedExpected impacts on society, the economy and the environment, what potential negative impacts have you considered if anythe new or enhanced products/processes/services that would be ready in the short, medium and long term (with specific timescales)why public funding is necessary for this project, for example, why you cannot fund it yourself or how public funding allows you to undertake this project differentlyhow this project represents value for money for your business and the wider economyQuestion 5. Business planning and resourcesWho is the project team, what is your capability to deliver a solution, and what other support might you need?We will score this question out of 25You should include in your answer a description of:the nature of your current business explaining how this project will add value to itwhat unique combination of resources you can access that means you will be able to develop, deploy and scale your solution in this current challenging climate (e.g. team, capacity, expertise, partners) – describe the main people involved in the project including relevant track records, and other critical internal and external resourcesyour capability to deliver this project in the required timeframe given your existing business activities and the Covid-19 constraintshow you will deliver outcomes and impact beyond the life of the projectwider support you may need during or after the project that you do not currently have access to e.g. domestic and international partnerships, private finance, export adviceQuestion 6. Workplan and costsWhat you will do with the grant funding and, how will you manage the project effectively, and manage risks appropriately?We will score this question out of 25You should include in your answer a description of:what will the funding be spent on, explaining the project work plan including technical approaches, main work packages, specific milestones, and project management.the main risks, Covid-19 pandemic working constraints, interdependencies, impact and mitigation strategy. You should pay particular attention to how you will mitigate project delivery risks with your immediate and extended teams (e.g. supply chain, end users), do they have the right infrastructure in placethe roles of individuals/organisationsa breakdown of costs aligned with tasks. Where possible describe how best value for money has been decided (for example quotation comparison)FinancesYou must complete your own project costs, organisation details and funding details in the application.For full details on what costs you can claim see our project costs guidance.Background and further informationIf you need more information about how to apply email support@innovateuk.ukri.org or call 0300 321 4357 between 9am and 5:30pm, Monday to Friday.Enterprise Europe NetworkIf you are a UK SME and successful in receiving an award, you will be contacted by your local Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) Innovation Advisor. They act on behalf of Innovate UK to discuss the growth opportunities for your business. They offer bespoke business support services to help you maximise your project and business potential. This service forms part of your Innovate UK offer under our commitment to help UK SMEs grow and scale. Please engage positively with your EEN contact so that, working together, you can determine the most appropriate form of growth support for your business.# COVID-19