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DIGITAL

Multiple funding & business support opportunities for SMEs
& academics in the digital sector

SETsquared is the link between world class University digital technology research teams and fast-growth start-ups and scale-ups developing breakthrough technology for the new decade. So far, through our Scale-Up Programme we’ve supported over 80 bids, over a third of which have been successfully awarded.

With up to £15k of funded support available per proposal, the team will help you to:

identify high-potential funding calls

frame your grant project proposal

commission a professional bid writer (subject to internal panel review)

project manage the consortium development and bid submission

attend conferences and travel to meet partners (where possible) to build your project consortium

For companies, we can also help link you to the considerable research expertise of the our Scale-Up Partner Universities – Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey and provide opportunities to join consortia.

We are here to help you build relationships with research institutes and write compelling funding proposals. We’ve identified some key Government funding calls, listed below, for which we can provide support. We keep this list as up to date as possible, but if you have another specific funding call you want to submit an application for, please contact us. So if you are considering a bid to any of these funding calls now is the time to apply for this support to boost your chances of success. We welcome early stage discussions to check the viability and feasibility of grant proposal ideas before you commit.

Our Scale-Up Programme provides a broad range of support to innovative, growing SMEs, if you’re not looking for support to bid for R&D funding, check out our main Scale-Up landing page to find out more.

Supported funding calls

UK-South Korea Collaborative R&D

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £2 million in innovation projects in partnership with the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT).

The aim of this competition is to fund collaborative research and development (CR&D) projects focused on industrial research. Proposals must include at least one partner from the UK and one partner from South Korea.

Project must focus on one or more of the following sectors: (1) advanced manufacturing and materials; (2) artificial intelligence; (3) clean energy, specifically battery technologies, hydrogen mobility technologies, and future vehicles.

Funded projects are expected to result in a new product, industrial process or service, be innovative, involve a technological risk, and have high market potential in the participating countries.

Applicants can apply for a maximum grant of up to £350,000 for a project, and projects must start by 1 November 2022 and end by 31 October 2025, last between 24 and 36 months, the majority of the work carried out in the UK, and the results exploited from or in the UK.

Applications for funding close at 11am on 6 July 2022, so please submit your application for support below.

Apply Now

Innovation Loans Future Economy Competition – Round 3

Innovate UK is offering up to £25 million in loans to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Loans are for highly innovative late-stage research and development (R&D) projects with the best potential for the future. There should be a clear route to commercialisation and economic impact.

Projects must lead to new products, processes or services that are significantly ahead of others currently available or propose an innovative use of existing products, processes or services. They can also involve a new or innovative business model. The SETsquared Scale-Up Programme is only supporting applications that include at least one of our partner universities (Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Southampton or Surrey) in the application.

Applicants can apply for a loan of between £100,000 and £2 million to fund the project’s eligible costs. Projects can last up to 5 years, including both the R&D and commercialisation phases. Projects are expected to start by July 2022.

The funding available will be allocated across a series of competitions with the next round opening on the day the previous round closes. The final round 4 will close on 13 July 2022.

Please submit your application for support as far in advance of the final round deadline in July.

Application form

If you wish to apply for funding and support for the R&D opportunities shown above complete the form below to join the Scale Up Programme as an associate – which is free and without commitment. Read a guide on how to make a good application

Alternatively, if you are unsure which opportunity is for you still complete the form below and we will get in touch to discuss your proposal and check it’s in scope for the support programme.

First Name:
Last Name:
What Pronouns do you use?
Organization:
Email:
Phone:
Title:
Company Registration Number
Website:
What are you interested in? (multiple selection allowed)
If other, please expand below:
Tell us about your technology/product/service and how that drives your revenues
Have you worked/are you currently working with any of these Universities? (multiple selection allowed)
If others, which ones?
If yes, please can you provide us with more information below? (E.G. consortia, collaborations, KTPs, R&D projects, consultancy projects) Please include details of named academic or research group.
Are you looking to engage with academic research to grow your business? If yes, please explain how, in which area, and over what timescale
How did you hear about the Scale-Up Pogramme?

Membership of the Scale Up programme is open to any company pending internal review of the expression of interest raised by the company and incurs a one off charge of £150 inc. VAT. Full Membership will be offered to companies who are already part of our network and wish to access the CR&D proposal development support or investment raising support services. Full membership is subject to payment by the member company of a one-off fee and Membership is valid for one year. For the year 2020/21 the Membership Fee is £1,600 inc. VAT or for any eligible company, it can be waived under the Article 3.2(4) exemption of the Subsidy Control chapter of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement ("TCA"), and which requires eligible companies to complete a Statement of Previous Aid declaration.