Notice

Competition brief: technology solutions for society in India

Updated 15 February 2017

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

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-competition-technology-solutions-for-society-in-india/competition-brief-technology-solutions-for-society-in-india

1. Dates and deadlines

Competition opens Tuesday 8 November 2016
Briefing event for applicants Friday 11 November 2016
Registration deadline Midday (12.00pm) on Wednesday 15 February 2017
Application deadline Midday (12.00pm) on Wednesday 22 February 2017

2. The competition scope

The aim of this competition is to fund collaborative technological solutions that address one or more of the following challenges:

  1. clean technology
  2. affordable healthcare
  3. use of electronic system design and manufacture (ESDM) technologies to provide solutions to particular societal challenges, specifically:
  • large-area flexible electronics and internet of things (IoT) to help provide affordable energy, healthcare or education
  • challenges related to the environment or cities that affect the wider population of India
  • devices for internal security, particularly for natural disaster management (preparedness, prevention and recovery, including emergency communications system, unmanned aerial vehicles, and so on). Note: no military-related or personal security applications are eligible
  • medical electronics that address the needs of remote communities
  • infrastructure that uses technology to solve the challenges of sustainability and resilience India faces in mobility, energy and information and communication technology

Projects and their outcomes must fit with Official Development Assistance (ODA) criteria. This aims to boost economic development and have a positive social or environmental effect on the wider Indian society.

3. Projects that we won’t fund

Projects that do not fall under the challenge areas detailed in section 2 will be considered out of scope for this competition.

Specifically no military-related or personal security applications are eligible under the ESDM technologies challenge area.

4. Find out if you are eligible to apply

To apply for a Newton Fund award you must:

  • be a UK-based company acting as lead applicant
  • have at least one UK-based company and one eligible Indian business working together on the project
  • show that India is the principal market for the project
  • show how your project fits within ODA criteria

You can also invite other types of organisations to join your project. Please see the Guidance for Applicants for further information.

5. Funding and project details

Innovate UK and the Indian government are funding this competition as part of the UK–India Newton-Bhabha Fund programme.

In India the competition is co-funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY). In the UK, Innovate UK have allocated up to £1.6 million to fund innovation projects in this competition. Innovate UK will fund the UK project partners and the Indian government will fund project partners from India.

All projects must involve at least one UK business and one Indian business. The project lead must be a business on the UK side.

5.1 Project types

Projects must focus on industrial research. Work packages that include elements of experimental development will be considered within projects that predominantly target industrial research. Those work packages that are primarily experimental development will receive the appropriate grant percentage.

For industrial research, you could get:

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

For experimental development work packages, you could get:

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

Find out if your business fits the EU definition of a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME).

We expect projects to last from 12 to 24 months. We expect projects to range in size from total costs of £350,000 to £450,000 on the UK side. Information on funding for project partners from India is included in the Guidance for Applicants.

6. How to apply

To apply:

We will not accept late submissions. Your application is confidential.

A panel of independent experts from the UK and India will assess your proposal. We will choose the best proposals from those that meet the aims of this competition. We will then select the projects that we fund, to build a portfolio of projects as described in the Guidance for Applicants.

Please read this general guidance carefully before you apply. It will help your chances of submitting a quality application.

7. Background and further information

Innovate UK helps translate the UK’s innovation expertise into business solutions in emerging economies. We enable collaborative solutions to overseas socio-economic challenges. We do this by supporting British companies to establish global partnerships and exchange knowledge with organisations in some of the most dynamic markets in the world. The size, diversity and potential of India’s markets present significant opportunities for innovative UK businesses.

For this reason, Innovate UK and the Indian government are funding this competition. We are running it as part of the UK–India Newton-Bhabha Fund programme. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy leads the Newton Fund in the UK.

7.1 About the Newton Fund

The Newton Fund was established in 2014 and will operate until 2021. It is part of the UK government’s ODA commitments. It uses science and innovation partnerships to improve the economic development and social welfare of 16 partner countries, including India. There is a total of £735 million funding available from the UK government for the Fund’s duration to 2021. Partner countries contribute extra matched funding.

Further help and information

To find suitable domestic and overseas partners, please consider the following opportunities:

  • register on the Meeting Mojo platform and interact with other organisations that have shown an interest in this competition
  • pitch and talk to potential partners at our brokering webinar (date to be announced)

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

If you need more information, contact the competition helpline on 0300 321 4357 or email us at support@innovateuk.gov.uk

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