Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme (Phase 1) – UK

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to invest in innovative cyber security projects coming from an academic research base.

Aims

• The aim of this competition is to identify the most promising commercial opportunities in academia in respect to cyber security.

Funding Strands

• This competition has two funding strands for entry:
  • Strand 1: Industry Challenge-Led strand with the following cross cutting challenges:
    • National and Emergency Service Infrastructure Security, including:
      • energy, including networks
      • transport
      • telecoms
    • Operational and supply chain resilience, including:
      • manufacturing
      • agriculture
      • public sector, including local government and healthcare
    • Harms, including:
      • metaverse
      • AI model security
      • ransomware
      • quantum
    • Dual Use, National Security, including:
      • drones
      • robotics
      • IoT
      • sensors
  • Strand 2: open strand
• Note that although you can select the strand for your project, they will make the final decision which strand is the most appropriate for your application.

Funding Information

• Up to £800,000 has been allocated to fund innovation projects in this competition. Funding will be in the form of a grant.
• No more than £16,000 can be allocated to the initial two months of the programme for the stage 1 value proposition building activity.
• No more than £16,000 can be allocated to the two months for the stage 2 market validation activity.
• Your total eligible project costs will be 100% funded. Total eligible project costs detailed within your application must not exceed the maximum project size. If your total eligible project costs do exceed the maximum then your application will be made ineligible.

Ineligible Projects

• They are not funding projects:
  • that are not related to cyber security
  • that are defence focused
  • from academic institutions outside the UK
  • that have no intention to commercialise
  • that have an academic lead that has already led and completed a previous CyberASAP project
  • which are classed as State aid under EC regulations or a subsidy under the EU-UK TCA
  • with undertakings which gain a selective economic or commercial advantage from the funding

Eligibility Criteria

• Your project
  • Your project must:
    • have total costs must be between £5000 and £32,000 with £16,000 allocated to stage 1 and £16,000 to stage 2
    • carry out its project work in the UK
    • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
    • start on 1 April 2025
    • end by 31st July 2025
• Lead organisation
  • To lead a project or work alone you must:
    • be based in a UK registered academic institution
    • have a cyber security idea
    • be interested in the commercialisation of your idea
    • have the support of your academic institution’s technology transfer office or equivalent
    • not act in any way to gain selective commercial or economic advantage from the outputs of this project
• Project team
  • To collaborate with the lead, you must:
    • be based in a UK academic institution
    • be interested in the commercialisation of your idea
    • have the support of your academic institution’s technology transfer office or equivalent
• Subcontractors
  • Subcontractors are not allowed in this competition.

For more information, visit Innovate UK.