BridgeAI Innovation Exchange: Empowering AI Innovation

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £200,000 for five month projects. This funding is from Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme.

Competition opens: Monday 24 March 2025
Competition closes: Wednesday 23 April 2025 11:00am

Details on the Government Portal

Competition Details

Summary

Description

ext update 24 March: We have updated the budget.

Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £200,000 in innovation projects.

These will be used to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) driven proof of concepts that address a business challenge or opportunity within one of our challenge holder organisations:

In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process. This competition has a funding limit, so we may not be able to fund all the proposed projects. It may be the case that your project scores highly but we are still unable to fund it.

This competition closes at 11am UK time on the deadline stated in this Innovate UK competition brief. We cannot guarantee other government or third party sites will always show the correct competition information.

Funding type

Grant

Project size

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

Accessibility and Inclusion

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.

You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this competition’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the competition deadline.

You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Eligibility

Text update 24 March: We have updated the budget within Funding.

Text update 25 March: We have updated the wording within Funding.

Your project

Your project must:

have a grant funding request between £25,000 and £50,000
last between three months and five months
carry out its project work in the UK
intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
start by 1 September 2025
end by 28 February 2026

Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day. You must not start your project until your Grant Offer Letter has been approved by Innovate UK. Any delays within Project Setup may mean we need to delay your project start date.

You must only include eligible project costs in your application. See our overview of eligible project costs. For specific guidance, see the eligibility section in this competition.

You will be made ineligible if you exceed the Minimal Financial Assistance limit. You must submit a complete declaration as part of your application.

Lead organisation

To lead a project your organisation must be either a UK registered small or medium sized enterprise (SME), or research organisation.

More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules.

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.

Number of applications

An applicant is not allowed to apply for more than two challenges in this competition.

Sanctions

This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions. For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.

Use of animals in research and innovation

Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.

Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both that in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation.

Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process. This information will be reviewed before an award is made.

Previous applications

You can use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.

If you have previously submitted an application that reached our assessment stage, you can re-apply once more with the same proposal.

If there are minor differences to the proposal, but it is judged by us to be ‘not materially different’, the same rule applies.

We will not award you funding if you have:

failed to exploit a previously funded project
an overdue independent accountant’s report
failed to comply with grant terms and conditions

Innovate UK may withhold a grant payment at any time if you have any outstanding sums due to Innovate UK in relation to other projects.

Minimal Financial Assistance (and De minimis where applicable)

Grant funding in this competition is awarded as Minimal Financial assistance (MFA). This allows public bodies to award up to £315,000 to an enterprise in a three year rolling financial period.

In your application, you will be asked to declare previous funding received by you. This will form part of the financial checks ahead of Innovate UK making a formal grant offer.

To establish your eligibility, we need to check that our support added to the amount you have previously received does not exceed the limit of £315,000 in the ‘applicable period’.

The applicable period is made up of:

(a) the elapsed part of the current financial year, and

(b) the two financial years immediately preceding the current financial year.

You must include any funding which you have received during the applicable period under:

Minimal Financial Assistance (previously referred to as Special Drawing Rights)
De Minimis Regulation

You do not need to include aid or subsidies which have been granted on a different basis, for example, an aid award granted under the General Block Exemption Regulation.

Further information about the Subsidy Control Act 2022 requirements can be found in the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk).

EU Commission rules now only apply in limited circumstances. Please see the Windsor Framework to check if these rules apply to your organisation.

In the ‘Project details’ section of your application you will be asked questions to indicate if State Aid or Subsidy applies to your organisation.

Further information

If you are unsure about your obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022, you should take independent legal advice. We cannot advise on individual eligibility or your legal obligations.

Funding

We have allocated up to £200,000 to fund innovation projects in this competition.

Your total project costs will be up to 100% funded, up to the maximum grant of £50,000. Your grant funding request detailed within your application must not exceed £50,000. If your grant funding request exceeds £50,000 then your application will be made ineligible. Your project costs can be higher than your grant funding request.

You can make reference to any additional voluntary contribution in your application answers. It must not be detailed in the finance section.

