MDI Programme Innovation and Scale-up Hub
Establish an Innovation and Scale-Up Hub to drive industrial digital technology adoption, cross-sector collaboration, and commercial impact across the UK's Frontier 5 advanced manufacturing sectors.
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Competition Scope & Overview
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £4 million from the UKRI Manufacturing Digitalisation Innovation (MDI) programme. This is subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received. The aim of this competition is to establish an Innovation and Scale-Up Hub that will improve the targeting, quality and commercial impact of grant funded activity delivered through the MDI programme.
The Hub will identify and prioritise common industrial challenges affecting the following Frontier 5 manufacturing sectors:
Advanced Materials Aerospace Automotive Batteries Space
Your proposal must deliver a hub that will work with manufacturers that are representative of relevant Advanced Manufacturing Frontier 5 market sectors. The hub must also work with high potential technology providers that have the capability and commercial ambition to develop widely adoptable industrial digital technology stack solutions.
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.
Our experience from similar competitions suggests that you could have 30% 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. 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
MDI Programme Scale-up Hub Applicant Briefing Slides.pdf
These applicant briefing slides outline the scope, eligibility criteria, and application process for the Innovate UK MDI Programme Innovation and Scale-up Hub competition. They provide critical guidance on project requirements, funding rules, and deadlines to support potential applicants.
Download Official DocumentMDI Programme Innovation and Scale-up Hub - Assessor guidance for applicants.pdf
This document is official assessor guidance for the MDI Programme Innovation and Scale-up Hub grant. It outlines the specific questions applicants must answer and details the scoring criteria used by assessors to evaluate applications from 1 to 10.
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 the right 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 partners or subcontractors working on your project. We are collecting this information to understand more about the geographical location of all applicants.
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.
Programme Objectives
Official Guidance
What are the key objectives for the programme? You must focus specifically on what the funding for this programme will enable you to do.
Delivery Plan
Official Guidance
How will you ensure successful delivery of the programme? Your response must consist of two parts: Upload a delivery plan for the programme in the form of a Gantt chart which includes the key programme milestones; Explain what steps will you be taking to ensure successful delivery of your milestones? Your response must consider how you will achieve the key milestones. You must submit a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix 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.
Centre Activities
Official Guidance
For each of the activities listed in the competition scope, explain how you are able to carry these activities out. Your response must outline: how they fit with your current product, service lines or offerings; how existing assets such as infrastructure, methods, approaches and tools, will support the programme; how the centre will provide up-to-date technical advice to participants. You must submit one appendix to support your answer. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.
Centre Outputs
Official Guidance
Explain how you will ensure that each of the outputs listed in the competition scope will be achieved. You must submit one appendix to support your answer. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.
Benefits
Official Guidance
Outline the benefits you expect to result from your innovation in more detail. In your explanation, include specific metrics or indicators that you intend to use to measure these benefits.
Customers detail
Official Guidance
What are the key characteristics and needs of your target customers? Describe your engagement with customers and broader research.
Inclusive innovation
Official Guidance
How will you promote equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the development and implementation of this programme? You must consider how your approach can be adapted to foster an inclusive environment, even if you are currently working individually.
Skills
Official Guidance
What skills, capabilities or experience do you and your partner organisations hold that will help deliver the programme? You must outline: skills, knowledge, or experiences that are applicable; why the lead and partner organisations have been chosen; detail the director's track record in engaging internal and external stakeholders, and navigating the inherent tension between delivery priorities and end-user needs.
Sector positioning
Official Guidance
Explain your understanding of the technologies driving this sector and the users who need them, and how the centre is positioned within the sector.
Addressing Skills Gaps
Official Guidance
How do you plan to address any skills gaps in your team? Detail whether your business will need support to carry out this programme, and what types of support you will need. Recognising and acknowledging the need for additional support is a vital part of the planning process and will not negatively impact your application.
Risks
Official Guidance
Outline the top three risks in more detail. For each identified risk, explain what actions you will take to mitigate its impact. Risks can come from many areas for example: technical risks (product development, functionality of performance); commercial or financial risks (market adoption, competition or profitability); environmental and social risks (environmental impact, regulations, social acceptance); regulatory risks (regulatory approvals); project management risks (timelines, team or resources). Recognising and acknowledging potential risks is a vital part of the planning process and will not negatively impact your application. You can submit a risk register as an appendix 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.
Governance
Official Guidance
How will you ensure the programme is effectively governed and overseen? Describe the key governance arrangements, including: the governance structure and key decision makers, you must also provide a structure diagram as an upload; how strategic oversight will be provided; how progress, risks and finances will be monitored and reported. You must submit a structure diagram as an appendix 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.
Opportunity assessment and selection
Official Guidance
How will you assess and select opportunities to support? Describe: the methods, criteria and processes you will use to assess opportunities; how you will prioritise and select opportunities for support to ensure the opportunities are aligned with the objectives of the programme; how you will ensure assessments are fair, transparent and consistent.
Data Protection, Safety and Security
Official Guidance
How will you ensure data is protected and that activities are delivered safely and securely throughout the programme? Describe: your approach to managing data protection and information governance; how you will identify and manage safety and security risks; how you will ensure appropriate policies, processes and controls are applied across the programme and delivery partners, where relevant.