Innovate UK (IUK) is investing in collaborative cross-sector research and development projects that aim to improve the productivity and competitiveness of foundation industry companies and supply chains.
Projects must work on resource and energy efficiency challenges common to two or more of the foundation industries: cement, paper, glass, ceramics, metals, chemicals.
The competition will fund projects which:
- Further develop technologies to reduce deployment risk and accelerate take-up across industries.
- Develop new technologies that, when deployed, would create a step-change in resource or energy efficiency in these industries.
- From an overall budget of £8 million to fund innovation projects, each project's total eligible costs must be between £1 million and £2 million.
Industrial research projects that address one or more of these themes will be supported:
- Heat recovery and utilisation.
- Sensors, controls and digitalisation.
- Waste utilisation and symbiosis.
- Other energy or resource efficiency improvements (business model, process, product or supply chain).
The competition is open to collaborations only. To lead a project, the applicant must be either a UK registered business of any size or research and technology organisation (RTO). The lead must collaborate with other businesses, RTOs, research organisations, public sector organisations or charities.
Applications can be made from 11 January until 10 March 2021 (11:00 GMT).