For more information on company sizes, please refer to the Company accounts guidance.

If you are applying for an award funded under European Commission Regulations, the definitions are set out in the European Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003.

The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project will receive up to 100% of the total eligible project costs. Of that 100% you can get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:

80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are a Je-S registered institution such as an academic
100% of your eligible project costs if you are a research organisation

Scope

Your proposal

This competition aims to accelerate AI adoption across the UK, by fostering collaboration between challenge holders in sectors and developers who need data rich environments to advance Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).

Your project must:

develop a technically viable AI-driven proof of concept
collaborate closely with the challenge holder to ensure effective delivery
use real-world or synthetic data for testing and refinement
define measurable success metrics such as productivity gains, cost reductions, or efficiency improvements
ensure practicality and usability within the challenge holder’s business environment
provide a clear scalability plan for future expansion
include training, documentation, or guidelines for knowledge transfer
comply with sector specific regulations, data governance, and AI ethics standards

Your proposal must:

demonstrate how the solution enhances productivity, efficiency or competitiveness
address ethical considerations, data privacy, and transparency in AI development
present a structured project plan with milestones, timelines and resource allocation

Portfolio approach

We want to fund a variety of projects across different technologies, markets, technological maturities, challenges and themes. We call this a portfolio approach.

Disclaimer

To ensure a fair, transparent, and objective selection process, challenge holders will play a partial role in the funding decision making process. Their involvement will be limited to providing sector specific expertise and evaluating proposals based on predefined, transparent criteria.

Specific challenges

The Bicycle Association

Challenge: Small to medium businesses in the UK cycling industry struggle to access and interpret market intelligence from the Market Data Service (MDS), limiting their ability to make informed decisions. Current dashboard tools are complex, and only larger businesses with analyst resources fully utilise them.

Objective: Develop an AI powered solution that simplifies access to MDS insights for non-technical users, allowing them to make data driven decisions on inventory, sales, and supply chain optimisation.

Solution requirements:

create a user-friendly AI powered tool, for example, using a chatbot interface, that allows businesses to query market data in natural language
reduce search and analysis time by 25% within six months
increase active MDS users fivefold, particularly among smaller businesses
integrate with AWS Quick sight and Snowflake for real time market benchmarking

Impact: Expands data driven decision making across the cycling industry, improving efficiency in supply chain management, reducing over or under ordering, and increasing profitability for businesses of all sizes.

United Living

Challenge: Manual site reinstatement processes across United Living’s telecoms, oil and gas, and property services projects lead to inefficiencies, delays, and compliance risks. Site assessments, hazard identification, and quality control are labour intensive and prone to human error, increasing project costs and environmental impact.

Objective: Develop an AI driven solution that automates site assessments, detects quality defects in real time, and integrates geospatial data to optimise reinstatement processes.

Solution requirements:

use AI to analyse topographic survey data and validate designs against project specifications
implement an AI powered photogrammetry tool to detect defects and flag compliance risks
automate risk assessments and document site conditions in a central repository
integrate with Microsoft Fabric and Azure for seamless data processing and reporting

Impact: Improves site reinstatement efficiency, reduces rework and compliance issues, enhances sustainability, and minimises costs associated with delays and safety hazards.

Sustrans

Challenge: Encouraging people to shift from car use to active travel (walking, cycling, and public transport) is resource intensive and difficult to scale. Identifying the right individuals at key moments of life transition, when they are most open to change, is currently a manual and inefficient process.

Objective: Develop an AI powered segmentation and engagement tool to identify individuals likely to switch travel modes and deliver personalised interventions to encourage sustainable transport choices.

Solution requirements:

use mobile phone data and demographic insights to segment and target individuals based on travel habits
deliver geographically tailored travel information through a user-friendly dashboard
measure the percentage of people who shift travel modes after engagement
ensure compliance with GDPR and ethical AI guidelines

Impact: Enables large scale, cost effective behaviour change interventions that reduce car journeys, lower CO2 emissions, and promote healthier, more sustainable transport options.

