Launchpad: Life & Health Sciences, Northern Ireland – R1 MFA (UK)

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is to invest up to £2 million in innovation projects.

The aim of this competition is to support outstanding innovation projects led by businesses. Your business must be active or growing work activities in the life and health sciences innovation cluster in Northern Ireland.

In support of the Government’s Levelling Up goals, they also reserve the right to prioritise projects that:

• are shorter in duration
• significantly advance innovation in life and health sciences
• are led by businesses already based in the innovation cluster
• have greater levels of activity outside the Greater South East

Specific Themes

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

• Diagnostics, therapeutics and biomarkers
  • multi-omics
  • medical imaging
  • liquid biopsy
  • biomarker or genetic testing
  • diagnostic or therapeutic development
• Data, digital and medical devices
  • point-of-care testing
  • wearable or ambient sensors
  • clinical trials decision support
  • augmented reality
  • digital health
• Innovations in healthcare service delivery
  • health service productivity
  • integrated care platforms
  • remote rehabilitation
• Your project can also consider the following enabling areas:
  • artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum
  • advanced therapies, novel formulation or delivery
  • regulation or ethics
  • supporting innovation in skills development

Project Size

• Your project’s grant funding request must be between £25,000 and £100,000.

Projects they will not fund

• They are not funding projects that:
  • do not contribute to innovation activity in the life and health sciences cluster in Northern Ireland
  • are within scope of the Cluster management strand of this Launchpad competition
  • request grant funding of less than £25,000 or more than £100,000
• 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
  • are dependent on export performance, for example giving an award to a baker on the condition that they export a certain quantity of bread to another country
  • are dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example if they give an award to a baker on the condition that they use 50% UK flour in their product

Who can apply?

• Your project
  • Your project must:
    • last between 6 and 12 months
    • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
    • start at the earliest on 1 April 2024
    • end by 30 April 2025
  • Projects must always start on the first of the month and this must be stated within your application. Your project start date will be reflected in your grant offer letter if you are successful.
• Lead organisation
  • To lead a project your organisation must:
    • be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
    • be active or growing your work activities in the life and health sciences innovation cluster in Northern Ireland
    • have a demonstrable ambition for business growth
• Subcontractors
  • Subcontractors are allowed in this competition. Their contribution must add to the innovation led growth of the cluster.
  • Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.
  • They expect all subcontractor costs to be justified and appropriate to the total eligible project costs.
• Number of applications
  • A business can lead on only one MFA strand application for this competition.
  • If you apply to the CR&D strand of this competition, as well as this MFA strand, each project must be clearly distinctive and separate. They will monitor closely for this separation if you are awarded funding in both competition strands.

For more information, visit Innovate UK.