Notice

SBRI: nuclear advanced modular reactors, feasibility and development

Published 7 December 2017

This notice was withdrawn on 28 September 2018

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

1. Dates and deadlines

Competition opens	7 December 2017
Competition briefing event	12 December 2017
Final date for registration	Midday 7 February 2018
Submission of the full application including appendices	Midday 14 February 2018
Decision to applicants	30 March 2018
Contracts awarded	1 May 2018
Feedback provided	May 2018

Please read the full competition scope before you make your application.

2. Funding

The Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is providing funding for feasibility and development projects that tackle the technical challenges described in the brief for this competition.

The competition has 2 phases. This is phase 1.

In phase 1 there is a share of up to £4 million (excluding VAT) available. This is to undertake a series of feasibility studies for advanced modular reactor designs. Phase 1 contracts for technical feasibility studies will be worth up to £300,000 (excluding VAT).

Funding for phase 2 is subject to government approval. We estimate a share of up to £40 million (excluding VAT) may be available. This will be for successful selected projects from phase 1 to undertake development work.

Deliverables from the phase 1 feasibility studies will be used to assess whether projects progress to the potential phase 2. An additional invitation to tender and bid process will not take place for phase 2.

This is an SBRI (Small Business Research Initiative) competition. Projects will receive 100% of their eligible costs.

3. How to apply

Before you apply into an Innovate UK competition, it is important to understand the whole application process.

The information below is specific to this competition. In addition, please read Innovate UK’s general guidance for applicants, which will give you information on the general application process. Please note, however, that the eligibility and the funding rules differ for SBRI competitions.

Register: You will receive an email acknowledgement of your registration followed by a second email up to 48 hours later. The second email will contain a username and password for our secure upload facility along with a unique application number and form.

Application: Once you have received your unique username and password, you can sign into the secure website to access additional documentation for this competition.

Important: appendices must conform to the guidance for this specific competition. Appendices which do not follow the guidance will result in ineligible applications that will not be sent for assessment.

Submit your documents. The lead contractor should submit:

• the application form with your unique application number for this competition
• project appendices as pdf documents, labelled with your application number

Assessment: Once the competition submission deadline is reached, your application is sent for assessment. Please read the invitation to tender document for further information on the assessment criteria.

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 additional feedback can 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 (mandatory)
• title and abstract for publication (mandatory)
• gateway question: scope and primary application area (mandatory)
• competition questions (mandatory)
  • question 1: technology description and innovation (25%)
  • question 2: methodology for producing the feasibility study (25%)
  • question 3: methodology for producing phase 2 proposal (20%)
  • question 4: team and resources (15%)
  • question 5. project management (10%)
  • question 6: finances and value for money (5%)
• project appendices (mandatory)
• declarations (mandatory)

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.

• you can only use the application form provided. It contains specific information including a unique reference number for your project
• the application form contains specific fields. It is important that you complete each field and submit a fully completed form. Incomplete forms will be rejected
• the application form must not be altered, converted or saved as a different version of Microsoft Word
• the space provided in each field of the form is fixed. You must restrict your responses in each of the fields to the space provided. The typeface, font size and colour are predetermined and cannot be changed. Illustrations and graphics cannot be included in the application form. Please check your completed application form in print layout. Any text that can’t be seen in this view or when the form is printed will not be assessed
• the light grey shaded fields are completed automatically from other information entered on the form, such as the total columns of a table. These cannot be overwritten.

Field	Guidance
Competition name	This field will show the full name of the Innovate UK competition to which the form applies. You do not need to enter anything here
Document ID	This field is completed automatically
Applicant number	This field is completed automatically and is the reference that you should use on all correspondence (this is the 5 or 6 digit number after the dash)
Application details
Project title	Enter the full title of your project
Project duration	Phase 1 will last 8 months
Total contract costs	Projects can request a total of up to £300,000 excluding VAT
Proposed start date	All projects are expected to start on 1 May 2018
What is the best way to describe your innovation?	Please select from the options
Primary application area	Please select from the dropdown menu the area which best describes the primary application area which your proposal addresses. Area 1: low cost electricity Area 2: increased flexibility in providing electricity Area 3: increased functionality, such as the provision of heat output for domestic or industrial purposes, or facilitating the production of hydrogen Area 4: an alternative application that will generate additional revenue or support economic growth
Company details	Enter the full registered name and other relevant details of the lead organisation
Company contact details	Enter the full name, postcode, email address and telephone number of the main point of contact between Innovate UK and the project

4.1 Title and abstract for publication (not scored)

Guidance

To comply with government practice on openness and transparency of public-funded activities, Innovate UK has to publish information relating to funded projects.

