Notice

Competition guidance: innovation in cycling and walking

Updated 31 May 2017

This notice was withdrawn on 21 September 2017

This competition is no longer open and the winners were announced in March 2018. The cycling and walking section has greater information on current funding opportunities.

1. Dates and deadlines

Competition opens	Midday 18 April 2017
Final date for registration	Midday 7 June 2017
Submission of the full application deadline	Midday 14 June 2017
Interview	21 July 2017
Feedback to applicants	27 July 2017
Contracts awarded	18 August 2017

These guidance notes complement the invitation to tender and are designed to help with completing the application form. Please read the full set of competition documents before compiling and submitting your application.

2. Funding

The Department for Transport (DfT) is to invest up to £470,000 in projects. These will be to develop new products, systems and technologies to encourage more people to walk and/or cycle, as described in the brief for this competition.

This competition has 2 stages:

1. Phase 1: proof of concept. This covers research and development of a prototype. We expect that individual contracts for phase 1 will be valued up to £25,000, lasting up to 15 weeks.
2. Phase 2: demonstration. These contracts are expected to be awarded to a maximum of £100,000 per contract and will last up to 9 months.

3. How to apply

Before you apply into the competition, it is important to understand the whole application process. The information below is specific to this competition.

This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI). The application process requires the completion of an application form. The form should be completed and submitted as directed. We strongly advise that as well as this guidance you read the general guidance for applicants before you submit.

Please do not send completed applications by post or by any other means than as directed.

All applications will be treated in confidence.

Assessment: Once the competition submission deadline is reached, your application is sent for assessment. This assessment will be a two-stage process. Stage 1 will involve assessors reviewing your written application. Those shortlisted following this review will be invited for interview (stage 2). Further details about the interview process will be provided to shortlisted applicants.

Notification: We will notify you of the outcome of your application on the date stated in the timeline.

Feedback: We will give feedback to successful and unsuccessful applicants approximately 4 weeks after you have been notified of the decision. You can access the feedback by signing into the secure website where you uploaded your application documents. No follow up clarification will be provided and there will be no further discussion on the application.

4. The application form

This section explains the structure of the application form and offers guidance on what to answer in each question.

The structure is as follows:

• application details
• details of lead applicant organisation
• contact details
• title and abstract for publication
• description of proposed idea/technology
• technical project summary
• current state of the art and intellectual property
• project plan and methodology
• technical team and expertise
• application finances and cost justification
• commercial potential
• declaration

Please make sure that you upload the final version of your application by the deadline. It is your responsibility to ensure that you do not upload a blank or incomplete application form.

These notes should be read together with the application form. They are designed to help you to provide the information required. Where text limits are indicated, please do not exceed these, as this will result in your application being rejected.

A reference number will be emailed to you once you have registered for the competition. You will be notified of this number by email. You will need to register separately for each application that you want to submit.

The application form should be completed using a font size no smaller than 11 (Calibri). Keep the use of acronyms to a minimum and be sure to define them. Only use acronyms where a term is mentioned frequently throughout the proposal. Bear in mind that individual sections of the application may be read separately during the selection process.

In order for your application to be accepted, you must submit all the required information. This includes all mandatory fields from the application form. Failure to complete these fields will result in your application being rejected on the grounds that it is incomplete.

5. Completing the application form

Guidance on the individual sections of the application form is provided below:

5.1 Application details

Project title (Mandatory)

Please provide the title for the project. This should be both descriptive and concise.

Project duration (Mandatory)

Phase 1 projects are expected to start on 15 September 2017 and be completed by 15 December 2017.

Total contract cost (£s) (Mandatory)

Proposed projects can request a maximum total cost of £25,000 for phase 1. Requests for more than £25,000 (or where the proposed work programme for phase 1 extends beyond 15 December 2017) will be rejected.

What is the best way to describe your innovation? (Mandatory)

Select from options available.

5.2 Details of lead applicant organisation (Mandatory)

Please submit the company name and other details as requested on the application form.

5.3 Contact details (Mandatory)

Please submit the lead applicant’s name, post held, company name and position. You should discuss your proposals with your own company or any other body involved in the project before you submit your application.

By submitting the application you are confirming that the information given in this application is complete and that you are actively engaged in this project and responsible for its overall management and agree to administer the award if made.

5.4 Title and abstract for publication (Mandatory)

Please provide a brief, public facing description of the project. Should your project be successful, this information will be made public once the award is confirmed. We reserve the right to amend the description before publication if necessary but will consult you about any changes.

