Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund (CKAF) Winter
The Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund (CKAF) provides 100% funding ranging from £50,000 to £250,000 to help public sector organisations transition viable intellectual property and knowledge assets toward commercial markets.
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Competition Scope & Overview
The Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund (CKAF) is run by the Government Office for Technology Transfer (GOTT) and funded by the Department for Business Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST), formally the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (fDSIT). Innovate UK is administering this competition on behalf of GOTT, which will provide funding ranging from £50,000 to £250,000 per project.
The aim of this competition is to support organisations to move viable public sector Knowledge Assets with identified potential markets towards commercialisation.
A Knowledge Asset is an intangible asset that your organisation holds. Examples of Knowledge Assets include know how, expertise, intellectual property, rights for designs, research and development outputs, source code and creative outputs.
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.
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
Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund - Applicant Briefing 2026.pdf
These applicant briefing slides outline the scope, eligibility criteria, and application process for the Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund (CKAF). They provide critical guidance on project timelines, financial rules, and submission requirements to help potential applicants successfully prepare their bids.
Download Official DocumentCommercialising Knowledge Assets Fund – Applicant Guidance.pdf..pdf
This document is the official applicant guidance for the Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund (CKAF). It details eligibility criteria, the application structure, the Commercialisation Readiness Framework (CRF), and financial spending rules.
Download Official DocumentCKAF Project Breakdown Template content.pdf
This document provides applicant guidance and visual templates for the CKAF Application Project Breakdown spreadsheet. It outlines the required structures for work packages, Gantt charts, team composition, expenditure breakdowns, and invoicing forecasts.
Download Official DocumentEligible project costs for CKAF.pdf
This official Innovate UK guidance document outlines the eligible and ineligible expenditure categories for grant applicants. It details financial rules, including overhead caps, procurement standards, and specific cost exclusions.
Download Official DocumentApplication Questions & Guidance Brief
Every question below carries specific word limits and guidance criteria.
Project summary
Official Guidance
Describe your project in a way that you are happy to see published. Your project summary must briefly explain: the Knowledge Asset and how it will be developed; the issue or problem the project is designed to address; the intended market or user; the benefits of the project. You must make this summary simple to understand and, as far as possible, avoid the use of technical language and acronyms. Do not include any commercially sensitive information.
Applicant location
Official Guidance
You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and any partners or subcontractors working on your project. We are collecting this information to understand more about the geographical location of all applicants.
Animal testing
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
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
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
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
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.
How did you hear about CKAF
Official Guidance
Let us know how you found out about CKAF and indicate any factors that contributed to your wish to apply, for example, prior contact with the Government Office for Technology Transfer (GOTT).
Have you previously received funding from GOTT?
Official Guidance
If Yes, please use the text box below to state whether it was funding for this Knowledge Asset (KA) or a related KA and what that funding was, for example, a KAGF, Rapid Response Award (RRA), or CKAF award. If you received funding for this KA, on a new line provide any KAGF, CKAF, or RRA project ID number. Then summarise the outputs of your funded project. If no, enter the word ‘No’ in the text box.
Have you, or any member of your project team, received any other support or advice from GOTT related to this KA
Official Guidance
We would like to know: if this KA is supported by the Technology Transfer Strategic Partnership Team (TTSP); if you or a member of this project team has participated in GOTT’s Public Research Innovation and Market Accelerator (PRIMA) programme for this KA; if you or a member of this project team participated in GOTT’s Bootcamps or attended GOTT’s annual conference, or sought advice from GOTT’s policy team, or published guidance.
The Knowledge Asset (KA)
Official Guidance
Describe your Knowledge Asset (KA) as it exists currently. Your answer must: describe the KA; explain the work that has been done to develop the KA so far; tell us why the proposed KA development goes beyond what would be considered ‘business as usual’ for your organisation.
Commercial Development
Official Guidance
Describe the current commercial position of your Knowledge Asset. Your answer must describe work to date that demonstrates: the latent need for the KA to be developed; the steps taken to understand this need; what you envisage as the route to commercialisation; consideration of who or what could provide the same or similar solutions.
Knowledge Asset intellectual property
Official Guidance
Describe the ownership position of the Knowledge Asset at the point of application. Pay particular attention to any Intellectual Property (IP) that forms the basis of your proposed project or that might arise. Include information on background IP, IP brought into the project by the applicant or a third party and foreground IP generated during the course of, or as a result of the project.
Organisational support
Official Guidance
Describe the current level of organisational support for this CKAF project and potentially the KA agenda more broadly. In the text box below ensure you have described the nature of interactions and agreements with: your line manager and wider team; the finance team and business development teams essential for this project to be delivered; your organisation's Knowledge Asset Manager, IP Manager, Innovation Manager, if necessary; your procurement or commercial team, if applicable to your projects; any external commercial parties, for example, businesses applicable to this project. You must submit a letter of support as an appendix.