Please provide a short description of your proposal, including an outline of the technology, the principles, the intended application and the fuel type. Write in a way that will be comprehensible to the general public. Do not include any commercially confidential information, for example, intellectual property or patent details.

We reserve the right to amend the description before publication if necessary, but will consult you about any changes.

Please describe your project. Funding will not be provided to successful projects without this.

4.2 Gateway question: scope and primary application area (not scored)

Guidance

Describe how your application aligns with the competition scope and the criteria and conditions of the invitation to tender.

In addition, identify which one of the following 4 areas most closely reflects the primary application for your proposed advanced modular reactor technology. Describe clearly how the proposed advanced modular reactor design meets the aspirations of its target primary application area.

1. To generate low-cost electricity.
2. To increase flexibility in delivering electricity to the grid, for example, with load following.
3. To increase functionality, such as the provision of heat output for domestic or industrial purposes, or facilitating the production of hydrogen.
4. To target an alternative application that may generate additional revenue or support economic growth, such as radioisotope production.

Your answer can be up to one page long.

4.3 Competition questions and scoring

We recommend that you break up your answers with sub-headings where appropriate.

Question 1. Technology description and innovation (25%)

Provide an overview of:

• your proposed technology
• its primary application area and benefits
• how it can contribute to secure, long-term energy supplies that are reliable, affordable and clean

Your answer can be up to 2 pages long, not including appendix A.

This should include:

• information on the principles of your technology, clearly explaining any innovative concepts or features. This should cover but not be limited to an outline of the technology, the principles, the intended application and fuel type
• the benefits of the proposed technology in relation to its primary application, over conventional nuclear reactors
• how it can contribute to secure, long-term energy supplies that are reliable, affordable and low carbon.
• secondary benefits from other areas of application
• the major technological barriers that need to be overcome to make the technology commercially viable

Provide the additional information in appendix A described in section 6.

Question 2. Methodology for producing feasibility study (25%)

Detail the approach that will be taken to produce the feasibility study. Your answer can be up to 3 pages long, not including appendix B.

This should include how you:

• will produce and quantify the information required to support the design specific evidence base in the invitation to tender, and demonstrate the technical feasibility, timelines, energy system benefits and risks of developing your chosen design
• propose to develop your research and development plan
• propose to identify and develop your business proposition and delivery model
• will develop and quantify your cost data and cost reduction strategy
• will identify and compile the information for regulators to cover environment, safety and security
• will identify potential weaknesses, failure modes, vulnerabilities and uncertainties in the technology, and develop the plans to address them
• will identify any security, environmental protection and safety issues in the development of a reactor design
• will reassure the regulator that your novel features or approaches are adequate, and that your claims are correct, including about high standards of performance, reliability of structures, systems and components, and inherent safety and fault tolerance.

Provide the additional information in appendix B as described in section 6.

The aim of this question is not to obtain preliminary versions of your feasibility study but to identify whether you can deliver a feasibility study that meets the government’s requirement.

Do not simply repeat what is in the invitation to tender.

Question 3. Methodology for producing phase 2 proposal (20%)

Describe how you propose to approach and develop your proposal for the development work to be undertaken in phase 2. Your answer can be up to 2 pages.

This should include how:

• you will prioritise the proposed research and development for phase 2
• your methodology will ensure that the outcomes of your phase 2 proposal will facilitate commercial deployment through private investment
• you will determine which items in your development plan are barriers to private investment
• you will determine and outline the likely future stages of development and timescales needed to take the research or innovation outputs to deployment beyond phases 1 and 2
• you will justify the total project cost for phase 2 represents value for money

Question 4. Team and resources (15%)

You must demonstrate that the partners have the right skills, experience and capacity to deliver the project. Your answer can be up to 2 pages, not including appendix C. Identify:

• the main people who would be involved in undertaking your proposal, including the roles, skills and relevant experience of the lead contractor and all sub-contractors in the team and why are they best placed to deliver the project. Please include the registered addresses of all organisations that will be undertaking work on the project (and any parent organisation) in appendix C
• the resources (including materials, equipment and facilities) required for the project and how will you ensure access to them
• the existing relationships between the project team and how these might beneficially develop as a result of the project
• how will you address any skill or resource gaps that may emerge as the project progresses
• whether international engagement could deliver better outputs for the project

Provide the additional information in appendix C described in section 6.