Lichfields

Challenge: England’s planning system is struggling to process the high volume of applications needed to meet government targets of 1.5 million new homes by 2029. A lack of automation, reliance on manual data entry, and fragmented policy frameworks create bottlenecks, increasing legal risks and delays.

Objective: Develop an AI powered planning co-pilot that streamlines policy interpretation, automates document analysis, and assists in application assessments.

Solution requirements:

aggregate and analyse national, regional, and local planning policies, alongside submitted application data
provide an AI powered tool to assist planners in making faster, more consistent decisions
reduce application processing time and improve accuracy in policy compliance
ensure transparency and regulatory compliance in AI driven decision making

Impact: Increases planning efficiency in both the private and public sectors, enabling faster approval of developments, reducing legal disputes, and helping meet housing and infrastructure targets.

For more information about these challenges:

Challenge Statements.pdf (opens in a new window)

Projects we will not fund

We are not funding projects:

that lack a clear AI driven proof of concept or fail to demonstrate technical feasibility
without active collaboration with the challenge holder to ensure alignment with business needs
that do not use real world or synthetic data for testing, validation, and refinement
lacking measurable success metrics, such as productivity gains, cost savings, or efficiency improvements
that fail to comply with sector specific regulations, data governance policies, or AI ethics standard
that focus purely on theoretical research without a practical, business ready application
that do not include training, documentation, or knowledge transfer to support long term use
where AI is not central to the solution, or where its role is vague and unproven
that lack a structured project plan, with no defined milestones, timelines, or resource allocation

We cannot fund projects that:

involve primary production in fishery and aquaculture
involve primary production in agriculture
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 we give an award to a baker on the condition that they use 50% UK flour in their product

Dates

24 March 2025 Competition opens
2 April 2025 Online briefing event: watch recording
Briefing slides are now available to download from Supporting Information.
23 April 2025 11:00am Competition closes
29 May 2025 Invite to interview
23 June 2025 Interview panel starts
27 June 2025 Interview panel ends
2 July 2025 Applicants notified
1 September 2025 Project start from

How to Apply

Before you start

Text update March 25: Updates to Finance section

You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.

Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to make sure:

that all the information provided in the application is correct
your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria
all sections of the application are marked as complete

You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.

What we ask you

The application is split into four sections:

Project details.
Application questions.
Finances.
Project Impact.

Accessibility and Inclusion

You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

1. Project details

This section provides background for your application and is not scored.

Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers.

Application team

Decide which people from your organisation will work with you on the project and invite those people to help complete the application.

Application details

Give your project’s title, start date and duration.

Project summary

Describe your project briefly and be clear about what makes it innovative. We use this section to assign experts to assess your application.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Public description

Describe your project in detail, and in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information. If we award your project funding, we will publish this description. This can happen before you start your project.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Scope

Describe how your project fits the scope of the competition. If your project is not in scope, it will not be sent for assessment. We will tell you the reason why.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

2. Application questions

The assessors will score all your answers apart from questions 1, 2, 3 and 4. You will receive feedback for each scored question. Find out more about how our assessors assess and how we select applications for funding.

You must answer all questions. Your answer to each question can be up to 400 words long. Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers.

Question 1. Applicant location (not scored)

You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and subcontractors working on your project.

We are collecting this information to understand more about the geographical location of all applicants.

Question 2. Minimal Financial Assistance declaration (not scored)

You must download the declaration template. You must complete this, declaring any funding received under Minimal Financial Assistance (previously referred to as Special Drawing Rights) or De minimis awards (from any source of public funding) in the applicable period.

The lead applicant must write ‘declaration attached’ in the question text box.

The lead applicant must upload the completed declaration as an appendix. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It must be legible at 100% zoom.

You must keep all documentation relating to Minimal Financial Assistance (previously referred to as Special Drawing Rights) and other De minimis awards for a period of six years. You must be prepared to release it to any public funding body which requests it.

Question 3. Animal testing (not scored)

Will your project involve any trials with animals or animal testing?

You must select one option:

We will only support innovation projects conducted to the highest standards of animal welfare.

Further information for proposals involving animal testing is available at the UKRI Good Research Hub and NC3R’s animal welfare guidance.

