Deadline: 8-Sep-25
Belfast City Council has launched a 5G funding competition to support local businesses and industries to harness the power of 5G and digital technologies to deliver enhanced operations and services.
It aligns with the broader goal of creating a more competitive and innovative digital economy in the Belfast region.
Funding Information
- Total available funding is up to £550,000
- Businesses and organisations can apply for grants of between £50,000 and £100,000 of capital funding.
- Applicants must provide 30% match funding (can include in-kind contributions).
- Technical solution and use case(s) must be operational and in use, and a period of benefits realisation completed, by 31 March 2026.
Project Scope
- Funding is for implementing live technology solutions that enable one or more 5G/advanced wireless use cases to solve real-world issues in a live environment, such as improvements to existing business operations, processes and services.
- Projects should generate economic, social and/or environmental benefits such as productivity gains, efficiencies, cost savings, welfare improvements etc.
- This competition will not fund testbeds, trials, or the research and development stages of technical solutions.
Eligible Expenditure
- Project costs are the costs of implementing the solution, but not the costs of operating the Use Case or the business process that it supports. For example, project costs could include, but are not limited to:
- Equipment: The purchase of new hardware or tools essential for the project
- Software: Perpetual software licences that are categorised as Capital
- Installation: Costs associated with setting up the equipment or infrastructure required for the solution, including resource costs
- Adaptations to existing infrastructure: Modifications or upgrades to current systems to enable the deployment of the new solution
- Staff Training: Costs for educating and training team members to operate or manage the new technology or processes
Who can apply?
- Applicants must be based in the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD) area and the project must take place in the BRCD area.
- The BRCD area is the council areas of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Ards and North Down, Belfast, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Mid and East Antrim, and Newry, Mourne and Down.
- The competition is open to all industry sectors and to both public and private sector applicants.
- Awards will be granted to individual businesses or organisations only. They may work with partners, but the Grant Agreement will be with a single lead applicant.
For more information, visit Belfast City Council.