Year 10 of Cyber ASAP

Join Innovate UK in hosting the tenth year of Cyber ASAP

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to invest up to £800,000 in innovative cyber security ideas arising from the UK’s academic research base.

This funding is subject to a sufficient number of high‑quality applications being received. The programme will invest in innovative cyber security projects originating from academia. The aim of this competition is to identify the most promising commercial opportunities in cyber security emerging from academic research. Proposals must include the area of research, the problem being addressed, and the proposed solution.

The Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme (CyberASAP) is a 10‑month programme. This competition represents phase 1 of a potential two‑phase process.

Phase 1 structure

Phase 1 will last up to four months and will be divided into two equal stages:

• an initial stage focused on value proposition development activities
• a subsequent stage focused on market validation activities

Teams invited to the market validation stage will be required to present to an independent judging panel. The panel will select teams to progress.

Phase 1 will assess the value of each idea and, where appropriate, identify the most suitable commercial route to progress. The programme will be supported by industry experts, including specialists from the cyber security sector.

Cyber security challenge areas

CyberASAP encourages applications that address the following cyber security challenges:

• Security and resilience of operational technology (OT)
• Software supply chain security and resilience, including compliance with the Software Code of Practice and the security of cloud services
• Emerging opportunities and technologies, including the application of AI to cyber security (such as access management, change management, threat detection, and reporting), as well as drones and robotics

This list is not exhaustive, and CyberASAP welcomes applications that address other cyber security challenges, including online harms.

Competition process and funding considerations

Participation in this competition constitutes entry into a competitive process. As the competition has a finite funding allocation, not all eligible or high‑scoring projects may be funded.

Experience from similar competitions indicates that applicants may have approximately a 40% chance of success.

A range of factors will be considered when determining whether funding is awarded. These include assessments of prior conduct, such as any outstanding payments owed to Innovate UK or UK Research and Innovation. Such factors may influence funding decisions and could result in a refusal of funding or an award subject to additional scrutiny.

CyberASAP and Innovate UK reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for this competition in response to changes in policy, portfolio considerations, or wider government funding decisions.

Competition deadline

This competition closes at 11:00am UK time on the deadline stated in the Innovate UK competition brief. CyberASAP cannot guarantee that other government or third‑party websites will always display the correct competition information.