Sustainable Innovation Fund: Round 1

Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £55 million to fund single and collaborative research and development projects as part of the Sustainable Innovation Fund.

(There is also a separate SBRI funding opportunity under the Sustainable Innovation Fund to help develop new products or services: click here for details.)

The aim of this competition is to help all sectors of the UK rebuild after the effects of Covid-19.

All projects must be led by a business and include at least one SME. Proposals can either be from a single business or a collaboration.

Covid-19 has affected R&D across all sectors, and our aim of this competition is to help all sectors of the UK recover, grow and create new opportunities from the aftermath of the global health pandemic.

Your proposal must show evidence of key challenges as a direct consequence of Covid-19, and how your project can help solve them.

In addition, we expect your proposal to ensure that any recovery, growth and opportunity is clean and sustainable.

We expect all projects to consider Covid-19 recovery in a way that has a positive impact on climate change and/or environmental sustainability, and you should explain how this will be achieved, maintained and measured.

We would also like you to address where necessary, equality, diversity and inclusion in relation to your project, your organisation(s) and your approach to innovation.

Your project can focus on:

• decarbonisation, circular economy and/or biodiversity

• climate change and environmental sustainability

• geographic or regionally-targeted innovation

• innovation that is aimed at commercial or residential users

• innovations that work across more than one sector

• follow-on international opportunities that help the UK lead the world

We are not funding projects that:

• are not related to an impact on a business due to Covid-19 disruption

• have a negative impact on the environment and/or society

• have a detrimental effect on equality, diversity and inclusion

• would duplicate other UK Government activities or EU-funded initiatives already underway such as the testing or manufacture of vaccines and ventilators.

• do not involve any research and development or innovation, for example, the creation of information-only websites

• are feasibility studies

An online briefing event will be held on 3rd July 2020 at 9.30am UK time: click here to register.

Click here to read more about the funding and register your company.