Semiconductors and components for smart electronic platforms

Who can apply

Your project

Your project must:

• have a grant funding request of between £500,000 and £2 million

• last between 12 and 18 months

• start by 1 August 2026

• end on 31 January 2028

Any funded organisation needs to carry out their project work in the UK and must intend to exploit the project results from or in the UK.

Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day. You must not start your project until your Grant Offer Letter has been approved by Innovate UK. Any delays within Project Setup may mean we need to delay your project start date.

You must only include eligible project costs in your application. See our overview of eligible project costs. For specific guidance, see the eligibility section in this competition.

If your project’s duration falls outside of our eligibility criteria, you must provide justification by email to support@iuk.ukri.org at least 15 working days before the competition closes. We will decide whether to approve your request.

If you have not requested approval or your application has not been approved by us, you will be made ineligible. Your application will then not be sent for assessment.

Lead organisation

To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size. The consortium must contain at least one UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME) claiming grant funding on this application.

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

More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules.

Academic institutions cannot lead or work alone.

Organisations that are not profit driven or do not have a commercial focus, including Community Interest Companies (CICs) and charities, are not allowed to lead in this competition.

Project team

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:

• business of any size

• academic institution

• charity

• not for profit

• public sector organisation

• research and technology organisation (RTO)

Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) by the lead to collaborate on a project. Once partners have accepted the invitation, they will be asked to login or to create an account in the IFS. They are responsible for entering their own project costs in the application.

To be an eligible collaboration, the lead and at least one other organisation must:

• apply for funding when entering their costs into the application.

• include a rationale for the collaboration and describe the structure in your application

• ensure any one partner does not account for more than 70% of the total eligible costs

Non-funded partners

Your project can include organisations who do not claim any funding for their work on the project. Their costs will be covered from their own resources. These can include UK, EU and other non-UK organisations. Non-UK partners are permitted to carry out project work from within their home countries and exploit the results outside the UK.

Where non-funded partners have been invited to the application on IFS, their costs will count towards the total eligible project costs.

Subcontractors

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.

Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.

You can use subcontractors from overseas but must make the case in your application as to why you cannot use subcontractors from the UK.

You must provide a detailed rationale, evidence of the potential UK contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you. We will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use an overseas subcontractor.

All subcontractor costs must be justified and appropriate to the total eligible project costs.

Number of applications

A business can only lead one application. A business, academic institution, research and technology organisation (RTO), charity, not for profit or public sector organisation can only be included as a collaborator in three applications.

If a business is leading an application, it can collaborate in up to 2 further applications.

Sanctions

This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions. For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.

Use of animals in research and innovation

Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.

Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation.

Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process. This information will be reviewed before an award is made.

Previous applications

You can use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.

If you have previously submitted an application that reached our assessment stage you can re-apply once more with the same proposal.

If there are minor differences to the proposal, but it is judged by us to be ‘not materially different’, the same rule applies.

We will not award you funding if you have:

• failed to exploit a previously funded project

• an overdue independent accountant’s report

• failed to comply with grant terms and conditions

Innovate UK may withhold a grant payment at any time if you have any outstanding sums due to us in relation to other projects.

Subsidy control (and State aid where applicable)

This competition provides funding to enterprises using the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme.

The Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Scheme can be viewed on the subsidy database here: SC10780.

This is in line with the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Further information about the Subsidy requirements can be found within the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk)

Innovate UK is unable to award organisations that are considered to be in financial difficulty. We will conduct financial viability and eligibility tests to confirm this is not the case following the application stage.

EU State aid rules now only apply in limited circumstances. See the Windsor Framework to check if these rules apply to your organisation.

In the ‘Project details’ section of your application you will be asked questions to indicate if State Aid or Subsidy applies to your organisation.

Further Information

If you are unsure about your obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 or the State aid rules, you should take independent legal advice. We are unable to advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations.

You must not do anything which could cause a breach of Subsidy Control legislation applicable in the United Kingdom.

This aims to regulate any advantage granted by a public sector body which threatens to, or distorts competition in the United Kingdom or any other country or countries.

This award is classified as a Subsidy which does not form part of your Minimal Financial Assistance or De Minimis allowance.

