The Knowledge Transfer Network, (KTN), Monthly Digital and Creative Business Briefing update. Listing support and innovation opportunities for UK Digital Technology Businesses More info: www.ktn-uk.org

1. Digital
& Creative Business Briefing
June 2019

2. Content
• Feature
• Funding competitions
• Support programmes
• Training and Awards
• Upcoming events
• Investors Directory
• Networks
• Register for updates

3. Feature
DCMS Rural Connected Communities Project Workshops
DCMS, working with UK5G, is running five UK-wide workshops in June 2019 to help define the new Rural Connected Communities (RCC)
project. As part of the 5GTT Programme, DCMS is designing the new Rural Connected Communities (RCC) project, with the aim of building
the business case for rural mobile connectivity (including 5G) by:
• Identifying and testing demand-led coverage models
• Testing a range of innovative technical solutions and commercial approaches
• Building and proving demand through new 5G use cases
In order to help define how RCC can most effectively do this, DCMS, working with UK5G, is running five UK-wide workshops in June 2019.
The insights gained from these workshops are expected to lead to a funding competition later in the year.
The workshops are open to organisations and businesses who may be interested in taking part in Rural Connected Communities projects,
including: Local authorities and other public service delivery bodies, Network providers, Technology vendors. Other organisations involved
in the development, trialling and usage of applications, products and services. Mobile Network Operators should not register for these
workshops. There will be separate opportunities for them to engage with the project at a later date
Register your interest in attending a workshop:
17th June: Perth : 19th June: Newport, Wales : 21st June: Penrith : 24th June: Belfast : 26th June: Didcot

4. Feature
London Tech Week
Dates: 10th – 14th June
Venues : Various.
Join us in uniting tech and talent in a world-class hub of innovation!
The 4th Industrial Revolution is happening now and is transforming society and business alike. The UK continues to innovate
as a worldwide cutting-edge tech hub. As one of the world’s most open & welcoming markets, the UK is positioned to lead
the global conversation in designing and scaling tech, with talent at its heart.
Tech Week connects international communities from across the spectrum to address how access to tech for all can have a
profoundly positive impact in society and business.
READ MORE

5. Funding
ISCF Audience of the Future Challenge: the AotF Immersive Technology Investment
Accelerator
The AotF Immersive Technology Investment Accelerator provides simultaneous grant funding and venture capital investment for
early stage projects:
• InnovateUK funds the R&D being carried out by company and Investors invest in the company itself.
• Up to £2m of funding is available for industrial R&D; projects’ total costs can be between £150,000 and £300,000
• The competition is open to single SMEs who are looking for grant funding and who want to establish an equity relationship with
a UK venture capital firm. The funding on offer should help businesses move closer towards a proposition that is commercially
viable.
Applications close | Midday | Wednesday 3 July 2019
READ MORE

6. Funding
CELTIC - NEXT spring 2019: innovative 5G infrastructure and applications
• UK organisations can apply for a share of up to £1 million for 5G collaborative R&D projects in the EUREKA CELTIC
programme.
• The aim of this competition is to encourage the development of 5G in an international collaborative environment by helping
UK organisations take part in the CELTIC programme.
• Your project must focus on one of the following 2 overall themes:
• Innovative 5G infrastructure technologies, and in particular artificial intelligence (AI) in network operation or multi-access
edge computing (MEC).
• Applications and services that use 5G networks to offer a new or improved user experience. This includes the
development of 5G features in satellite networks or 5G applications and services integrating satellites. These projects are
expected to consider security aspects.
READ MORE

7. Funding
EIT DIGITAL CHALLENGE
EUROPEAN SCALEUP COMPETITION
The EIT Digital Challenge is an international pitching competition focused on deep tech scaleups – late stage startups –
seeking to accelerate their growth. Deep tech companies create innovations that are built around unique, often
protected or hard to reproduce technological or scientific advances. They have a strong research base and develop
disruptive solutions that fuel the digital transformation.
In total, 25 scaleups in five categories will be selected to pitch their product or service in front of an international jury
of corporates and investors at the final event in October. The two best companies per category will gain 12 months in
the EIT Digital Accelerator worth €50,000 to scale up their business. On top of that, the first prize winner in each
category receives a cash prize of €50,000.
Submissions close 14 June
READ MORE

