Deadline: 9-Nov-22
The Inclusive Innovation Awards 2022 – 2023 is now open for nominations.
Inclusive Innovation as one that centers equality, diversity and inclusion in the design and development of a product, process, or service. Importantly, the innovation must address a challenge.
The innovations considered for these awards might be designed to support a specific demographic, OR it might be something that has been developed to be specifically accessible to all (i.e. designed for a wide range of demographics). The inclusive innovation could involve scaling existing practices of a company to venture into a new market OR developing a new product.
There is not an exhaustive list of these, but some examples include:
- Technologies that give people with disabilities a more independent life
- Product development based specially on user research from a broad range of demographics
- Services that promote representation and help build a more inclusive society
An inclusive innovation must focus on one or more of the following:
-
Protected characteristics including:
- Age,
- Sex and gender,
- Gender reassignment,
- Ethnicity,
- Disability,
- Sexuality,
- Religion,
- Marriage and civil partnership,
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Socioeconomic status
- Levelling-up
- Caring responsibilities
- Educational background.
- The remit is broad to ensure that the diversity of inclusive innovations being developed across the UK will be celebrated.
Award Information
50 awards will be offered to micro, small or medium-sized enterprises across the UK to support diversity in business. The winners will receive a £50,000 grant each for scale-up of existing, or development of new, work on inclusive innovations. Join them and build a more inclusive innovation ecosystem in the UK.
What are they looking for?
- The aim of this competition is to fund and support a diverse portfolio of businesses who have a track-record in developing inclusive innovations.
-
They are looking for companies that:
- Have delivered demonstrable societal impact from a previous inclusive innovation
- Demonstrate business growth and successful economic impact from a previous inclusive innovation
- Can commit to acting as a role model to other business, sharing good practice with the innovation sector
- Have a great idea to further develop a previous innovation, or start something new
-
£50,000 will be awarded to companies with this track record. They will also have to demonstrate how the award will be used. They are looking for project proposals that:
- Further expand the company’s inclusive innovation portfolio
- Meet a clear societal need
- centre on equality, diversity and inclusion in the design and development of products, processes or services
- involve a diverse team, as appropriate to the project
- Can start on April 1 2023, and finish on March 31 2024.
Eligibility Criteria
Applications can come from any area of innovation, and be applied to any part of the economy. To be eligible for the awards, your organisation must:
- Be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise
- Be resident in the UK
- Carry out your project work in the UK
- Intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
- Be legally and contractually able to use the funding, awarded as Minimal Finance Assistance
For more information, visit Innovate UK.
For more information, visit https://ktn-uk.org/programme/inclusive-innovation/