Advanced Connectivity Technologies: New Innovators
This competition targets first-time Innovate UK grant recipients (micro/small businesses) to develop high-impact, scalable connectivity innovations that address either secure/resilient networks or sustainable, energy-efficient network infrastructure.
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Competition Scope & Overview
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £500,000 from the UKRI ACT R&D Programme in UK registered small and micro businesses. This is subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received.
The aim of this competition is to provide a package of targeted support to enable ambitious UK registered micro and small businesses to develop affordable, adoptable and investable innovations in Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT).
Your innovation must lead to new products, processes or services that are significantly ahead of others currently available, or propose an innovative use of existing products, processes or services. It can also involve a new or innovative business model.
In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process. This competition has a funding limit, so we may not be able to fund all the proposed projects. It may be the case that your project scores highly, but we are still unable to fund it due to the portfolio approach we take.
Our experience from similar competitions suggests that you could have 15% chance of success.
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 under exceptional circumstances, for example, 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
ACT New Innovators Applicant Briefing.pdf
This document provides the official applicant briefing slides for the Innovate UK "Advanced Connectivity Technologies: New Innovators" competition. It outlines essential details regarding eligibility, project scope, financial requirements, and the application process to help businesses prepare a successful submission.
Download Official DocumentAdvanced Connectivity Technologies - New Innovators - Assessor guidance for applicants .pdf
This document is the official assessor guidance for the "Advanced Connectivity Technologies: New Innovators" grant competition. It outlines the specific criteria and scoring rubrics that assessors use to evaluate application responses, providing essential insights for applicants to align their proposals with the required standards.
Download Official DocumentApplication Questions & Guidance Brief
Every question below carries specific word limits and guidance criteria.
Project summary
Official Guidance
Describe your project briefly and be clear about what makes it innovative. We use this section to assign experts to assess your application.
Public description
Official Guidance
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.
Scope
Official Guidance
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.
Applicant location (not scored)
Official Guidance
You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and any subcontractors working on your project. We are collecting this information to understand more about the geographical location of all applicants.
Minimal Financial Assistance declaration (not scored)
Official Guidance
You must download the declaration template. You must complete this, declaring any funding received under Minimal Financial Assistance (previously referred to as Special Drawing Rights) or de minimis awards, (from any source of public funding) in the applicable period. You must complete all the fields on your form before uploading. You must write ‘declaration attached’ in the question text box. You must upload the completed declaration as an appendix. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom. You must keep all documentation relating to Minimal Financial Assistance (previously referred to as Special Drawing Rights) and other de minimis awards for a period of six years and be prepared to release it to any public funding body which requests it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Where did you hear about this competition? (not scored)
Official Guidance
Select one of the options from the list below: UKRI website, Innovate UK Facebook, Innovate UK Instagram, Innovate UK LinkedIn, Innovate UK Twitter, Innovate UK employee, Gov.UK website, Innovate UK Business Connect, Innovate UK Business Growth, Northern Irish, Scottish or Welsh government agencies, Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Third party website, Innovate UK newsletter, Events, Other.
Your innovation area (not scored)
Official Guidance
Select your Innovation area from the list below. You can only select one: challenge 1: Secure and Resilient Networks, challenge 2: Sustainable Networks.
Funding plans (not scored, but will be used to assess financial viability)
Official Guidance
How will you fund the 50% of your project costs that are not being paid in advance? You must include: the source of the funds currently available, such as the company’s own funds, for example, management accounts; your funding strategy and how you will continue to support the development of the innovation following completion of the project, with a view towards its eventual commercialisation.
The idea
Official Guidance
What is the problem you wish to solve and why is your proposed approach a good and innovative solution? You must consider the following in your answer: the specific innovation you propose to develop and how this is different and better than alternative solutions; the specific need and size of opportunity; why your solution is affordable and investable; any barriers to adoption and how they could be overcome.
Impact and added value
Official Guidance
What will be the impact of receiving the grant to your business? You must consider the following in your answer: why public funding is necessary and value for money, for example, is there currently a lack of investment, or market failure; the impact on your business; the tangible outputs of the project in terms of specific deliverables and how they will benefit the UK; what are the expected impacts on society, the economy and the environment.
Business resources and capabilities
Official Guidance
Explain why your business is capable of delivering this project. You must consider the following in your answer: what resources you can access, including the main people involved, relevant track records, and any external resources; your capability to deliver in the required timeframe given your existing business activities or constraints; how you will deliver outcomes and impact beyond the life of the project; your route to market; how equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is incorporated into your proposed project or business activities, for example, in the development of your innovation, accessibility of project results, team composition, work environment.
Work packages and costs
Official Guidance
What activities will you spend the grant funding on? How will you manage the project and risks effectively? You must consider the following in your answer: what the funding will be spent on, referring to costs for the main work packages; project risks and how you will mitigate them; your freedom to operate for example, patents, intellectual property (IP).