Funding

Up to £18.5 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects in this competition. This is subject to us receiving a sufficient number of high quality applications. Funding will be in the form of a grant.

We reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions under exceptional circumstances, for example, in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations, or broader government funding decisions.

If your organisation’s work on the project is commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organisation normally acts non-economically but for the purpose of this project will be undertaking commercial or economic activity.

For feasibility studies, industrial research, experimental development and innovation support you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:

Category 2 Industrial research projects

Funding available for your eligible project costs of:

• up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation

• up to 60% if you are a medium sized organisation

• up to 50% if you are a large organisation

For more information on company sizes, refer to the company accounts guidance.

If you are applying for an award funded under State aid Regulations, the definitions are set out in the European Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003.

Innovate UK may revoke our decision to provide funding without notice if government commitment for this initiative is withdrawn.

Research participation

The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 30% of the total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared between them. Of that 30% you can get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:

• 100% of your eligible project costs if you are an RTO, charity, not for profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation

• 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are a Je-S registered institution such as an academic

Eligibility criteria for claiming 80% of FEC funding

1. Research organisations using the Je-S system must submit their costs through the Je-S system which calculates the 80% FEC figure.

2. On IFS, only the 80% FEC output should be entered at 100% funding.

3. Applicants do not need to show the remaining 20% on the finance table.

To find out more see our: Cost Guidance for Academics.

Your proposal

The aim of this competition is to drive forward the availability of a UK anchored catalogue of components, ready for integration and delivery into next generation smart electronic platforms. The target sectors for these platforms will be across industrial and tactical edge environments for automation and autonomy.

Smart Electronic Platforms are the integrated printed circuit boards whose purpose is to deliver the automation and autonomy in our modern digital world. These platforms consist of multiple integrated components, that include semiconductors and novel technologies, delivered through a packaged part or for use on a printed circuit board (PCB).

Typical components may include the secured processing and memory components, components for AI acceleration, integrated power management components, integrated sensors or the interfaces to drive actuators. Together they support a Sense, Decide, Act pipeline typical of smart electronic platforms.

Component development within the project may also require software development to enable the use of the developed component within a smart electronic platform.

Your project must ensure these components are made ready for integration into a smart electronic platform’s Sense, Decide, Act pipeline.

Operating environment

Industrial Edge

Refers to high reliability environments such as:

• energy grids

• manufacturing

• critical infrastructure

These are where decisions must be made with energy efficient, low latency and verifiable resilience and security. These environments demand high duty cycle performance and long term reliability.

Tactical Edge

Refers to environments where:

• connectivity is intermittent, contested or denied

• intelligence must be delivered locally

The Tactical Edge requires the delivery of complex, real time processing within the physical and operational boundaries of a platform for example, autonomous vehicle, drone, robot or mobile tactical hub.

Your project must have components that will:

• be ready for integration into a package for example, system in-package, multi-chip modules

• deliver an in-package part ready for integration onto a smart electronic platform

Your application must:

• define a target use case supporting industrial automation or autonomy

• describe what the proposed component is needed for and how it will contribute to the smart electronic platform required in the target use case

• describe why your proposed component USP will address the market need

In addition, your application must:

• describe how the project will increase the integration readiness of the proposed component

• define the reusability approach for the proposed component, including its interfaces and any external dependencies required for integration into a smart electronic platform

• explain how the proposed component can be adopted by a third party for example, system integrator, for subsequent integration into a final product with commercial practices for supply, support and maintenance

Your project must satisfy the following integration readiness criteria by project completion:

• functional readiness: your project must provide evidence, physical or digital, that the component performs its intended task within the smart electronic platform environment

• interface readiness: the component must meet the reusability requirements needed to connect to the target smart electronic platforms

• consumable format: the component must be delivered in a fixed format, physical or digital, that is ready to be consumed or used by a third party for example, system integrator, for integration into a smart electronic platform

Portfolio approach

Innovate UK will also apply a ‘portfolio approach’ to ensure that projects that are funded represent a balanced portfolio of projects across:

• technology

• technology maturity

• competitive USP in the target market

• eligible project costs

• project duration

• risk profile

• available budget

We call this a portfolio approach.

