Notice

Competition brief: manufacturing and materials

Updated 7 July 2016

This notice was withdrawn on 21 September 2017

This competition is no longer open. Search current funding opportunities.

1. Dates and deadlines

Competition opens	9 May 2016
Briefing events for applicants	View webinar recording of Manufacturing & Materials competition briefing
Registration deadline	Noon on 6 July 2016
Application deadline	Noon on 13 July 2016

2. The competition scope

The aim of this competition is to stimulate and broaden innovation in manufacturing and materials. Innovate UK will fund a range of projects that address technical or commercial challenges in this scope. These aim to lead to increased business productivity, competitiveness and growth, especially for SMEs. A project may focus on technical feasibility, industrial research or experimental development. The type of innovation project will depend on the nature of the challenge facing your business.

Innovation is needed to increase UK manufacturing productivity, material efficiency and competitiveness into the long term. This may come from many avenues, for example:

• taking an innovative step in addressing the manufacturing readiness of growing sectors
• the development of more flexible or efficient processes
• greater customisation of products to fit diverging consumer needs
• diversification of product and service lines to serve new markets
• the development of novel services that open up new sources of revenue from manufacturing

To be in scope, a project must cover one of the following areas:

• innovation in a manufacturing system, technology, process or business model. For example, in process engineering, industrial biotechnology, mechanical conversion processes, coatings, textiles, supply chain management, new product introduction processes or remanufacture
• innovation in materials development, properties, integration or reuse. For example, for light-weighting, energy generation and storage (such as heat and electricity), electronics/sensors or for operation in demanding environments. For the purposes of this competition, materials include, but are not limited to, nano-materials, ceramics, metals and inter-metallics, polymers, composites, coatings, smart materials and joining of dissimilar materials

You must show how your proposal will enable a step change in productivity and competitiveness for at least one UK SME involved in the project.

The focus of your project must be on manufacturing or materials developments that have cross-sector applicability.

3. Specific competition themes

The scope above is our standard scope for our regular manufacturing and materials competitions. Each time we run this competition we will select specific themes that we are particularly interested in seeing applications for. For this competition specifically we would like to encourage applications featuring:

• the novel application of a digital technology or approach to manufacturing or materials development (such as automation, modeling and simulation, data analysis)
• design for manufacture, use and end-of-life

4. Projects that we won’t fund

In this competition, we won’t fund additive manufacturing projects that focus on innovation in the additive process or its application. There is an upcoming competition launching soon.

In this competition, we won’t fund projects that focus on product innovation where there is no challenge and innovation in the manufacturing process or materials.

See the table below to help understand the sort of proposals that are in scope for this competition and the sort that are out of scope and therefore not eligible for funding.

In scope	Out of scope
For example, a project focused on developing new material properties for a sensor or probe to allow it to operate in a harsh environment, or using sensor data to optimise a manufacturing process (such as in a factory or refinery) would be in scope.	But a project focused on the development of a new sensor or probe without a focus on manufacturing or materials challenges would not be in scope.
For example, a project addressing challenges in the chemistry of a formulation, leading to a process innovation, would be in scope.	A project developing a new formulation using existing, well-understood processes would not be scope.

5. Find out if you are eligible to apply

• all projects must be led by a UK-based business
• all projects must involve at least one SME
• if project costs are less than £100,000 then an SME can work alone on the project or with partners
• if the project costs are £100,000 or more then the project must include at least two partners working collaboratively
• the innovation project must last between 6 months and 3 years
• the innovation project must focus on technical feasibility, industrial research and/or experimental development
• the innovation project must address the scope above

6. Funding and project details

We have allocated up to £15 million to fund innovation projects in this competition. We have up to £5 million available for projects lasting up to one year, £5 million for projects lasting up to 2 years and £5 million for projects up to 3 years. Your project may focus on technical feasibility, industrial research or experimental development. This will depend on the challenge you identify.

