Analysis for Innovators (A4I) Round 7

Up to £3 million in small collaborative innovation projects will be invested by Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation including partnerships with:

• the National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
• the National Measurement Laboratory (NML) at LGC Group
• the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL)
• the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
• National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC)
• National Gear Metrology Lab (GEARS)
• Henry Royce Institute
• Newton Gateway to Mathematics
• Advanced Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies (ASTUTE 2020+)

The aim of this competition is to match the best UK scientists and cutting-edge facilities with businesses that have complex analysis or measurement problems.

Your proposal must describe a measurement or analysis problem where you are seeking a solution to improve your businesses productivity or competitiveness. You must provide an estimate of the value to your business of solving it.

If you are successful at this stage, you will be invited to brokerage consultations with relevant analysis for innovators (A4I) partners. These will focus approaches to solving your problem. You will work together to propose joint projects to develop solutions. Successful stage 2 applications will be grant funded, to work with the relevant partner organisations.

This competition is divided into two strands, one for mini projects of up to 3 months (up to £50k, can be fully funded, micro/SMEs only) and one for 3-6 month projects (£20k to £150k, can be up to 65% funded depending on business size, open to any size of business).

For both strands, your proposed project in stage two must:

• start between October 2022 and January 2023
• end by 31st March 2023
• carry out all of its project work in the UK
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• involve at least one of the A4I partner organisations

Aims and scope

The aim of this competition is to help businesses address their existing analysis and measurement problems. These are problems that are best explored by scientists and cutting-edge facilities available in the UK.

You must outline what you consider to be the benefits of solving your problem, such as improved productivity or competitiveness.

We will only consider problems that:

• are related to the measurement or analysis of some quantities or properties of an existing process, product or service
• are not effectively solvable by simple ‘off the shelf’ methods or techniques

You must outline any methods and attempts that you have previously tried to address the problem. Do not propose how the problem should be solved.

Analysis problems cannot be simply software related, for example pure data analysis.

As part of your application you must include a short video, up to 2 minutes long.

You must use Innovate UK Analysis for Innovators (A4I) Video platform to record your video and then provide a link in your application. If we are unable to view your video, your application will be made ineligible.

A briefing event will be held on 30th March at 10am: click here to register. A recording will be available after the event at the same link.