8. Funding
VocTech Impact 2019 call open for applications on 5th - 28th June 2019.
VocTech Impact Funding Criteria. Improving UK skills through digital vocational learning
Scaling up the change in vocational learning.
Ufi aims to help raise UK workforce skills, by promoting innovative use of digital technology to increase the number of adults accessing
vocational learning. Ufi believes that digital technology can play a greater role in enabling adults to get the skills needed for work in the
21st century. We want to see digital tech making a real change to how vocational learning is developed and delivered; and to ‘scale up’
this impact to make vocational learning better, more accessible and more affordable.
This call will support projects that show the potential to have a real impact in the world of vocational learning and to ultimately make a
difference to how people learn and to the number of people gaining new skills – helping us to build a better, quicker, digital future for
vocational learning. This means looking for projects that:
Use digital technology in new ways to enable large numbers of learners to develop new skills during the project duration.Demonstrate
how this new approach can be used to achieve even greater scale in delivery of vocational learning.
READ MORE

9. Funding
Tech Nation Fintech – the sector-specific scaleup growth programme
• Following the success of our first Fintech cohort last year, this year’s programme is on the hunt for the UK’s very best pre Series A
fintechs, to help them accelerate their growth and scale at speed
• Beginning in September 2019, the programme is non-residential and happens over a 6 month period. The programme is free, with no
cost or equity stake taken by Tech Nation. A cohort of 25 exciting fintech companies will be selected to participate.
• The agenda includes:
• 9 themed insight sessions with top fintech entrepreneurs talking about their learnings on building world-leading companies. Past
speakers include Rishi Khosla, Justin Basini, Dale Muray and Lesley Eccles.
• 5 social events with decision makers and key fintech stakeholders, such as leading financial institutions and investors, government
representatives and financial regulators. 2 CTO gatherings where technical founders can exchange challenges and wins with their
peers.
• An international trip to the main market of interest. Last year’s trip was to New York City
• Applications are open now until 9 July 2019, and successful applicants will be notified in early August. READ MORE

10. Support programmes
StateZero Labs
Application deadline: 12th July 2019
The StateZero programme is thirteen weeks long and tackles the biggest barriers to entry and growth for
early-stage startups. We address all the key challenges from early product development and tech
integration, through to investor pitch refinement, and customer acquisition. All of this alongside offering
high-quality business workshops and mentorship from leading industry professionals. As a result, our
programme consists of four key stages… Learn, Build, Develop, Reflect.
READ MORE

11. Support programmes
CyLon
Application deadline: 14th July 2019
Our world-leading accelerator programmes run twice a year at our hubs in both London and Singapore.
Join us for three months and we’ll connect you to industry leaders to help you grow in the way you need.
Each programme culminates in a Demo Day, when teams pitch their product to a curated, invite-only
audience of over 150 customers and investors.
Your time with CyLon won’t end after three months. As you grow, the CyLon team and our global
network will be there every step of the way. Our collective experience will help you to build a
sustainable, scalable business.
READ MORE

12. Support programmes
HutZero
Application deadline: 21st July 2019
HutZero is the leading early-stage entrepreneur bootcamp which helps you gain all the tools you need to
get your idea off the ground.
Whether you are just finishing your studies on cyber security, or have worked in the corporate world for
a number of years, HutZero supports individuals at the very start of their entrepreneurial journey.
Run by CyLon and the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), HutZero’s FREE two-stage
programme connects 20 budding UK entrepreneurs with potential co-founders and a broad network of
cyber and innovation experts.
READ MORE

13. Support programmes
Knowledge Transfer Partnership
• The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme helps businesses in the UK to innovate and grow by
linking them with an academic or research organisation and a graduate.
• The scheme can last between 12 and 36 months, depending on what the project is and the needs of the
business.
• A KTP is part-funded by a grant. You will need to contribute to the salary of the Associate who will work
with your business, plus the cost of a supervisor who will oversee the scheme.
READ MORE