Question 4. Challenge holder selection (not scored)

Select one of the following Challenge Holders:

Question 5. Idea summary

Identify your AI technology and its advantages as a solution to the business productivity challenge.

You must:

provide a brief overview of your AI solution, its purpose, and core functionality
describe the AI techniques, models, or algorithms used and why they are suitable for this challenge
explain the key advantages and unique AI-driven features of your solution
demonstrate how your AI model will learn, adapt, and improve over time
compare your AI approach to existing solutions and highlight its competitive edge
outline the expected impact and benefits for challenge holders

You can submit one appendix to support your answer. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 6. Technology Readiness

State the maturity of your AI technology and its readiness for early stage implementation in solving the business productivity challenge and explain its readiness.

You must:

define the current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of your solution and justify its classification
provide evidence of any initial validation, proof of concept, pilot testing, or research supporting the feasibility of your approach
identify key technical, data, or infrastructure requirements for early stage deployment
outline any dependencies or additional development steps needed to progress toward full implementation
highlight any regulatory, compliance or ethical considerations relevant to your AI solution at this stage
describe how the solution can be iterated or scaled beyond the initial funding

You can submit one appendix to support your answer. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 7. Data strategy and AI model training

How will you use and manage the challenge holder’s data to develop and deploy your AI solution?

Explain:

how data will be securely accessed stored, and handled to ensure confidentiality and integrity
what measures you will take to maintain fairness, mitigate bias, and ensure ethical AI decision making
how you will comply with relevant data protection regulations
your approach to ongoing model training, performance monitoring and continuous improvement based on new or evolving data

You can submit one appendix to support your answer. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 8. Team and resources

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Explain:

the roles, skills and experience of all members of the project team that are relevant to the approach you will be taking
the resources, equipment and facilities needed for the project and how you will access them
the details of any vital external parties, including subcontractors, who you will need to work with to successfully carry out the project
any roles you will need to recruit

You can submit one appendix with a short summary of the main people working on the project to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 9. Project management

How will you manage your project effectively?

Explain:

the main work packages of the project, indicating the lead organisation assigned to each and the total cost of each one
your approach to project management, identifying any major tools and mechanisms you will use to get a successful and innovative project outcome
the management reporting lines
your project plan in enough detail to identify any links or dependencies between work packages or milestones

You must submit a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages but must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 10. Risks

What are the main risks for this project?

Describe:

the main risks and uncertainties of the project, including the technical, commercial, managerial and environmental risks
how you will mitigate these risks
any project inputs that are critical to completion, such as resources, expertise and data sets
any output likely to be subject to regulatory requirements, certification, ethical issues and so on, and how you will manage this

You must submit a risk register as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 11. Costs and value for money

How much will the project cost and how does it represent value for money for the team, the taxpayer and the challenge holder?

In terms of the project goals, explain:

the grant you are requesting
how this project represents value for money for you, the taxpayer and the challenge holder
how it compares to what you would spend your money on otherwise
any subcontractor costs and why they are critical to the project

3. Finances

Each organisation in your project must complete their own project costs, organisation details and funding details in the application. Academic institutions must complete and upload a Je-S form.
Your projects total grant funding request must not exceed the maximum of £50,000. If your grant funding request does exceed this maximum, then your application will be made ineligible.

You can make reference to any additional voluntary contribution in your application question answers but these must not be detailed in this finance section.

For an overview on what costs you can claim, see our project costs guidance. Note this is general guidance, for specific guidance please see the eligibility section in this competition. You can also view our application finances video.

4. Project Impact

This section is not scored but will provide background to your project.

You must complete the Project Impact questions before being able to submit the application.

More information can be found in our Project Impact guidance and by viewing our Impact Management Framework video.

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles.

Assessment

Your application will be reviewed by three independent assessors based on the content of your application and their skills or expertise relevant to your project. All of the scores awarded will count towards the total score used to make the funding decision unless you are notified otherwise.

You can find out more about our assessment process in the General Guidance.

