February round-up of support
Read this month's summary of support available for deep tech chemistry ventures
29 February 2024
Bringing you monthly updates on funding, guidance, and other support schemes from government and other organisations throughout the innovation ecosystem.
Future economy investor partnership SME competition: briefing
event 1 May
This programme is directed at highly innovative SMEs carrying out R&D projects and seeking equity funding to deliver their technology and research. Watch this briefing event to find out about taking part in round 7.
Innovate UK has selected a ‘pool’ of investor partners who have demonstrated that they have the credibility, capability, capacity, and appetite to invest in innovative, technology-led businesses in areas that align with their objectives in programme areas.
Find out more and sign up
New tool to find out about your local innovation cluster and investment in this area
This new tool from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology gives an overview of innovation activity based on location and Real-Time Industrial Classifications. Through the tool, you can also find out more about investment happening and known investors in your location and sector.
To use the tool you will need to select filters to see the results. You can then explore by filters such as the Real-Time Industrial Classification and Standard Industrial Classification, then click on the cluster to find out more about investment, including known investors in this area. Read their full instructions to understand how to make the most of this tool.
Read moreEmbracing global markets: webinar series
This webinar series provides crucial market intelligence and information regulatory requirements to help companies expand in fast growing markets in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Provided by experts from various European Commission Services and the Enterprise Europe Network, upcoming events include:
- 7 March: Doing business in Vietnam: commercial opportunities for the EU clean tech industry
- 21 March: Doing business in the United States: Everything start-ups need to know
- 18 April: Doing business in the United States: tax considerations for international companies
Sign up to watchMeasurement for Business programme
This gives industry access to specialist measurement science and engineering experts and facilities, at no cost, to help your business grow.
This is open to companies developing technology in compound semiconductors, emerging new semiconductor materials, and advanced packaging who require assistance with characterisation, process control, quality, and performance assessment.
Successful companies get 20 days free of charge to investigate the feasibility of innovative products and services, accelerate their commercialisation, increase confidence in the data, and support their decision making.
Find out more and applyFuture Leaders Fellowships: open 27 March – 4 July
Open to people in universities, businesses and other research and innovation environments. You can apply for funding over four years to tackle ambitious and challenging research and innovation.
The aim of this scheme is to develop the next wave of world-class research and innovation leaders in academia and business. The FLF scheme provides long term support enabling fellows to tackle ambitious programmes or multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research or innovation.
Applicants must be early career researchers or innovators who are either:
looking to establish or transition to independence
developing their own original and ambitious plans within a commercial setting.
There is no minimum or maximum project cost.
Find out more and applyInnovate UK innovation loans future economy: multiple rounds
This is open to SMEs with innovative projects with strong commercial potential to significantly improve the UK economy. Loans can be between £100,000 and £2 million.
These loans are for highly innovative late-stage research and development projects with the best potential for the future economy. They must have a clear route to commercialisation and economic impact. The project must lead to innovative new products, processes, or services that are significantly ahead of others.
This current round closes on 6 March and will be followed by an additional round on 7 March – 1 May.
Find out more and applyInnovate UK smart Grants: closing 24 April
Apply for a share in £25 million for game-changing and commercially viable research and development innovations that can significantly impact the UK economy.
Your project must be business focussed, with deliverable, realistic, adequately resourced plans to achieve a return on investment, growth, and market share following project completion.
Applications can come from any area of technology and be applied to any part of the economy. Projects of 6—18 months must have total eligible project costs between £100,000 and £500,000 and can be single or collaborative.
Find out more and apply
Chemical Industry Awards 2024: closing 12 April
Designed to honour outstanding achievements at the company, site, or individual level, these awards showcase the best in the chemical sector and give you the chance to demonstrate your commitment to innovation, enhance customer confidence, and raise your profile.
The categories include the GSK Innovation Award, Sustainability Award, Company of the Year, and more. The awards close for nominations on 12 April, see the competition categories for more information about taking part.
Find out more and applyUKBIC SME credit round 2 – processing for electrode and cells: closing 6 March
Apply for a share of £1.5 million funding from the Faraday Battery Challenge. This will support SME R&D for the scale-up of battery technologies.
SMEs will be able to access UKBIC's giga-scale facilities for:
complete cell development project iterations.
proving electrodes at scale.
developing cell to module and pack assembly processes and associated testing.
testing process measurement and control systems on the UKBIC cell manufacturing process line, while considering integration for closed loop control of processes.
using novel software analytical methods for manufacturing and cell formation data.
Your total project costs must be between £100,000 and £1 million and your technology must be at technology readiness level 5 or above.
Find out more and applyGood application guide: a reminder of advice available
Whether you’re new to the guide or need a refresher, the KTN’s Good Application guide will help you to apply for funding with a higher chance of success.
Read the guideInterested in further updates like this?
Our Change Makers ventures receive a monthly newsletter with signposting and support from the Royal Society of Chemistry and other identified external sources. If you have not yet joined Change Makers for Ventures and are an early stage start-up or scale-up focussed on deep tech chemistry, we invite you to
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register your interest here, and we will send the first edition when this launches.
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We host a number of events with the goal to connect experts with entrepreneurs to develop their technology and businesses, develop the skills of our venture community, and support investment in deep tech ventures.
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