14. Support programmes
Develop your AI solutions with The Alan Turing Institute
Open call
New collaboration between The Alan Turing Institute and Digital Catapult provides funding for London
startups and scaleups to open their data challenges to researchers.
This collaboration will provide financial support for nine separate startup or scaleup companies to
participate as a Challenge Owner in any one of the Data Study Groups held between December 2018 and
March 2020.
READ MORE

15. Support programmes
SETsquared Support Programme
From idea to scale-up, SETsquared has a comprehensive range of programmes which will help boost your
business to the next level.
SETsquared is a unique enterprise partnership and a dynamic collaboration between the five leading
research-led UK universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey. Twice ranked as
the Global No. 1 Business Incubator, we provide a wide range of highly acclaimed support programmes
to help turn ideas into thriving businesses.
READ MORE

16. Support programmes
Westcott Business Incubation Centre support programmes
The Westcott Business Incubation Centre (BIC) is located on the Westcott Venture Park, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
Our mission is to encourage the development of new companies working in the strategic growth areas of rocket
propulsion, 5G communications, drones and other autonomous systems.
You can find out more about our focus areas
Westcott is already home to a thriving nucleus of space companies. The Westcott BIC will work together with existing
expertise on the site and other planned investments, including the UK Space Agency’s National Propulsion Test
Centre, Reaction Engines’ rocket engine test facility, the Westcott 5G Step-out Centre and the Westcott Innovation Centre.
The Westcott BIC is funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)and developed by the Satellite
Applications Catapult, Rockspring Hanover Property Unit Trust and Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise
Partnership (BTVLEP).
READ MORE

17. Training
UCL Blockchain Executive Education Evening Programme
Tuesday evening from 21st May to 9th July
A unique programme for business strategists, innovators, futurists and public sector planners to gain a rigorous understanding
of the impact of Distributed Ledger Technologies on industry and society, both today and in the future. Exclusive to our
community, use the code INNOVATE to get a 33% discount.
READ MORE

18. Awards
Digital Impact Awards
Open for entries: 4th February 2019
Final deadline: 21st July 2019
Awards Ceremony: October 2019
The Digital Impact Awards sets the industry-wide benchmark in digital stakeholder engagement. The event honours the
best corporate digital communications work in Europe.
The Digital Impact Awards has a long-standing reputation in the digital community as the leading event honouring the best
corporate digital work. Winning a Digital Impact Award helps set organisations apart from their competitors and provides
the opportunity to sustain their current clients, gain new business and engage internal teams.
READ MORE

19. Upcoming events
CogX Festival of AI and Emerging tech
10th – 12th June, London
KTN Booth 11 : Expo Floor
London Tech Week
10th – 14th June, London
London Fintech Week
5th – 10th July, London
An Advanced Introduction to 5G Technology
2nd May, Cambridge
5G wide area coverage: macro cells – the why and
the how
9th May, Cambridge
5G World & AR/VR World Summit
11th – 13th June, London
Digital Business Meet-Up – Immersive theme
6th June, London
5G in Action
5th July, Bournemouth
5G: Revolution or Evolution
16th July, London
Keep up-to-date with KTN events here

20. Investment
Private Investment Directory – Digital Refer
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 firm
LINK

21. Networks: Immerse UK
• Augmented and Virtual Reality Independent Network
• Bringing together businesses, public sector & research
• Free to Join
• Learn more about Immersive Tech developments
• Help shape UK funding & research policy
• Showcase your ideas & identify funding opportunities
• Make business connections & form collaborative partnerships
http://www.immerseuk.org/

22. Networks: UK5G
https://uk5g.org/
• Promotion of research, collaboration and the commercial application of 5G in the UK
• Share the knowledge and lessons of 5G Testbeds & Trials projects
• Enable new partnerships between technologists, potential new entrants and major industrial
adopters
• Support local (and international) investment opportunities

23. KTN Digital Updates
TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR UPDATES, CLICK THE LINK BELOW
KTN newsletter registration