18.09.24 LONDON, Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport, and place leadership, has today announced that applications are open for small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to apply for the brand-new Design to Deliver programme.
Design to Deliver is a collaboration between three Catapult centres: Connected Places Catapult, Digital Catapult and Satellite Applications Catapult – developed in collaboration with and funded by Innovate UK. Each Catapult has set a challenge in their respective industries, linked by the theme of regenerating nature. They are asking innovators to consider how to unlock human behaviours to regenerate nature through leveraging accessible, accurate and actionable information.
Four SME-led projects will be selected per challenge, with each SME receiving up to £50,000 to develop their solution alongside a proposed trial plan. In addition to funding, each project will also receive support from a specialised design consultancy, the respective Catapults’ technical team and a location partner.
The three challenges are:
- 1. Collective solutions for wild urban places – Led by Connected Places Catapult
How can you use information to contribute to the successful implementation, stewardship, and maintenance of wild urban places?
- 2. Informed choices for nature positive actions – Led by Digital Catapult
How can you develop a solution leveraging existing data, to help citizens be better informed to make nature-conscious decisions?
- 3. Space-enabled information for a thriving world – Led by Satellite Applications Catapult
How can you translate space-enabled data and services into information that is trusted and actionable, fuelling responsible behaviours towards nature?
Location partners will give the SMEs access to communities and places where they can consider the practical implementation of their solution. The locations are: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London; Knowle West, Bristol; and Sussex Bay, Sussex.
Applications are open until 5pm on 25 October. Visit the Design to Deliver page to find out more and apply.
“Innovate UK’s investment in Design to Deliver represents a pivotal step in our journey to help SMEs unlock the potential of design in driving sustainable innovation. By tapping into the Innovate UK Catapult Network, the UK’s world-leading design sector and specific location partners, we are creating a collaborative ecosystem that helps businesses gain deeper insights into their markets. This approach allows us to support SMEs in tackling real-world challenges and regenerate nature through impactful, design-led solutions.”
Harry Kerr, Head of Design at Innovate UK Business Connect
“The UK design industry is a powerhouse – contributing £97.4bn to the UK economy in 2019, according to the Design Council. But our innovative small to medium-sized enterprises often don’t benefit from its expertise. There is a missed opportunity to leverage the industry’s power to support our home-grown start-ups – giving them the creativity and confidence that only design brings.
“By providing funding and design expertise for SMEs tackling big challenges, Design to Deliver aims to support the development of more inclusive, greener and usable products and services.”
Pete Broadbent, Design Lead at Connected Places Catapult
“Digital Catapult is proud of the Design to Deliver programme, developed in collaboration with Innovate UK, Connected Places Catapult, and Satellite Applications Catapult. This initiative brings together leading-edge expertise, placing people and planet at the core to tackle one of today’s greatest challenges: creating a sustainable future.
“Digital Catapult has a laser focus on accelerating the practical application of deep tech, and as such we look forward to working with SMEs who seek to develop or improve their solutions in order to drive positive behaviours whilst unlocking the impact only design and technology combined can bring.”
Elmer Zinkhann, Head of Design at Digital Catapult
“There is a huge opportunity to unlock the power of services which use space data and communications, and the UK is only at the start of exploring what’s possible today. This programme offers SMEs an exciting opportunity to work with UK design experts from a wide variety of different fields to ensure potential solutions are designed with users in mind. By working together they can give SMEs the chance to develop products and services which make space-enabled data more accessible and usable for communities and businesses – motivating them to take positive action towards nature recovery.”
Catherine Greene, Head of User Centred Design, Satellite Applications Catapult
