CfI: Engineering Biology for Defra and FSA Phase 1
This Contracts for Innovation competition funds up to 15 phase 1 feasibility studies (max £200k each) focused on engineering biology solutions for Defra and FSA challenges, specifically in water quality, veterinary vaccines, eDNA/AI functional genomics, and food standards diagnostics.
Draft This Application with ZenGrants
Automatically enforce competition word limits, parse official guidance briefs, and run unsparing assessor simulations for CfI: Engineering Biology for Defra and FSA Phase 1.
Competition Scope & Overview
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £3 million from the UKRI Engineering Biology Programme in this Contracts for Innovation competition. This competition is part of UKRI’s Engineering Biology Programme. This is subject to us receiving a sufficient number of high quality applications. The aim of the competition is to enable innovative engineering biology focused organisations to accelerate the development and commercialisation of products that can address the societal challenges defined by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Food Standards Agency (FSA):
low cost, real time water quality monitoring for policy, public health, and ecosystem management using genomic monitoring and surveillance accelerating next generation veterinary vaccine platforms through engineering biology predicting ecosystem health and resilience from eDNA through AI driven functional genomics rapid diagnostics to maintain food standards and regulatory compliance
This is phase 1 of a potential 2 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 £3 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 15 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 2566 CfI Engineering Biology for Defra and FSA P1.pdf
These applicant briefing slides for the Innovate UK Engineering Biology Contracts for Innovation competition outline key dates, eligibility criteria, scope requirements, and application guidance via the Innovation Funding Service (IFS).
Download Official DocumentCfI Engineering Biology for Defra and FSA Phase 1 Assessor guidance for applicants.pdf
This document is official Innovate UK assessor guidance for the Engineering Biology for Defra and FSA Phase 1 competition. It outlines the specific application questions, submission requirements, and detailed scoring criteria used to evaluate proposals.
Download Official DocumentApplication Questions & Guidance Brief
Every question below carries specific word limits and guidance criteria.
Application details
Official Guidance
Give your project’s title, start date and duration.
Who made you aware of the competition?
Official Guidance
Select a category to state who made you aware of the competition. You cannot choose more than one.
How long has your organisation been established for?
Official Guidance
Select a category to state how long has your organisation been established for. You cannot choose more than one.
What is your organisation’s primary focus area?
Official Guidance
Select a category to state your organisation’s primary focus area. You cannot choose more than one.
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.
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. 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.
Themes (not scored)
Official Guidance
Select one main theme from the specific themes list in the ‘Scope’ section of this competition. You cannot choose more than one. Themes: low cost, real time water quality monitoring for policy, public health, and ecosystem management using genomic monitoring and surveillance; accelerating next generation veterinary vaccine platforms through engineering biology; predicting ecosystem health and resilience from eDNA through AI driven functional genomics; rapid diagnostics to maintain food standards and regulatory compliance.
Animal testing (not scored)
Official Guidance
Will your project involve any trials with animals or animal testing? You must select one option: Yes or 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, or 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 or 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 in days.
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. 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.
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.