Specific themes

Your project must focus on the development of components ready for integration within smart electronic platforms used in industrial automation and autonomy.

Examples of components across the Sense, Decide, Act pipeline and platform enablement components include the following:

Sense - Sensing components

Components used for providing sensors with the physical world delivered for integration through for example:

• in-package for example, system in-package or multi-chip modules

• placement on the smart electronic platform’s PCB

• as an interface component to connect to an external sensor to the smart electronic platform

Decide - Processing, AI acceleration, storage and memory components

Processing elements tailored for real time analysis, decision making, command and control, including:

• the secure processors and hardware components for AI acceleration

• integrated memories and storage

• integrated communications where the primary purpose is the ‘Decision’ component

Act - Actuation and physical drive components

Component drivers required for off platform actuation and platform power regulation, including:

• integrated processing

• interface units

Platform - Enablement and ancillary components

Components may include:

• components required for in-package and in-platform data movement and routing

• hardware security modules, for example, Root of Trust, eSIM, secure enclaves

• power management and control components which will be integrated in-package or whose primary purpose is to operate on the smart electronic platform

These examples are not intended to be exhaustive.

Research categories

We will fund industrial research projects, as defined in the guidance on categories of research.

Projects we will not fund

We are not funding projects that:

• do not propose a component that will be made ready for integration by a third party for example, by a system integrator, onto a smart electronic platform

• do not define a specific target use case supporting industrial automation or autonomy

• do not focus on the Sense, Decide, Act pipeline or platform enablement components of a smart electronic platform

• develop standalone technologies that cannot be readily made available for integration into a packaged part or on a smart electronic platform’s PCB

• develop components that would not be delivered through the procurement of an integrated smart electronic platform

• develop software that is not a requirement to enable the use of the proposed component within its target smart electronic platform

• develop a component the primary purpose of which is to act as the external communications module for integration onto the smart electronic platform

• include the research and innovation of the AI model, platform level communications module or the software for an end application

We cannot fund projects that are:

• dependent on export performance, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of bread to another country

• dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it uses 50% UK flour in their product

25 February 2026

Online briefing event: register to attend

Briefing slides will be available to download from Supporting Information after the event.

1 May 2026

Invite to interview

19 May 2026

Interview panel start

22 May 2026

Interview panel end

28 May 2026

Applicants notified

1 August 2026

Project start by

Before you start

You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.

Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to make sure:

• that all the information provided in the application is correct

• your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria

• all sections of the application are marked as complete

• if collaborative, that all partners have completed all assigned sections and accepted the terms and conditions (T&Cs)

You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.

What we ask you

The application is split into four sections:

1. Project details.

2. Application questions.

3. Finances.

4. Project Impact.

Accessibility and Inclusion

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.

You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this competition’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the competition deadline.

You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

1. Project details

Text update 20 February 2026: Scope wording amended.

This section provides background for your application and is not scored.

Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers.

Application team

Decide which organisations will work with you on your project and invite people from those organisations to help complete the application.

Application details

Give your project’s title, start date and duration.

Research category

Select the type of research you will undertake.

Project summary

Describe your project briefly and be clear about what makes it innovative. We use this section to assign the right experts to assess your application.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Public description

Describe your project in detail and in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information. If we award your project funding, we will publish this description. This can happen before you start your project.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Scope

Describe how your project fits the scope of the competition. If your project is not in scope, it will not be sent for assessment. We will tell you the reason why.

Describe:

• why the proposed component is necessary to enable the delivery of a smart electronic platform

• your target use case for your proposed component and how it enables industrial automation and autonomy

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

2. Application questions

The assessors will score all your answers apart from questions 1 to 6. You will receive feedback for each scored question. Find out more about how our assessors assess and how we select applications for funding.

You must answer all questions.

You must not include any website addresses or links (URLs) in your answers. If you do, your application will be made ineligible.

Question 1. Applicant location (not scored)

You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and any partners or subcontractors working on your project.

We are collecting this information to understand more about the geographical location of all applicants.

Question 2. Animal testing (not scored)

Will your project involve any trials with animals or animal testing?

You must select one option:

• Yes

• No

We will only support innovation projects conducted to the highest standards of animal welfare.