For technical feasibility studies and industrial research, you could get up to:

• 70% of your eligible project costs if you are a small business
• 60% if you are a medium-sized businesses
• 50% if you are a large business

For experimental development projects, which are nearer to market, you could get up to:

• 45% of your eligible project costs if you are a small business
• 35% if you are a medium-sized business
• 25% if you are a large business

For more information on the research category definitions please see our funding rules.

Your project could include work packages that cut across two of the above research categories. The costs of each work package should be calculated separately and added to derive a total project cost.

6.1 Project costs of up to £100,000

If you are an SME and you expect your eligible project costs to be up to £100,000, you may run the project on your own. You may also work with other businesses or research organisations.

6.2 Project costs of £100,000 or above

If you expect your eligible project costs to be more than £100,000, you must work with other businesses or organisations. A business must lead this consortium and it must include an SME. We particularly welcome projects that are led by an SME.

Find out if your business fits the EU definition of an SME

In any project, a maximum of 30% of total eligible project costs can be spent by the research organisations involved. Where there are multiple research organisations in a consortium, this maximum will be shared between them.

We expect projects to last between 6 months and 3 years. We expect them to range in size from £50,000 to £2 million. This will depend on the type of research activity you are carrying out. We may consider projects outside this range but you should contact us at least 10 days before the registration deadline to discuss further.

If you want help to find a project partner, contact the Knowledge Transfer Network.

7. How to apply

To apply:

• register for the competition
• read the guidance for applicants
• attend the briefing events for potential applicants
• complete and upload your documents on our secure server

We will not accept late submissions. All deadlines are at noon. Your application is confidential.

If you need more information, contact the competition helpline on 0300 321 4357 or email us

Our assessment processes changed in May 2016. External, independent experts assess the quality your application. We will then select the projects that we fund, to build a portfolio of projects that are:

• high quality
• reflect a range as described in the scope
• address opportunities across a range of industrial sectors
• reflect the potential for short, medium and long term return on investment for the company and the UK

Read the Guidance for Applicants carefully for more information before you apply. It will help your chances of submitting a quality application.

8. Background and further information

All industrial sectors rely on manufactured products, materials and associated services. Innovation in manufacturing and materials can lead to increased productivity, product performance or reduced through-life costs. This can have a wide range of impacts across many sectors.

8.1 Market opportunities

Strong growth is forecast in markets such as automotive, food and drink, pharmaceuticals, aerospace and off-site construction. Opportunities for innovation in manufacturing and materials can provide UK businesses with ways to differentiate their products and services and gain competitive advantage.

Opportunities will come from the:

• development of more resource-efficient processes
• greater customisation of products to fit diverging global consumer needs
• diversification of product and service lines to serve new markets
• development of novel services that open up new sources of revenue from manufacturing

Much of this must be seen in the context of complex and global supply chains. CBI analysis suggests that boosting the growth of manufacturing supply chains in the UK could contribute an extra £30 billion to the economy by 2025. This would also lead to the creation of more than 500,000 jobs.

In the UK, manufacturing accounts for 10.3% of UK GVA, 8% of jobs, over 50% of exports and 69% of business R&D. Raw materials and processing represent approximately 40% of the costs for manufacturing businesses.

We need to innovate if we are to increase productivity, material efficiency and competitiveness into the long term. UK businesses that produce, process and use materials have an annual turnover of around £170 billion.

The UK has a strong research base in manufacturing and materials. We are particularly strong in areas such as:

• engineering
• light-weighting technologies
• materials integration
• formulation
• industrial biotechnology

8.2 The High Value Manufacturing Catapult

The High Value Manufacturing Catapult is the catalyst for the growth and success of UK advanced manufacturing. It helps industry speed up the journey from technology concept to commercialisation. The 7 Catapult centres work with companies of all sizes and sectors. They provide open access to industrial-scale cutting edge equipment, expertise and collaborative opportunities.

Find out more about the High Value Manufacturing Catapult