If you later wish to change the organisations identified here, you will need approval from BEIS.

If you reach phase 2, your employees and contractors working on the project will be subject to personnel security checks.

Question 5. Project management (10%)

You must demonstrate that there is a clear project management plan, which will enable the resources to be used in a way that will produce the highest quality outputs. Your answer can be up to 2 pages, not including appendix D. This should include:

• a description of the content of the main work packages of the phase 1 project, who will lead them, their estimated costs, their main milestones and their deliverables
• a description of your approach to project management and reporting, identifying any tools and mechanisms that will be used to ensure successful project delivery and management reporting lines
• a description of how you will handle any IP issues

Provide the additional information in appendix D described in section 6.

Question 6. Finances and value for money (5%)

Provide a summary of your fixed price cost offer for phase 1, with a justification of the costs. If there is significant use of subcontractors, explain how these will be used and the costs of each. Highlight any additional funding being applied to the project, either from the applicant or third parties, that increases value for money.

The costs quoted must reflect actual costs at a ‘fair market value’ and should not include profit.

The assessors are required to judge the application finances in terms of value for money, to decide whether the proposed cost for effort and deliverables reflects a fair market price. Your answer can be up to 2 pages, not including appendix E.

The costs should cover the following, as applicable.

Directly incurred costs are specific to the project and are the amounts actually spent, justified by an audit record. They include:

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

Indirect costs relate to the amount of effort deployed on the project. Calculate them using your own cost rates. They may include:

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

Provide information in appendix E as described in section 6, and appendix A of the invitation to tender.

Note, you may need to provide an itemisation of costs and the methods of calculation at a later date to support the application.

You must also provide an indication of the potential costs involved in participating in phase 2.

4.4 Project appendices

Appendices are submitted with the application form. It is important to note that these are intended to contain supporting information and not as an overflow for answers to the application form questions. You should structure appendices appropriately to add value to your application.

Appendices must conform to the guidance notes below, both in format and length. Appendices that do not follow the guidance will result in ineligible applications that will not be sent for assessment.

In order that assessors can open and read the appendices, each appendix must:

• conform to the maximum length specifications listed below
• be submitted in pdf
• be legible at 100% zoom
• display prominently the ‘Project title’ as entered on page 1 of the application form
• be named as set out in the instructions given in the general guidance on the application process

Appendices may be printed or photocopied in black and white, so colour should not be used as a way of highlighting important information.

Appendix	Guidance
Appendix A Up to 2 sides of A4 PDF format	Use appendix A to include additional information that strongly supports the description of the technology and its benefits. This should not be used simply as an extension to the main application, but should provide additional information that provides clarity and evidence to support your application. This can be in the form of text, images or graphics as appropriate
Appendix B Up to 2 sides of A4 PDF format	Use appendix B to include additional information that strongly supports the proposed methodology for phase 1. This can include images, graphics and text but should not repeat what you have already included in the main application or simply be used as an extension of it.
Appendix C Up to 3 sides of A4 PDF format	Use appendix C to include brief CVs indicating the relevant experience and skills of the main team members for phases 1 and 2 where applicable. Include the registered addresses of all organisations that will be undertaking work on the project (and any parent organisation).
Appendix D Up to 3 sides of A4 PDF format	Use appendix D to provide a detailed project plan for phase 1 in sufficient detail to identify any links or dependencies between work packages or milestones. Include a high level plan for phase 2 and risk registers for both phases including how risks will be mitigated.
Appendix E (1 page) PDF format	Use appendix E to provide a completed pricing schedule (See appendix A of the invitation to tender for the required format)

4.5 Declarations

The lead applicant is expected to have discussed the application within their own organisation and any other body whose co-operation will be required to deliver the project.

The lead applicant needs to get consent from an authorised officer or appropriate signatory who will sign the contract if successful. The contract is a legally binding document and subject to the outcome of this competition.

By submitting the application and ticking the box you are confirming that the information given in this application is complete and accurate. You state that you are actively engaged in this project, are responsible for its overall management and will administer the contract if awarded.

You are also confirming that you have read and understood all of the relevant explanatory materials and agree to the draft contract terms and conditions in the invitation to tender.