Funding is available for UK-based businesses to work with the best scientists and research facilities to resolve productivity and competitiveness issues.
Analysis for Innovators (A4I) is a different type of programme from Innovate UK’s usual grant funding competitions. It is focused on helping individual companies solve complex, long running technical problems affecting existing processes, products or services.
The programme’s aim is to help boost a company’s productivity or competitiveness. It hopes to achieve this by bringing scientists and facilities, often otherwise inaccessible, together with companies to address problems in innovative ways.
Proposals must describe a measurement or analysis problem, that will help improve businesses productivity or competitiveness and an estimate of the value to the business of solving it.
This is an expression of interest (EoI) competition. No funding is awarded at this stage. Successful applicants at this EoI stage will be invited to brokerage consultations with relevant A4I partners. These will focus on how to approach solving their problem. They will also work together to propose joint projects to develop solutions.
Successful stage 2 applications will be grant funded, through special drawing rights funding, to work with the relevant funding partner organisations. Up to £3 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects in stage 2 of this competition. Funding will be in the form of a grant. Each project’s total costs must be between £15,000 and £120,000.
UK registered business of any size may apply. Applicants must carry out all of their project work in the UK and involve at least one of the A4I partner organisations.
Sitting alongside this competition is the A4I Round 8 Mini Projects strand, in which up to £3 million of grant funding has been allocated in stage two. Proposed projects must have total costs of up to £50,000. To lead a project or work alone the organisation must be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).
The deadline for applications for both competition strands is 31 August 2022 (12:00 BST).
How To Apply
Competition dates:
- Open: 1 August 2022
- Competition closing date: 31 August 2022 (12:00 BST).
Applicants are encouraged to read the general guidance for applicants to help their chances of submitting a quality application.
Further information is available from the Innovate UK website.