5.5 Description of proposed idea/technology (Mandatory)

Avoiding the use of unnecessary technical jargon, describe clearly how the proposed project will deliver the outcomes as described in the competition documentation. You should include which barriers to walking and/or cycling your proposal addresses.

5.6 Technical project summary (Mandatory)

Please provide a structured summary of the technical basis of the project. This should outline the background to the technology, including what the innovation is, and the key deliverables. This would typically involve highlighting the research and development that will prove the scientific and commercial merit of the project. Also, describe what might be achieved by deploying the innovation to address the technical challenges.

5.7 Current state of the art and intellectual property (Mandatory)

Please provide details of any competing technologies/market alternatives and the relative benefits of the proposed technology. Include details of any existing intellectual property (IP) and its significance to your freedom to operate.

5.8 Project plan and methodology (Mandatory)

The project plan should identify the major packages of work within the project, with well-defined milestones and deliverables. The plan for phase 1 should be comprehensive. For phase 2 only an outline is required. The emphasis throughout should be on practicality. We are seeking evidence that the technology works, can be made into a viable product and can achieve the proposed benefits. Appropriate record-keeping and reporting are essential but reports are not in themselves the main goal of the project.

• a Gantt chart should be supplied in PDF format, including start and end dates of key tasks
• please provide an indication of how any IP which might arise during the project would be handled
• towards the end of phase 1 you will be required to show that you have considered a detailed plan for phase 2

Project management (Mandatory)

Identify the project management processes that you will use to ensure that milestones are achieved in a timely manner. In addition, provide details of identified risks (technical, commercial and environmental) and mitigation actions.

If you are applying from a university, please include details of your plan for commercialisation of the results of your project.

5.9 Technical team and expertise (Mandatory)

Provide a detailed description of the skills, expertise and track record of the team. Include the relevant knowledge and skills of each member and the proportion of their time that will be spent on the project. Relevant commercial, scientific, clinical and management expertise should also be included.

5.10 Application finances and cost justification (Mandatory)

Please provide a summary of costs, including justification, for phase 1 only. All costs should include VAT. If there is significant use of subcontractors, please explain how these will be used and the costs of each. You must ensure that the costs quoted reflect actual costs at a fair market value and profit should not be included.

Please provide quarterly spend profiles for the duration of the project. Please also provide a payment schedule for this project.

Please note the assessors are required to judge the application finances, in terms of value for money, for example, does the proposed cost for effort and deliverables reflect a fair market price.

The costs should cover the following, as applicable:

Directly incurred costs

These are costs that are specific to the project. They will be charged to the project as the amount actually spent. They should be fully supported by an audit record in justification of a claim. They include:

• labour costs for all those contributing to the project broken down by individual
• material costs (including consumables specific to the project)
• capital equipment costs
• sub-contract costs
• travel and subsistence
• other costs specifically attributed to the project

Indirect costs

Indirect costs should be charged in proportion to the amount of effort deployed on the project. Applicants should calculate them, using their own cost rates. They may include:

• general office and basic laboratory consumables
• library services/learning resources
• typing/secretarial
• finance, personnel, public relations and departmental services
• central and distributed computing
• cost of capital employed
• overheads

Itemisation of costs and methods of calculation may be requested to support the application at a later date.

An outline of the potential costs involved in participating in phase 2 is also required.

Progression to phase 2 is dependent upon successful completion of phase 1 and on phase 2 application and assessment.

5.11 Commercial potential (Mandatory)

Please describe how you would realise the potential commercial solution and the relevant timescales. Give an overview of your commercialisation and business plans, from feasibility to market launch, including an estimate of the resources needed to get there.

Describe the significance of the competitive advantage which this technology affords over existing/alternate technologies that can meet the market needs. Consider how the product is likely to be used, by whom, how it will be paid for and distributed.

5.12 Declarations (Mandatory)

It is essential that the applicant ticks the box or the application will be rejected.

You should discuss your proposals with your own organisation as well as those who will be required to co-operate in the project. This should be done before you submit your application.

By submitting the application you are confirming that the information given, in this application, is complete. You also confirm that you are actively engaged in this project and responsible for its overall management. You agree to administer the award if made.

You further confirm that you have read and understood the relevant explanatory materials: the invitation to tender, the guidance notes and the guide for applicants.

Please note the data sharing declaration and draft contract terms to which you are agreeing when submitting this application.