Your submitted application will be assessed against these criteria:

BridgeAI Innovation Exchange Assessor guidance for applicants .pdf (opens in a new window)

Interviews

If your application passes the first stage of assessment, you may be invited to attend an interview, where you must give a presentation. Your interview will take place either online or at a designated location. The date and time of your interview will be included in your invitation.

Before the interview and by the deadline stated in the invitation email, you:

must send a list of who will attend the interview
must send your interview presentation slides
can send a written response to the assessors’ feedback

Presentation slides

Your interview presentation must:

use Microsoft PowerPoint
be no longer than 15 minutes
have no more than 10 slides
not include any video or embedded web links

You cannot change the presentation after you submit it or bring any additional materials to the interview.

Written response to assessor feedback

This is optional and is an opportunity to answer the assessors’ concerns. It can:

be up to two A4 pages in a single PDF or Word document
include charts or diagrams

Interview

After your presentation the panel will spend 15 minutes asking questions. You will be expected to answer based on the information you provided in your application form, presentation and the response to feedback.

After your interview

The panellists will individually score your application and these will be averaged for your overall interview score. This score will supersede the one you received from initial assessment unless stated otherwise in the competition brief. We will notify you whether you have been successful or not by email and you will receive feedback on your interview within a week of notification.

Supporting Information

Background and further information

The Innovate UK BridgeAI programme is a £100 million initiative designed to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) across key sectors of the UK economy. Launched in April 2023, BridgeAI focuses on industries with high growth potential but low AI maturity, including agriculture and food processing, construction, creative industries, and transport including logistics and warehousing.

The programme aims to enhance productivity and competitiveness by fostering collaboration between AI developers and end users. This is achieved through tailored funding opportunities, expert support, and initiatives that promote responsible and ethical AI practices. By addressing technical and business skill gaps, BridgeAI supports the development of AI solutions that meet sector specific challenges.

Key objectives of BridgeAI include:

Boosting UK productivity: stimulating AI adoption to create new business opportunities, jobs, and economic growth
Empowering UK businesses: providing funding and support to help businesses realise AI's potential, thereby increasing efficiency and competitiveness
Developing end user-driven AI technologies: bridging the gap between AI developers and end users to create solutions addressing real world challenges
Building trust in AI adoption: offering clear pathways for businesses to adopt AI solutions confidently by supporting ethical and safety considerations
Strengthening AI leadership and expertise: providing training and upskilling opportunities to enhance AI capabilities in priority sectors

BridgeAI is delivered in partnership with organisations such as Digital Catapult, The Alan Turing Institute, the Hartree Centre, and the British Standards Institution. These collaborations ensure comprehensive support, from connecting businesses with AI experts to developing new trusted AI services and technologies, ultimately elevating AI leadership skills within UK industries.

Challenge Statements.pdf (opens in a new window)

Briefing recording and slides

Online briefing event: watch recording

Briefing slides available to download here:

Applicant Briefing 2141 BridgeAI iX.pdf (opens in a new window)

If your application is successful

If you are successful with this application, you will be asked to set up your project.

You will be notified by email on the date published for this competition. Notifications may be sent any time up to 5pm.

You must follow the unique link embedded in your email notification. This takes you to your Innovation Funding Service (IFS) Set Up portal, where we gather the information to set up your project.

Watch our video on what steps there are before a project starts.

During the project set up you will be assigned a delivery executive who will guide you through the whole project set up process.

Following your email notification, you will need to provide the following within 5 days (including weekends and bank holidays):

the name and contact details of your project manager and project finance lead
a finance contact for all partners
a copy of your bank details

You will need to provide the following within 30 days (including weekends and bank holidays):

an exploitation plan

You will have 90 days (including weekends and bank holidays) to complete all of your project set up. Within this time, you will also be required to submit:

project location
any answers to financial queries we have requested
any requested documentation to support your project such as a spend profile

Your funding offer may be withdrawn if project setup is not completed within this or an alternative timeframe as advised by Innovate UK.

In order for us to process your claims, you must make sure you have a valid UK business bank account. It can take several weeks for a new account to be created if required. We recommend starting this process as early as possible to avoid any delays to your project start date.