Further information for proposals involving animal testing is available at the UKRI Good Research Hub and NC3R’s animal welfare guidance.

Question 3. Permits and licences (not scored)

Will you have the correct permits and licences in place to carry out your project?

We are unable to fund projects which do not have the correct permits or licences in place by your project start date.

You must select one option:

• Yes

• No

• In the process of being applied for

• Not applicable

Question 4. International collaboration (not scored)

Does your proposed work involve any international collaboration or engagement?

You must provide details of any expected international collaboration or engagement. You must include a list of the names and the countries, any international project co-leads, project partners, visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in. You must also include details of any subcontractors or service providers.

If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration or engagement, your answer must confirm this.

Question 5. Export licence (not scored)

You must indicate whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance.

You must select one option:

• Yes

• No

Question 6. Trusted Research and Innovation (not scored)

You must explain if your proposed project work relates to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) Principles, including:

• a list of any dual-use (both military and non-military) applications to your research

• a list of the areas where your project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act

• whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance and the status of any applications

• a list of any items or substances on the UK Strategic Export Control List

If your proposed work does not relate to UKRI’s TR&I Principles, your answer must confirm this.

We may ask you to provide additional TR&I information at a later date, in line with UKRI TR&I Principles and funding terms and conditions.

Question 7. Motivation and alignment

What is your motivation for maturing the proposed component and how does it support industrial automation or autonomy?

Describe:

• your motivation for maturing the proposed component and how does it contribute to the catalogue of components necessary for smart electronic platforms

• any work you have already done to mature the proposed component and how it overcomes the limitations of similar innovations or current market alternatives

• your target use cases, Industrial or Tactical Edge, in which your component enables industrial automation or autonomy

• the increased market opportunity resulting from your new component

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 8. Technical undertaking

How will you increase the component's readiness for integration into a smart electronic platform?

Describe:

• the specific component you are proposing, Sense, Decide, Act, or platform enablement components, and why it is required in your target use cases

• the technical starting point of your proposed component

• any background technology utilised by the project including the freedom you have to operate

• how the project will increase the integration readiness, for in-package or on a printed circuit board (PCB) of the proposed component

• any software development, for example, firmware, driver, required in support of your component

• the reusability approach for the proposed component, including its interfaces, adherence to industry standards and any external dependencies required for integration into a smart electronic platform

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

You must submit one appendix containing a technical diagram indicating the component’s primary interfaces to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It must be one A4 page and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 9. Team and resources

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Explain:

• the roles, skills and experience of all members of the project team that are relevant to the approach you will be taking

• the resources, equipment and facilities needed for the project and how you will access them

• the details of any vital external parties, including subcontractors, who you will need to work with to successfully carry out the project

• if your project is collaborative, the current relationships between project partners and how these will change as a result of the project

• any roles you will need to recruit for

Your answer can be up to 500 words long.

Question 10. Market awareness

Who are your target third party integrators, potential customers or adopters and how will your project increase the competitiveness of your solution?

Describe:

• who are your main technical competitors

• who are your primary system integrators or platform developers that will adopt the proposed component

• the increased market potential that you expect to secure, with an informed estimate of the total addressable market and serviceable market

• what is your proposed component’s unique selling point (USP) in the target market and why it will address the market need

• how the availability of the proposed component improves the UK’s position in the global supply chain of smart electronic platforms

Your answer can be up to 500 words long.

Question 11. Outcomes and route to market

How will you ensure third party integrators or potential customers can adopt your component?

Describe:

• your current position in the target market, and whether this project will further establish or extend your market position

• the consumable format of the resulting component, for example, component for system in package or a packaged component

• what technical artifacts and documentation will you provide to ensure third party integrators can use the component, for example, interface specification, integration guides, driver software, any necessary training material

• how the proposed component will be adopted by a third party for subsequent integration into a final product with commercial practices for supply, support and maintenance

• how you will manage and protect the arising technology used to create the proposed component

• how you will generate growth from your project including in any other markets

• what the timeline is for the proposed component to reach commercial general availability

If there is any research organisation activity in the project, describe:

• your plans to spread the project’s research outputs over a reasonable timescale

• how you expect to use the results generated from the project in further research activities

Your answer can be up to 600 words long.

