CfI: Earlier identification of UK children with SEN
This competition seeks R&D-focused innovations that enable earlier and more reliable identification of SEN in educational settings, specifically targeting gaps where current market solutions are ineffective. It is a procurement-based contract for feasibility studies, requiring at least 50% of costs to be dedicated to R&D activities.
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Competition Scope & Overview
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will invest up to £2.5 million from the UKRI R&D MAP Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity Mission in this Contracts for Innovation competition.
This is subject to us receiving a sufficient number of high quality applications.
The aim of this competition is to develop innovations that enable earlier, fairer, and more reliable identification of special educational needs (SEN) in contexts where existing market solutions underperform or do not operate.
The competition has a UK-wide remit, with the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) and Additional Support Needs (ASN) terms used in Wales and Scotland being within the definition of “SEN” used in this brief.
Projects should focus on developing, testing and rolling out innovations to enable the earlier identification of children and young people with SEN, and for strengths and needs assessment, that can be integrated into education settings.
This is phase 1 of a potential 3 phase competition. The decision to proceed with phase 2 will depend on the outcomes from phase 1 and assessment of a separate application into a subsequent phase 2 competition.
Only the successful applicants from phase 1 will be invited to apply to take part in phase 2.
In applying to phase 1 of this competition you are entering into a competitive process. This competition has a funding budget of up to £2.5 million, so we may not be able to fund all the proposed projects.
It may be the case that your project scores highly and receives positive comments from the assessors but we are still unable to fund it due to the portfolio approach we take.
Any adoption and implementation of a solution from this competition would be subject to a separate, possibly competitive, procurement exercise. This competition does not cover the purchase of any solution.
We expect to receive a high volume of applications and will not be able to fund them all. We expect to award a maximum of 12 contracts.
We consider a range of factors when determining whether to provide funding to applicants. This includes an assessment of prior conduct, such as any outstanding payments owed to Innovate UK or UKRI. Such factors may influence the funding decision, potentially resulting in a refusal of funding or an award subject to additional scrutiny.
We also reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions. This may be in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations or broader government funding decisions.
This competition closes at 11am UK time on the deadline stated in this Innovate UK competition brief. We cannot guarantee other government or third party sites will always show the correct competition information.
Official Applicant Guidance Documents
APPLICANT BRIEFING - CfI Earlier identification of UK children with SEN.pdf
This document provides the official applicant briefing slides for the Innovate UK "Earlier identification of UK children with SEN" competition. It outlines the competition scope, eligibility criteria, application process, and financial requirements necessary for submitting a successful proposal.
Download Official DocumentCfI Earlier identification of UK children with SEN Assessors Guidance.pdf
This document is the official assessor guidance for the "Earlier identification of UK children with SEN" competition. It outlines the specific scoring criteria and evidence requirements for each application question, enabling applicants to align their proposals with the standards expected by the assessment panel.
Download Official DocumentApplication Questions & Guidance Brief
Every question below carries specific word limits and guidance criteria.
Project and scope summary
Official Guidance
Provide a short summary of your project. Describe your project briefly. Be clear about what makes it innovative and how it relates to the scope of the competition. How does it tackle different aspects of the challenge and how will it provide an integrated solution? Give details of the lead organisation. Before you submit, we expect you to have discussed your application within your organisation. This section is not scored, but we will use it to decide whether the project fits the scope of the competition. If it does not, it may be rejected.
Public description
Official Guidance
Provide a brief description of your project. If your application is successful, we will publish this description. This can happen before you start your project. This question is mandatory, but we will not assess this content as part of your application. Describe your project in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information. We have the right to amend the description before publication if necessary but will consult you about any changes.
Applicant location
Official Guidance
You must state the name of your organisation along with your full registered address. You must also state the name and full registered address of any potential or confirmed subcontractors. We are collecting this information to understand the geographical location of all participants of a project.
Animal testing (not scored)
Official Guidance
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.
Permits and licences (not scored)
Official Guidance
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.
International collaboration (not scored)
Official Guidance
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.
Export licence (not scored)
Official Guidance
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.
Trusted Research and Innovation (not scored)
Official Guidance
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.