The bank account which grant is to be paid into must:

be a business account in the same name as the organisation listed in IFS
be from a UK bank regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)
have a cheque and credit clearing facility

Online accounts are eligible as long as they meet the above criteria.

Innovate UK will accept most banking societies apart from:

Viva Wallet
Intesa Sanpaolo
Equals Money UK Limited
Modulr FS Limited

If you have any doubts that your bank account will not meet Innovate UK's funding criteria, you can use the sort code checker. If you input the sort code and find a tick next to the ‘BACS Direct Credit payments can be sent to this sort code’, this will give you an indication that the bank account you hold is acceptable.

Finance checks

We will carry out checks to make sure all organisations are UK registered with access to the funds necessary to complete their project.

You must check your IFS portal regularly and respond to any requests we have sent for additional information to avoid any delays.

If you are not a UK registered organisation or fail to complete project setup this may result in your grant offer being withdrawn.

During our financial due diligence checks you must provide evidence of how you will finance your project costs for the duration of your project. Grant claims are submitted three months in arrears.

Your Grant offer letter (GOL)

Once you have successfully completed project setup, we will issue your GOL.

The GOL will be made available on your IFS portal. You will need to sign and upload this for us to approve. Once approved we will send you an email with permission to start your project on your confirmed start date.

You must not start your project before the date stated on your email and GOL. Any costs incurred before your agreed start date cannot be claimed as part of your grant.

If your GOL is approved on or before the fifteenth of the month it will be dated from the first of that month. If your GOL is approved after the fifteenth, it will be dated the first of the next month.

If your application is unsuccessful

If you are unsuccessful with your application this time, you can view feedback from the assessors. This will be available to you on your IFS portal following notification.

Sometimes your application will have scored well, and you will receive positive comments from the assessors. You may be unsuccessful as your average score was not above the funding threshold or your project has not been selected under the portfolio approach if this is applied for this competition.

We would like to remind you that eligible non-funded business can still benefit from fully funded and bespoke support from the Innovate UK Business Growth service.

Support for SMEs from Innovate UK Business Growth service

Innovate UK Business Growth helps innovation focused businesses make the best strategic choices and access the right resources, in order to grow and ultimately achieve scale.

Our innovation and growth specialists provide our fully funded and bespoke support to clients nationwide. Visit the service’s website to discover whether you could benefit from this advisory support, which is available to Innovate UK funded and non-funded businesses alike.

Protecting your innovation

A Secure Innovation campaign has been developed to help founders and leaders of innovative startups protect their technology, competitive advantage, and reputation.

This was developed by UK’s National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Data sharing

This competition is operated by Innovate UK, being delivered under the BridgeAI programme.

The BridgeAI programme is jointly operated by the following delivery partners (each an ‘agency’):

UKRI
Alan Turing Institute
Digital Catapult
Innovate UK Business Connect
British Standards Institution

Any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process concerning your application can be shared by one agency with the other, for its individual storage, processing, and use.

This means that any information given to or generated by Innovate UK in respect of your application may be passed on to any agency, or by an agency to another agency or Innovate UK. This would include, but is not restricted to:

the information stated on the application, including the personal details of all applicants
scoring and feedback on the application
information received during the management and administration of the grant, such as Monitoring Service Provider reports and Independent Accountant Reports

Innovate UK and each agency are directly accountable to you for their holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. Data is held in accordance with their own policies. Accordingly, Innovate UK, Innovate UK Business Connect and each agency will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.

Innovate UK’s Privacy Policy
Innovate UK Business Connect Privacy Policy
Alan Turing Privacy Policy
Digital Catapult Privacy Policy
British Standards Institution Privacy Policy

The Information Commissioner’s Office also has a useful guide for organisations, which outlines the data protection principles.

Contact us

If you need more information about how to apply or you want to submit your application in Welsh, email support@iuk.ukri.org or call 0300 321 4357.

Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Innovate UK or any of our partners will not tolerate abusive language in any written or verbal correspondence, applications, social media or any other form that might affect staff.