Summary of the latest funding competitions and events from a range of organisations.

1. Creative, Digital & Design
Business Briefing
A digest of useful information for UK businesses seeking
funding and support, updated monthly
December 2016
@KTNUK

2. If you would like to receive updates from KTN, you
can subscribe here: bit.ly/KTNregister

3. Contents
• Feature
• Innovate UK funding calls
• Horizon 2020
• Funding
• Events
• Investment
• Support
• Contest/Call
• Market Research/Personal Data Network

4. Digital Business Drop-in
Where: Digital Catapult Centre
When: Thursday, 12 January, 9:30-12:00
What: The Knowledge Transfer Network will be organising an information sharing
session designed for digital SMEs and startups seeking funding and support.
Representatives from across Innovate UK’s programmes will highlight a range of
upcoming funding opportunities for digital companies, researchers and academic
institutions working across a diverse range of sectors.
At the session, you’ll be able to:
• Discover more about the various funding and other forms of support available
from Innovate UK
• Meet advisors who can help you navigate the various funding available as well
as make valuable business introductions
• Network with other businesses
Find out more here
Feature

5. Key feature: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
(BEIS) is to invest up to £5 million in projects to develop innovative
manufacturing and materials technologies for the civil nuclear sector.
The aim of this competition is to establish an innovative R&D base for
materials and manufacturing. This will support a strong UK nuclear supply
chain.
Competition Closes: applicants must register before noon on 11 January
2017 and apply before noon on 18 January 2017.
More info at gov.uk
SBRI funding competition: advanced nuclear manufacturing
and materials
Innovate UK funding calls

6. Key feature: Innovate UK is to invest up to £15 million in innovation
projects in manufacturing and/or materials. We will fund projects that
focus on identified technical or commercial challenges. These should
lead to increased productivity, competitiveness and growth for UK small
and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Competition opens: 21
November
Competition Closes: applicants must register before noon on 18 January
2017 and apply before noon on 25 January 2017.
More info at gov.uk
Manufacturing and Materials Round 2
Innovate UK funding calls

7. Key feature: This Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) themed
competition seeks to deliver a step change in aviation security through
innovative science and technology. The competition seeks new
technologies that will improve the ability to prevent the widest possible
range of explosives, weapons and other threats being taken on board an
aircraft.
Competition Closes: applicants must apply before noon on 19 January
2017.
More info at gov.uk
CDE themed competition: the future of aviation security
Innovate UK funding calls

8. Key feature: Innovate UK is to invest up to £15 million in innovative
research and development projects that will turn innovation excellence into
economic impact for the UK.
The aim of this competition is to help businesses develop new products,
processes and services with commercial potential.
To be in scope, total costs for the project must be between £25,000 to £1
million. Projects should last between 6 months to 36 months.
The competition is open to businesses of any size. You can work
individually or collaboratively.
Competition Closes: applicants must register before noon on 1 February
2017 and apply before noon on 8 February 2017.
More info at gov.uk
Open programme round 2
Innovate UK funding calls

9. Key feature: A scheme to help businesses innovate and grow by
linking them with a university and a graduate to work on a specific
project. Each KTP is a three-way partnership between a business, an
academic institution and a graduate. The academic institution employs
the recently-qualified graduate who works at the company. The
graduate, known as the ‘associate', brings new skills and knowledge
to the business.
A KTP is part-funded by a grant. You will need to contribute to the cost
of the supervisor and the salary of the associate.
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
2016/17 close dates for submission are: 18 January 2017, 8
March 2017
More info on: gov.uk
Innovate UK funding calls

10. Key feature: Innovate UK is to invest up to £15 million in projects to
stimulate innovation that creates UK business growth in infrastructure
systems. They want businesses to collaborate to develop new integrated
solutions and new business models. They expect projects to range in size
from total eligible costs of £25,000 to £5 million. Projects should last
between 3 months and 3 years. Projects must show significant innovation
in one of our priority areas: ‘smart’ infrastructure, energy systems,
connected transport or urban living.
Competition Closes: applicants must register before noon on 15 March
2017 and apply before noon on 22 March 2017.
More info at gov.uk
Innovation in infrastructure systems round 2
Innovate UK funding calls

11. Design Foundations is a new £3m grant funding programme from
Innovate UK to help businesses identify innovation opportunities and
generate better propositions for desirable, useful and feasible
products, services and business models.
The aim is to build collaborations between businesses looking for new
ways to innovate, and designers with the creative tools to provide this
insight. It means using design interventions to address critical
business challenges. Register for the launch event here.
Innovate UK funding calls

12. Horizon 2020 (H2020)
Key feature: The H2020 programme is the major funding
opportunity for R&D initiatives across Europe running up until 2020.
There is a strong emphasis on creative industries, design and digital
technologies.
You can keep up to date with the latest info via our dedicated
LinkedIn group.
Upcoming calls:
Full details about the workplan for the Information and
Communication Technologies Call are available here.