Proposed idea or technology
Official Guidance
How does the project meet the challenge described in the competition scope? Provide a description of your proposed idea or technology. Include a description of the current state of development or readiness of the idea. You can submit a single appendix as a PDF containing images and diagrams to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom. This question will be scored against this assessment criterion: ‘How well does the proposal meet the challenge?’.
Technical project summary
Official Guidance
What are the main technical challenges you are addressing? Explain: how you will address the challenge; what the innovation is; the main technical deliverables; the research and development that will prove the scientific, environmental and commercial merit of the project; what might be achieved by deploying the innovation to address the selected challenge. This question will be scored against this assessment criterion: ‘How valid is the technical approach?’.
Current state of the art and intellectual property
Official Guidance
Are similar products currently available in the market? How is your proposed project differentiated from them? You must include details of: any existing intellectual property (IP); its significance to your freedom to operate; novel concepts you develop or employ; new approaches or technologies you use; new tools or technologies. You must explain how you would handle any intellectual property (IP) issues which might arise during the project. If you are working with subcontractors (specialist skills only), include details of how you will maintain freedom to operate and fulfil the IP requirements detailed in the contract. This question will be scored against these assessment criteria: how innovative is this project; how much does the project develop or employ novel concepts, approaches, methodologies, tools or technologies for this area; how well does the project demonstrate understanding of relevant IP and its significance on freedom to operate.
Project plan and methodology
Official Guidance
Describe your project plan and identify the main milestones. The plan for this phase 1 must be comprehensive. The emphasis throughout should be on practicality. Provide evidence that the technology works, can be made into a viable product and can achieve the proposed benefits. You must: describe resources that will be needed to deliver the project; describe what the main success criteria will be; identify the project management processes that will ensure you achieve the milestones; provide a clear plan for establishing technical and commercial feasibility; describe the main technical, commercial and environmental risks and what you will do to mitigate them. You must upload a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix in PDF format. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom. Your milestones must: be clear; be defined using SMART criteria; be associated with the appropriate deliverables and payments; indicate your payment schedule by month. This question will be assessed against these assessment criteria: does the proposal show a clear plan for establishing technical and commercial feasibility; is there a clear management plan; what are the main technical, commercial, and environmental risks to the project’s success; how will these be effectively managed; are the milestones and evaluation procedures appropriate.
Technical team and expertise
Official Guidance
Who is in the technical team? What expertise do they offer? Provide a brief description of your technical team, including any subcontractors. Describe: how each organisation has the skills, capabilities, and experience to deliver the intended benefits; how much of their time will be spent on the project. This question will be scored against this assessment criterion: Does the applicant have the skills, capabilities and experience to deliver the intended benefits?
Costs and value for money
Official Guidance
How much will the project cost for phase 1? How does it represent value for money for the team and the taxpayer? Describe: the total costs inclusive of VAT (If applicable) you are requesting in terms of the project goals for phase 1; how this project represents value for money for you and the taxpayer. Proposed costs stated in this section for phase 1 must match those entered in the finance summary. All costs quoted must reflect actual costs at a fair market value and not include profit. You can submit a single appendix as a spreadsheet in PDF format. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom. Indicate your potential costs for phase 2. Progression to phase 2 depends on your success in phase 1. Note that all payments are made monthly in arrears on submission of an invoice. The invoice must be submitted within 30 days of the end of each monitoring period for all completed milestones. The assessors are required to judge the application finances in terms of value for money. They will score your finances against this assessment criterion: ‘Are the budget and costs realistic, justified and appropriate for the aims and methods?
Commercial potential
Official Guidance
What is the commercial potential of your project? You must focus on your proposed customer’s needs. Describe your: timescales; projects commercial potential for a marketable product, process or service; delivery plan; expected route to market. Describe the competitive advantage that your project has over existing or alternative technologies that meet market needs. Describe any existing commercial relationships relevant to the project. With the focus on your proposed customer’s needs, you can also mention the future commercial potential across the public or private sector and international markets. This question will be scored against these assessment criteria: is there a clear commercial potential for a marketable product, process or service; is there a clear plan to deliver that and a clear route to market; how significant is the competitive advantage of this technology over the nearest currently available solutions to the challenge identified.