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Connected Places Catapult is continuing to support UK businesses while we work remotely as a team in these unprecedented times. As such, we continue to have exciting opportunities for you to get involved with.
This is a new world of connectedness, which holds many options to innovate how we connect with one another while staying safe and healthy. We know this must be a difficult time for small businesses and so we have tried to pull together the best resources that ourselves, UK government and other institutions are providing to help support innovators.
Got a query? Ask the SME team a question on: SMEteam@cp.catapult.org.uk
We’ve compiled some resources we’ve discovered around the web that we hope will help your business navigate these challenging times.
COVID-19 support is available to employers and the self-employed. You may be eligible for loans, tax relief and cash grants. Use GOV.UK's business support finder to see what support is available for you and your business.
Innovate UK is offering £1.25 billion in funding for loans and grants, including a £250 million Future Fund to support innovative firms focusing on R&D. Launching in May, the available loan amounts range from £125,000 to £5 million.
An update on the support available to businesses from Innovate UK due to COVID-19 and advice for award holders.
Business Support Helpline phone number for England is changing over the weekend to FREEPHONE 0800 998 1098. The service will remain the same – providing free, impartial business support and signposting services to businesses in England. This currently includes advice for businesses on Covid-19. All of this can be accessed through the web page.
An NPL-led programme to help boost competitiveness and resilience by bringing together the UK’s top scientists and facilities with companies, to address problems in innovative ways. The programme is providing up to 20 days free support to UK registered companies.
Innovation Continuity Loans
Strand 1 is available to existing IUK award holders who have a challenge in completing or continuing a live project due to the impact of Covid. This is an open competition and we will accept applications as they are submitted until the closing date.
Strand 2 is available to organisations who have a follow on project from an IUK supported project that was completed in the last 3 years. Applications will be assessed after the closing date.
Strand 3 which has just been launched is to help SMEs to continue their innovation activity despite the impact of the pandemic, without the need to have been supported by an Innovate UK award within the last 36 months. Applications will be assessed after the closing date.
All competitions open for applications until 11am 13th January 2021.
Innovate UK have allocated up to £210m for innovation continuity loans to help SME’s and third sector organisations that have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and facing a challenge in continuing, completing or following on an innovation project.
To support more organisations, we have further broadened our eligibility criteria and launched
Strand 3 of the innovation continuity loans.
Strand 3 innovation continuity loans aim to help SMEs to continue their innovation activity despite the impact of the pandemic, without the need to have been supported by an Innovate UK award in the last 36 months. Loans from £250,000 to £1.6m are available to fund continuation of R&D projects.
This competition is now open for applications and closes at 11am on the 13th January 2021. You can find out more at our applicant briefing webinar on Wednesday 9th December.
Strand 1 of the innovation continuity loans remain available for the continuation of live projects with an Innovate UK award. This is an open competition and the deadline for applications is 13th January 2021.
Strand 2 of the innovation continuity loans has also been extended to 13th January 2021. This is for applicants with a new project that follows on from a recently completed Innovate UK project. Make sure you read the guidance before applying.
Transport for Greater Manchester has asked us to reach out to SMEs with innovations that can have a positive impact in the Greater Manchester area and that need the support of a user for the Innovate UK call. Ideally, they would like to work with as many Greater Manchester-based businesses as possible for operational ease but they are of course open to working with as many SMEs as possible. If you have an idea that you think might be of use, please contact the TfGM innovation team on: innovation@tfgm.com
UKRI is interested in funding research of any scale that can demonstrate it will deliver impact in the fight against COVID-19. Proposals are invited for short-term projects addressing and mitigating the health, social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts of the coronavirus outbreak.
A full range of business support measures has been made available to UK businesses and employees. This page helps businesses find out how to access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, when the schemes open and how to apply.
Businesses to help boost the UK’s resilience to the long-term impact of coronavirus and similar future situations as a result of £20 million government funding.
Use this service to tell central government how your business might be able to help with the response to coronavirus.
Do you have an innovative or novel approach to get ambulances cleaner quicker to help combat Coronavirus?
The government is looking for businesses to support in the production and supply of ventilators and ventilator components.
Open & Agile Smart Cities (OASC) is now scouting operational digital solutions that mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our health care systems, the economy and society as a whole. The solutions will be showcased in the brand-new OASC Catalogue where cities & communities can discover and reuse them.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has been approached by a number of organisations proposing to undertake drone-based projects to directly support the Covid-19 response. We wanted to make you aware that as a result UKRI is now encouraging applications via the existing call for Covid-19 research projects.
The focus will be on creating a better, safer, more inclusive everyday experience for commuters and on supporting the workers that keep the Singapore public transport system running. Applications are open and there is more information on the challenge available below.
Given these uncertain times, we understand opportunities will be hard to come by and we hope these free tools will help.
As the impact of COVID-19 is felt across the world, home working is becoming a necessity as businesses attempt to keep staff ‘signed in’ and well whilst keeping business momentum going and revenues protected.
Find out how the outbreak is impacting businesses managing operations internationally in this podcast from Aston Business School.
We've collated the best recommendations from around the web and some of our colleagues here at CPC have created this quick guide to help you get the most out of running remote workshops that you may be running.
Introducing UK digital industry, health-tech, and smart city companies that have Covid-related solutions (people movement, social distancing, traceability, getting people back to work) to local buyers/partners from large corp, big industry, systems integrators/consultants, health & corporate insurance companies.
DIT Spain and Portugal are working on a new activity over the next few weeks, where FCO is supporting to build content. FCO wants to receive 60 second elevator pitch content from UK companies that they can turn into a cohesive video, which is uploaded onto a private YouTube channel. They will then send the link and a slide deck to pre-qualified local buyers, which they seek to follow up with virtual 121 meetings between the potential buyers (in Spain and Portugal) and the UK companies.
FCO wants to recruit UK companies who are late stage; in a good position to sell their solution, preferably have had at least one commercial buyer – with innovative tech solutions in the following areas:
FCO wants to receive expressions of interest by 16th June. They will then contact selected UK companies to discuss the project in more detail, with an online workshop planned for June 25 to provide an overview of the opportunities in Spain and Portugal, and answer any questions about the project and video production.
Send an email to Sarah.Roles-Ndibe@fco.gov.uk and please mention that you have been referred by Connected Places Catapult.