Open Call for Launchpad Advanced Manufacturing: Collaborative Research & Development in the UK

Deadline: 4-Nov-22

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £6 million for projects that grow activities in the advanced manufacturing innovation cluster centred on Liverpool City Region. This collaborative research and development fund is from Innovate UK.

The businesses must be active in, or growing their work activities in, the advanced manufacturing innovation cluster centred on Liverpool City Region.

This Launchpad pilot competition supports the Government’s goals in the Levelling Up White Paper. The projects will also contribute to Liverpool City Region’s ambitions for local research and development (R&D) spending to reach 5% of gross value added (GVA) by 2030 and achieving net zero carbon by 2040 or sooner.

Specific Themes

• Your project can focus on one or more of the following:
  • Next generation materials: for cutting-edge products, lower emissions, reduced energy consumption, lower costs.
  • Smart design: effective design methods, design for resource efficiency, design for maximum through-life value.
  • Resilient supply chains: sustainable feedstocks, supply chain visibility, symbiotic industrial processes.
  • High-value production: flexible production capacity, high quality products, high productivity, full adaptivity.
  • Longer in use and reuse: minimal materials use, minimal waste, complete traceability, remanufacturing or value retention services.
• Projects can also consider key enabling themes:
  • Digital technologies.
  • Clean energy.
  • Proactive regulations and policy.
  • Future skills.
  • Networked relations.
  • Evolving value models.

Scope

• The aim of this competition is to support outstanding innovation projects by businesses active, or growing their work activities, in the advanced manufacturing innovation cluster centred on Liverpool City Region.
• Your project must contribute to transforming the manufacturing sector, which requires a systems approach that:
  • Advances net zero and resource efficiency
  • Exploits digital and technologically advanced manufacturing
  • Strengthens resilience and responsiveness in supply chains
• Your project must commercialise knowledge through innovation activities, and lead to increased investment into research and innovation. It must contribute to growing business activities and generating economic impact within the advanced manufacturing innovation cluster centred on Liverpool City Region.

Funding Information

• Your project’s total grant funding request must be between £150,000 and £1 million.

Eligibility Criteria

• Your project must:
  • Have a total grant funding request between £150,000 and £1 million
  • Start by 1 April 2023
  • End by 31 March 2025
  • Last between 6 months and 24 months
  • Intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• Under current restrictions, this competition will not fund any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any Russian and Belarusian entity as lead, partner or subcontractor. This includes any goods or services originating from a Russian and Belarusian source.
• Lead organisation
  • To lead a project your organisation must:
    • Be a UK registered business of any size
    • Be active in, or growing your work activities in, the advanced manufacturing innovation cluster centred on Liverpool City Region
    • Have a demonstrable ambition for business growth
    • Be or involve at least one micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
• Project team
  • To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:
    • Business of any size
    • Academic institution
    • Charity
    • Not for profit
    • Public sector organisation
    • Research and technology organisation (RTO)
• The contribution of project partners must add to the economic growth of the advanced manufacturing innovation cluster centred on the Liverpool City Region.
• Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service by the lead to collaborate on a project. Once accepted, partners will be asked to login or to create an account and enter their own project costs into the Innovation Funding Service.
• The lead and at least one other organisation must claim funding by entering their costs during the application.
• Your project can include partners that do not receive any of this competition’s funding, for example non-UK businesses. Their costs will count towards the total project costs.

Projects they will not fund

• They are not funding projects :
  • That do not contribute to transforming the manufacturing sector.
  • Where the work location does not add to the advanced manufacturing innovation cluster centred on Liverpool City Region.
  • That are dependent on export performance, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of bread to another country.
  • That are dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it uses 50% UK flour in their product.

For more information, visit Innovate UK.

For more information, visit https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1203/overview/b3955709-4d6f-4994-85c9-6fe3e5104af0