You can submit a letter of intent from a potential third party integrator as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to one A4 page and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 12. Project management

How will you manage your project effectively towards integration readiness?

Explain:

• the main work packages and milestones of your project, indicating the lead partner assigned to each and the total cost of each one

• your approach to project management, identifying the mechanisms you will use to track progress to achieve a successful and innovative project outcome

• your project plan in enough detail to identify any links or dependencies between work packages or milestones

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

You must submit a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It must be one A4 page and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 13. Risks

What are the main risks for this project, including those that could delay the component’s availability and integration?

Explain:

• the main risks and uncertainties, with their likelihood and impact, of the project, including technical, commercial, or any other risks

• how you will mitigate these risks

• any project inputs that are critical to completion, such as any critical inputs, external dependencies, resources, expertise, and data sets

• any output likely to be subject to regulatory requirements, certification, and other requirements identified, and how you will manage this

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

You must submit a risk register as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It must be one A4 page and must be legible at 100%

Question 14. Added value and supply chain impact

How will public funding accelerate your path towards commercialisation? What impact would your project have on the UK supply chain?

Describe:

• what advantages public funding would offer your project, for example: appeal to investors, more partners, reduced risk or a faster route to market

• the likely impact on organisations involved and how the project will change their R&D activities

• other investment routes explored and why they were unsuitable, and how existing investment or support will complement the grant funding

• the project’s economic benefits to the UK supply chain, including its contribution to reduced dependency on imported semiconductors and components

• the project’s contribution to high-value UK job creation or safeguarding

• the project’s environmental benefits, such as resource efficiency

Your answer can be up to 500 words long.

Question 15. Costs and value for money

How much will the project cost and how does it represent value for money for the team and the taxpayer?

In terms of your project goals, explain:

• your total eligible project costs required to reach an integration ready state

• the grant you are requesting

• how each partner will finance their contributions to your project

• how this project represents value for money for you and the taxpayer

• how it compares to what you would spend your money on otherwise

• the balance of costs and grant across the project partners

• any subcontractor costs and why they are critical to your project

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

3. Finances

Each organisation in your project must complete their own project costs, organisation details and funding details in the application. Academic institutions must complete and upload a Je-S form.

For an overview on what costs you can claim, see our project costs guidance. Note this is general guidance, for specific guidance see the eligibility section in this competition. You can also view our application finances video.

4. Project Impact

This section is not scored but will provide background to your project.

Each partner must complete the Project Impact questions before being able to submit the application.

More information can be found in our Project Impact guidance and by viewing our Impact Management Framework video.

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles.

Assessment

Your application will be reviewed by three independent assessors based on the content of your application and their skills or expertise relevant to your project. All of the scores awarded will count towards the total score used to make the funding decision unless you are notified otherwise.

You can find out more about our assessment process in the General Guidance.

Your submitted application will be assessed against these criteria:

Enabling Components for Smart Electronic - Assessor guidance for applicants.pdf (opens in a new window)

Interviews

If your application passes the written assessment stage, is over £1 million in costs and fits against this portfolio approach:

• technology

• technology maturity

• competitive USP in the target market

• eligible project costs

• project duration

• risk profile

• available budget

You may be invited to attend an interview, where you must give a presentation.

Your interview will take place at Caxton House in London or Polaris House in Swindon. The interviews will be held between 19 May and 22 May 2026.

Before the interview and by the deadline stated in the invitation email, you:

• must send a list of who will attend the interview

• must send your interview presentation slides

• can send a written response to the assessors’ feedback

List of attendees

Agree the list with your consortium. Up to 9 people from your project can attend, ideally one person from each organisation. They must all be available on all published interview dates. We are unable to reschedule slots once allocated.

Presentation slides

Your interview presentation must:

• use Microsoft PowerPoint

• be no longer than 20 minutes

• have no more than 15 slides

• not include any video or embedded web links

You cannot change the presentation after you submit it or bring any additional materials to the interview.

Written response to assessor feedback

This is optional and is an opportunity to answer the assessors’ concerns. It can:

• be up to two A4 pages in a single PDF or Word document

• include charts or diagrams

Interview

After your presentation the panel will spend 30 minutes asking questions. You will be expected to answer based on the information you provided in your application form, presentation and the response to feedback.

