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Analysis for Innovators (A4I) Round 7 Mini Projects

Opens:
28/3/2022
Closes:
20/4/2022
Sectors:
All
Project Size:
Costs no more than £50,000

Up to £3million in small collaborative innovation projects will be invested by Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation including partnerships with:

  • the National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
  • the National Measurement Laboratory (NML) at LGC Group
  • the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL)
  • the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
  • National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC)
  • National Gear Metrology Lab (GEARS)
  • Henry Royce Institute
  • Newton Gateway to Mathematics
  • Advanced Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies (ASTUTE 2020+)

The aim of this competition is to match the best UK scientists and cutting-edge facilities with businesses that have complex analysis or measurement problems.

Your proposal must describe a measurement or analysis problem where you are seeking a solution to improve your businesses productivity or competitiveness. You must provide an estimate of the value to your business of solving it.

This is stage 1 of a 2 stage competition. No funding is awarded at this stage.

If you are successful at this stage, you will be invited to brokerage consultations with relevant analysis for innovators (A4I) partners. These will focus approaches to solving your problem. You will work together to propose joint projects to develop solutions.

Successful stage 2 applications will be grant funded, to work with the relevant partner organisations.

This competition is split into two strands. These are:

Your proposed project in stage two must:

  • have total costs of up to £50,000
  • start between October 2022 and January 2023
  • end by 31 March 2023
  • last up to 3 months
  • carry out all of its project work in the UK
  • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
  • involve at least one of the A4I partner organisations

To lead a project or work alone your organisation must be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).

Subcontractors are not allowed in this competition.

You can only make one application in this strand of the competition.

You can only submit a problem once to either strand of the competition.

The aim of this competition is to help businesses address their existing analysis and measurement problems. These are problems that are best explored by scientists and cutting-edge facilities available in the UK.

You must outline what you consider to be the benefits of solving your problem, such as improved productivity or competitiveness.

We will only consider problems that:

  • are related to the measurement or analysis of some quantities or properties of an existing process, product or service
  • are not effectively solvable by simple ‘off the shelf’ methods or techniques

You must outline any methods and attempts that you have previously tried to address the problem. Do not propose how the problem should be solved.

Analysis problems cannot be simply software related, for example pure data analysis.

As part of your application you must include a short video, up to 2 minutes long.

You must use Innovate UK Analysis for Innovators (A4I) Video platform to record your video and then provide a link in your application

If we are unable to view your video, your application will be made ineligible.

We want to fund a portfolio of problems, across a variety of technologies, markets, and sectors.

We will not consider problems that are:

  • not measurement or analysis problems
  • ones we consider to be resolvable with easily available methods, such as those that do not require any innovative or cutting-edge science or facilities
  • solely computer software analysis problems, such as algorithms to analyse objects
  • not related to a company’s existing processes, products or services
  • involved with primary production in fishery and aquaculture
  • involved with primary production in agriculture
  • not allowed under De minimis regulation restrictions
  • not eligible to receive Minimal Financial Assistance’
  • relating to the purchase of road freight transport
  • dependent on export performance – for example giving an award to a baker on the condition that they export a certain quantity of bread to another country
  • dependent on domestic inputs usage - for example if we give an award to a baker on the condition that they use 50% UK flour in their product
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