Cyber-Physical Infrastructure Ecosystem Building: funding competition clarification questions (updated 10 May 2023)
Updated 18 October 2023
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cyber-physical-infrastructure-ecosystem-building-funding-competition/cyber-physical-infrastructure-ecosystem-building-funding-competition-clarification-questions-added-11-april-2023
01. Are academic research organisations eligible for funding? (added 11 April 2023)
Yes, academic research organisations are eligible - noting the stated approach to subsidy control identified in the Guidance and draft Grant Funding Agreement
02. Is the £200,000 limit allocation for the entire project or per consortium partner? (added 11 April 2023)
£200,000 is the total, maximum amount of funding available. If bidding as a consortium, consortium members should agree and set out how this will be allocated between themselves.
03. Do different funding rates apply based on organisational type? For instance, in the past academic partners were at 80% grant rate, larger organisations were at 50% and SMEs were at 70% - Do any of these apply for this competition? (added 11 April 2023)
Those funding rates identified typically applied to grants made under the General Block Exemption Regulations under EU State Aid Regulations.
This funding is made on the basis of being utilised for non-economic activities. Therefore recipients may claim up to 100% of costs - this is a maximum and not a required limit.
Applicants are encouraged to set out how they will leverage their own resources to support this activity, which may include claiming at a lower rate.
04. What is the overall funding total and how many awards is this competition aiming to make? (added 11 April 2023)
The total funding available is £200,000. We will make a maximum of one award (which may be to an individual organisation, or one organisation leading a consortium), we are not making multiple awards.
05. Can amendments to the Grant Funding Agreement be made? (added 10 May 2023)
Any proposed changes to the Model Grant Funding Agreement will be considered as part of your application. The application form requires you to confirm that the Lead Applicant will accept the terms and conditions in the draft grant funding agreement provided. To the extent that you are not able to do so you should respond ‘no’ and explain why amendments are required because of matters specific to you or your consortium. Please note that the application guidance specifies that the terms and conditions set out in the GFA are non-negotiable so any changes would need to be properly explained and justified. We retain all discretion in determining whether such changes are accepted.
06. Could you clarify what the pre-grant requirements and due-diligence are? (added 10 May 2023)
The overall aim of pre-grant requirements and due diligence is to undertake a proportionate assessment of the trustworthiness, suitability, and track record of grant applicants. Due diligence processes help determine reputational risks, determine whether the grant applicant has the people, processes and products required for delivery, assess the financial health, and identifies potential fraud and error. This assessment will enable DSIT to determine whether to award the grant to the applicant, conduct further enquiries / enhanced due diligence, or take steps to refuse / deny the application.