Assessing the Knowledge Asset development using the Commercialisation Readiness Framework (CRF)
Official Guidance
Indicate the stage, 1 to 4, along the development scale that best reflects the Knowledge Asset development at the point of application. You must select one option: Stage 1: starting; Stage 1: in progress; Stage 2: starting; Stage 2: in progress; Stage 3: starting; Stage 3: in progress; Stage 4: starting; Stage 4: in progress.
Assessing the commercial development using the CRF
Official Guidance
Indicate the stage 1 to 4 along the development scale that best reflects the commercial development at the point of application. You must select one option: Stage 1: starting; Stage 1: in progress; Stage 2: starting; Stage 2: in progress; Stage 3: starting; Stage 3: in progress; Stage 4: starting; Stage 4: in progress.
Assessing the intellectual property development using the CRF
Official Guidance
Indicate the stage 1 to 4 on the development scale that best reflects your IP position at the point of application. You must select one option: Stage 1: starting; Stage 1: in progress; Stage 2: starting; Stage 2: in progress; Stage 3: starting; Stage 3: in progress; Stage 4: starting; Stage 4: in progress.
Assessing your organisation’s support for this project using the CRF
Official Guidance
Indicate the stage 1 to 4 along the development scale that best reflects your organisation’s support for this project at the point of application. Evidence of this level of organisational support must be reflected in your submitted Letter of Support. You must select one option: Stage 1; Stage 2; Stage 3; Stage 4.
Proposed Project Details
Official Guidance
Describe the proposed project to develop this Knowledge Asset. Your answer must explain: the aims and objectives of the project; the relevant background to explain why the proposed project is important; any latent need being addressed by developing the Knowledge Asset, including what business need, technological or market gap this project seeks to fill in addition to those already detailed; how this funding will develop your Knowledge Asset towards commercialisation; the potential impact of not funding the project; if not already outlined in your response to question 8, how does this project differ from and build on previously funded projects. You must also complete the work packages and Gantt Chart sections of the project breakdown template.
Assessing the Knowledge Asset development end point using the CRF
Official Guidance
Indicate the stage 1 to 4 along the development scale that best reflects the Knowledge Asset development at the end point of the project. You must select one option: Stage 1: in progress; Stage 1: complete; Stage 2: in progress; Stage 2: complete; Stage 3: in progress; Stage 3: complete; Stage 4: in progress; Stage 4: complete.
Assessing the commercialisation development end point using the CRF
Official Guidance
Indicate the stage 1 to 4 along the development scale that best reflects the commercialisation development at the end point of the project. You must select one option: Stage 1: in progress; Stage 1: complete; Stage 2: in progress; Stage 2: complete; Stage 3: in progress; Stage 3: complete; Stage 4: in progress; Stage 4: complete.
Assessing the intellectual property development end point using the CRF
Official Guidance
Indicate the stage 1 to 4 along the development scale that best reflects the intellectual property position at the end point of the project. You must select one option: Stage 1: in progress; Stage 1: complete; Stage 2: in progress; Stage 2: complete; Stage 3: in progress; Stage 3: complete; Stage 4: in progress; Stage 4: complete.
Assessing the organisational support end point using the CRF
Official Guidance
Indicate the stage 1 to 4 along the development scale that best reflects your organisation’s support for this project at the end point of the project. You must select one option: Stage 1; Stage 2; Stage 3; Stage 4.
Potential benefits to the UK
Official Guidance
Describe what you consider to be the potential long term benefits and positive impact to the UK, or globally as a result of this project. Benefits may take a multitude of forms, for example, they could be social, environmental, economic or financial. You must consider who would benefit from the development of the KA, for example, members of the public, government departments or UK industry.
Next steps
Official Guidance
You must outline your next steps following the completion of the project, assuming your project is successful and receives funding. Your answer can explain: how the asset will be developed further, referencing the Commercial Readiness Framework; whether additional funding will be necessary and why; whether further work is required to achieve the best commercialisation opportunity; if there are differences between short, medium and long term objectives.
The Project team, risks and management
Official Guidance
Complete the Team Composition section of the CKAF Project Breakdown template. In the form, you must include any relevant: technical experience; managerial experience; commercial experience; project management; delivery experience. In the text box below explain how you will manage your project and risks effectively. Your answer must explain: your approach to project management, identifying any major tools and mechanisms you will use to ensure a successful and innovative project outcome; how you will manage subcontractors if applicable; identified risks to the project; mitigations for identified risks; contingency for staffing issues or delays; any reputational risks to your organisation or GOTT as a result of the project.
Project costings and justification
Official Guidance
You must provide an overview as to why your project represents good value for money, and a short narrative justifying your costs. Complete the Expenditure and Invoicing Forecast sections of the CKAF Application Project Breakdown template. You must put a brief justification of costs in the expenditure tab (maximum 50 words). To justify your submitted project costings you must take into consideration: obtaining competitive quotes for work; specific resource constraints; outsourcing or subcontracting market rates; value for money and efficiency; timelines and additional resources required; where you are claiming overheads, you must include evidence of how these have been calculated.