After your interview

The panellists will individually score your application and these will be averaged for your overall interview score. This score will supersede the one you received from initial assessment unless stated otherwise in the competition brief. We will notify you whether you have been successful or not by email and you will receive feedback on your interview within a week of notification.

Background and further information

This competition is a key intervention supporting the UK’s Industrial Strategy, specifically targeting the Digital and Technologies sector with impact across the strategy’s growth driving sectors and their associated frontier industries. By enabling reusable and trusted components for smart electronic platforms, the competition invests in the technologies that underpin the UK's future economic security and resilient growth.

The UK possesses world class research and diverse industrial capabilities across semiconductors and novel technologies required for autonomous and automated systems. However, fragmentation and lack of coordination render these ‘ingredient’ technologies unable to be integrated into smart electronic platforms.

To address this, the competition focuses on maturing and accelerating the availability of components, that include semiconductors or novel technologies, to support the Sense, Decide, Act pipeline. They must ensure they are delivered in a consumable format ready for integration into smart electronic platforms for industrial and tactical edge environments.

Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Scheme Information

This award is being offered under the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme in accordance with section 10(4) of the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

Projects funded must meet the following definition(s):

Category 2: Industrial research​

​The planned research or critical investigation that is aimed at the acquisition of new knowledge and skills for developing new products, processes or services. It can also be for projects that are aimed at bringing about a significant improvement in existing products, processes or services. ​

This would include digital products, processes or services, in any technology, industry or sector (including, but not limited to, digital industries and technologies, such as super-computing, quantum technologies, block chain technologies, artificial intelligence, cyber security, big data and cloud technologies). ​

Industrial research comprises the creation of component parts of complex systems. It may include the construction of prototypes in a laboratory environment or in an environment with simulated interfaces to existing systems as well as of pilot lines. Where necessary, this would be for the industrial research and notably for generic technology validation.​

Briefing recording and slides

Briefing recording and slides will be available to download here after the briefing event.

What happens if you receive a grant offer

If you have passed your initial assessment and have received an email with a grant offer, you will be asked to complete the project setup process on the Innovation Funding Service (IFS). Watch our video on what steps are there before a project starts.

We will ask for information that will allow us to undertake mandatory checks on your organisation and the eligibility of your costs, as well as review the documentation for your project.

You must follow the unique link embedded in your email notification. This takes you to your project's dedicated IFS Set Up portal, where we gather the information required to set up your project, for example your bank details. Watch our video on how successful applicants receive their funding.

If your application is unsuccessful

If you are unsuccessful with your application this time, you can view feedback from the assessors. This will be available to you on your IFS portal following notification.

Sometimes your application will have scored well, and you will receive positive comments from the assessors. You may be unsuccessful as your average score was not above the funding threshold or your project has not been selected under the portfolio approach if this is applied for this competition.

Find a project partner

If you want help to find a project partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect.

Support for SMEs from Innovate UK Business Growth service

Innovate UK Business Growth helps innovation focused businesses make the best strategic choices and access the right resources, in order to grow and ultimately achieve scale.

Visit the service’s website to learn about how you might benefit as a winner.

Protecting your innovation

A Secure Innovation campaign has been developed to help founders and leaders of innovative startups protect their technology, competitive advantage, and reputation.

This was developed by UK’s National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Data sharing

This competition is operated by Innovate UK.

Innovate UK is directly accountable to you for its holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. Data is held in accordance with our own policies.

Innovate UK may also share any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process concerning your application with Innovate UK’s national and regional UK third parties and partners who may contact you. For more information see how we handle grant applicant and grant holder data.

Innovate UK and Innovate UK Business Connect will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.

Innovate UK’s Privacy Policy

Innovate UK Business Connect Privacy Policy

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles.

The Information Commissioner’s Office also has a useful guide for organisations, which outlines the data protection principles.

Contact us

If you need more information about how to apply or you want to submit your application in Welsh, email support@iuk.ukri.org or call 0300 321 4357.

Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Innovate UK or any of our partners will not tolerate abusive language in any written or verbal correspondence, applications, social media or any other form that might affect staff.