UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £2m for feasibility projects to develop new industrial digital technologies leading to a more productive, resilient and sustainable sector.

The aim of this competition is to examine the feasibility of developing new industrial digital technologies (IDTs). The IDTs will improve the resilience, productivity, flexibility and sustainability of UK micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME) manufacturers by improving energy or resource efficiency.

 

Your project

Your project must focus on the innovation of a unique digital application relating to one or more of the energy or resource efficiencies listed in the Specific Themes section, and must be:

  • affordable
  • easy to use
  • scalable across SMEs 

There is no limit to the number of processes or technology solutions you may address in your proposal and there is no advantage in using more than one.

Energy or resource efficiency innovations that use processes other than that listed will also be considered.

Planned outputs from the study must:

  • have a clear indication of how your innovation might improve energy or resource efficiency in a manufacturing environment
  • clearly indicate how your innovation will result in a solution that will be sufficiently affordable, easy to use and scalable
  • have technical, operational, and financial feasibility
  • include potential patents
  • include targeted market and scale up plans
  • Portfolio approach

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

Specific themes

Your project must focus on one or more of the following.

  • Energy efficiencies:
  • boilers and steam
  • air compressors or vacuum
  • motors, drivers, pumps or hydraulics
  • induction or welding
  • chilling or freezing
  • spray, extraction or dryers
  • ovens, kilns or furnaces
  • heavy machinery or presses

 

Resource efficiencies:

  • raw material waste
  • production process waste
  • packaging waste
  • maintenance or service station waste
  • utilities waste
  • end of life waste
  • Research categories
  • We will fund feasibility projects, as defined in the guidance on categories of research.
  • Projects we will not fund
  • We will not fund projects that:
  • do not support the challenges outlined in the scope of this competition
  • do not evidence the potential for your proposed innovation to generate positive economic or societal impact
  • duplicate other UK government or EU funded initiatives already funded
  • are covered by existing commercial agreements
  • fall outside of manufacturing according to a process in a controlled environment (such as traditional methods of on-site construction) or manufacturing supply chains.

 

We cannot fund projects that are:

dependent on export performance, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of bread to another country

dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it uses 50% UK flour in their product. Full details can be found here