Funding Competition: New Innovators in Net Zero Industry, South West Wales (UK)

Innovate UK will work with Welsh Government to invest up to £1.5 million in innovation projects. This funding is from Innovate UK’s Launchpad programme. The Launchpad programme supports the UK government’s goals in the Levelling Up White Paper. The aim of this competition is to provide a package of targeted support to enable ambitious UK registered micro and small businesses to develop highly innovative ideas that have a clear route to commercialisation and business growth.

Innovate UK is offering UK registered micro and small businesses a share of the funding through this competition. In addition to the grant support, you will be offered tailored business support delivered by local business innovation experts and Innovate UK Business Growth. The businesses will use the funding to grow their innovation activities in net zero industry in South West Wales, both during and after the project.

Specific Themes

Your project can focus on one or more of the following:

• Heat and power:
  • offshore wind
  • other renewable energies
  • hydrogen production and distribution
  • carbon dioxide capture, distribution and storage
  • low carbon heat
  • mini grid systems
• Make and use:
  • biobased or alternative platform chemical production methods
  • circular economy innovation
  • sustainable fuels, including for transport
  • fuel switching
  • electrification
• Skills development:
  • supporting innovation in skills development

Project Size

• Your project’s total costs and grant funding request must be between £25,000 and £50,000.

Projects they will not fund

• They are not funding projects that:
  • do not meet the competition eligibility or scope requirements
  • purely result in reports, academic papers or similar
  • do not evidence value for money
• They cannot fund projects that:
  • involve primary production in fishery and aquaculture
  • involve primary production in agriculture
  • have activities relating to the purchase of road freight transport
  • are not allowed under De minimis regulation restrictions
  • are not eligible to receive Minimal Financial Assistance

Who can apply?

• Your project
  • Your project must:
    • have total project costs that equal your grant funding request
    • last between three and six months in duration
    • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
    • help to grow your innovation activities during and after the project in the innovation cluster described in the Scope section
    • start between 1 October 2024 and 1 January 2025
    • end by 31 March 2025
  • Under current restrictions, this competition will not fund any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any Russian or Belarusian entity as lead, partner or subcontractor. This includes any goods or services originating from a Russian or Belarusian source.
• Lead organisation
  • To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered micro or small business.
  • If your business has been funded directly by Innovate UK previously, you are not eligible to be offered funding through this competition.
  • If you have only received funding directly from Innovate UK Business Growth (previously named Innovate UK EDGE) or a Catapult scheme, you are eligible to apply for this competition.
  • Businesses with directors who have previously received a grant or Innovation Loan from Innovate UK as part of a different company, are eligible to apply but will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • A business with a previous award to a parent or subsidiary would also be eligible to apply, but the parent company must be classified as a micro or small business. Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Subcontractors
  • Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.
  • Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.

For more information, visit Innovate UK.