13. DfT new technology grants
The Transport Technology Research Innovation Grant (T-TRIG)
funds early-stage research projects into innovative ideas or concepts
to help create a better transport system. Deadline: 09.01.17.
This round of T-TRIG has 3 separate calls:
• An open call for novel and innovative ideas focused on transport –
£300K, a targeted maritime security call – £100K, a targeted big
data call – £300K
The Innovation Challenge Fund, a new grant scheme will be
launching later this month. This fund will support the development of
technologies, methods or processes to help meet DfT policy goals.
We will be holding two webinars on this call: Thu, 5 Jan and Wed, 11
Jan

14. Funding
Design Council Spark is a 16-week support and funding programme
designed to help you turn your bright idea into a commercially
successful product. They will provide up to 15 finalists with specialist
expertise and one-to-one mentoring. Once accepted onto the
programme they will receive an initial sum of £15,000 to help
you develop your product as well as a chance to pitch for a further
share of £200,000. Deadline: 10 January 2017

15. Digital Business Drop-in – 12 Jan
Grant Writing Workshop - 12 Jan
Analysis for Innovators Briefing Event – 12 Jan
Funding for early-stage design launch event - 17 Jan
The Local Innovation Landscape; Innovate UK in the West Midlands -
19 Jan
Events

16. KTN and the wider Innovate UK family are delighted to be involved in
the organisation and delivery of Smart IoT London 2017. Following
the success of last year's event, KTN is working with the organisers to
pull together a showcase of the best 'up and coming' IoT talent -
which could include you! Watch this space for further details.
Date: 15 - 16 March 2017 ExCeL, London
Events

17. Investment
Apply for Cylon, the world leading cybersecurity Accelerator
Programme. The Programme includes £15K with 3% equity,
training, connections, offfice space and a demo day.
Deadline: 20 January
Applications are now open for the Microsoft Ventures
Accelerator Programme. If your startup is breaking new
ground, disrupting an industry or doing something surprising
and new, you should consider throwing your hat into the
ring. Deadline: 6 January

18. Private Investment Directory now updated
Digital Refer now includes more than 250 organisations that provide
private investment to Digital and Creative businesses in the UK,
including:
Accelerator Programmes
Business Incubators
Start-up Studios
Venture Capital Funds
Angel Investor Networks
Corporate Venture Capital firms
Check out the new September entries: bit.ly/ktnrefer
Investment

19. The Advance London programme provides free practical help and
advice to SMEs in London to enable businesses to adopt and scale
up circular business models. The circular economy offers
businesses, and particularly SMEs, the opportunity to:
• Increase their competitiveness
• Access new markets
• Grow and expand
• Improve resource efficiency
• Drive innovation
• Build supply chain linkages
• Become more resilient to external factors
Support

20. Go To Grow - The Mayor’s International Business Programme
A new three year programme of mentoring, expert advice and real
business opportunities for high-growth companies Programme
focussed on ‘internationalising’ scale-ups – London based
companies wanting to grow outside of the UK.
The programme is open to fast-growing companies in London
operating in three broad sectors: technology, life sciences, and
urban. Your business will need to demonstrate that it is already
generating revenue.
Support

21. The Dare to Solve: Health and Social Care Innovation Contest seeks
innovative proposals from UK and EU startups and entrepreneurs to
improve how public health and social care services are planned,
delivered and experienced by citizens. Through addressing one of
the contest’s two challenges, themed around encouraging health
and wellbeing in adults and increasing care and support for families
and children, successful companies will have the opportunity to
develop and trial their proposed solution with the contest’s leading
challenge partner Staffordshire County Council to accelerate
development of their technologies.
Have an idea to propose or know someone that might? Apply here
by 12 noon Wednesday 21 December, 2016. Questions? Get in
touch by emailing contests@datakiln.org.
Contest

22. Swiss Re Pit Stop (Open Call)
If your business is integrating machine learning, artificial intelligence or
Natural Language Processing into Virtual Assistant platforms, Digital
Catapult’s new Pit Stop with Swiss Re could be the perfect chance to
develop them further. Find out more and sign up today.
Call

23. Briffa and the KTN have teamed up to produce a short webinar
setting out the background and context to the The General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR), and to explore some of the key
concepts under the new regulation, such as accountability and
‘privacy by design’, consent requirements, the rights of data subjects
and the obligations of data controllers and processors, possible
sanctions for breach of the GDPR, and the rules regarding transfers
of personal data outside of the EU.
Check out our blog post and the video on the Personal Data and
Trust Network website.
Market Research

24. Personal Data and Trust Network
The network aims to build and nurture a community that brings
together industry, the public sector, funders, research organisations
and innovators to support the UK in becoming the global leader in
trust and responsible innovation with personal data.
The partners are calling on any organisation interested in personal
data, trust and reputation to join the network. Membership is free
and will plug you into a vibrant community that we are bringing
together. For more information and to join visit pdtn.org.