Dr Vicky Kell
Invest NI

Funding for Innovation in ICT

Innovation Landscape
Who’s who & What’s what?
Dr Vicky Kell
Director of Innovation, Research & Development

Companies who are innovating are twice as likely to be growing
(ITI Business Monitor)
Companies who invest in innovation demonstrate greater job
growth, employed better qualified people and are more likely to
export (NESTA)
Companies who collaborate on innovation are more productive
than those that do not (OECD)
Investments in innovation are responsible for 2/3 of UK
productivity growth (NESTA)
Importance of Innovation

What is Innovation?
The process that transforms your ideas into
commercial value.
It requires the execution of your ideas which address
specific challenges and achieve significant value
creation for both your business and your customers.

What is R&D?
• Research and Development plays a critical role
in the innovation process
• An investment in technology and future
capabilities which is transformed into new
products, processes, and services

SO INNOVATION AND R&D IS IMPORTANT
HOW IS NORTHERN IRELAND DOING?

Top level figures
Number of companies
- c.650
Employment
NI – 18,000
INI – 12,200
Turnover: £950m
External 80%
Exports 50%
“Average” company
• 10years old
• Situated in Belfast
• 20 staff
• £1.6m turnover
• Sell to 1.1 external countries
Local International

Where are we at
Aging
population &
wellness
Smart
infrastructure
& urbanisation
The ‘Digital
Native’
Automation
Globalisation
Financial
Services
IT Services
Teleco, Mobile
& Data
Healthcare IT
Cyber Security
Data Analytics
Software
Engineering
Mobile, cloud,
internet app
development
Cyber security
Data analytics
Advanced networks
& sensors
Key Global
trends
Built local
skills & strengths in
Created these
clusters
Source: Matrix ICT, 2016
CME Group
Foundation
Financial
Innovation
Laboratory
Int. Local R&D
Examples

“We chose Northern Ireland as the
location for the research project
because of the availability of skilled
developers and the support from
Invest NI. As well as providing
financial assistance, Invest NI
helped us to clarify our vision”
Andy Wallace, CEO, Robot
Exchange.
“Invest NI’s ongoing advice and support
has been invaluable in helping us to
transform an initial concept into a viable
product very quickly. We used the R&D
support to work collaboratively with local
company, Big Motive, to develop the
BBC Pandemic app. The app will be
used to collect data which will drive the
content of the documentary.”
Antony Fraser, CEO of 360 Production
“This is a hugely exciting time for us at STATSports as
we embark on the next stage of our journey. We have
already established our performance monitoring
technology with some of the biggest and best known
sporting organisations in the world and this investment
will allow us to expand our reach even further in both
the elite and everyday field sports sector.
Our staff are highly skilled and incredibly
knowledgeable about the sports performance
monitoring industry and we will be replicating that with
the additional hires. The R&D assistance will also allow
us to keep evolving our cutting-edge technology.”
Alan Clarke, CEO and Co-Founder of STATSports

So what have we learned??

Innovation Support Ecosystem
EUROPE NATIONAL LOCAL
Horizon
2020/
Enterprise
Europe
Network
EU
Structural
Funds
UKRI
Research
Councils
+
Innovate UK;
KTP, SBRI,
CRD, Catalysts,
Catapults
Government Departments
(DEL / DETI / DHSSPS /
DARD / DCAL)
Invest NI
Local
Authorities
HE / FE
Other
Support
Orgs*
Public
Research
Institutes
BEIS
* Includes InterTradeIreland, NISP, MATRIX, Private Sector etc
Patent Box
R&D Tax
Credits

A bit more about the “players” & support
Innovation Vouchers
Technical Advisory Unit (TAU)
Design
Proof of Concept
KTP (in conjunction with KTN)
Grant for R&D
Competence Centres
Accelerator
NI Business Information
Access to Finance
Business Information Centre
Propel & Accelerator
Queens University Belfast
Ulster University
Enterprise Europe Network
Innovate UK
Digital Catapult

Invest NI’s role
• Delivery body for economic development
• Offering financial, capability development
and advisory solutions.
• 22 international locations across Europe,
Asia-Pac, IMEA and Americas. 5 offices in
Northern Ireland
• Dedicated sector focused Client Teams
• Specialists in a wide range of business
disciplines

Delivering Success
• Invest NI Commitment
• Strategic Priority
• Joined up approach
• Build on proven expertise
• Encourage collaboration
• Exploit International links

NIBUSINESSINFO.CO.UK - R&D Diagnostic

Innovation
Vouchers
• A voucher is worth up to £5000 and is used by SMEs to allow them to
work with a Knowledge Provider
• Businesses may have a maximum of 3 vouchers for different projects,
but only one voucher at a time
• 4 open calls for applications per year

TAU & TDI support – advice & financial
• Investigating new technologies or processes
• Product & process problem resolution
• Product approvals e.g. VCA; TuV; UL; CE Marking
• Product/process improvement
• Management systems e.g. ISO9001; ISO27001; BRC;
• Intellectual Property e.g. Patents; Trademarks; licensing
agreements

• Aimed at proving the product and/or market.
• Concept Grants: Quarterly call for up to £10k grants to accelerate
product/solution validation and early prototype developments.
• Concept Plus Grants: Bi-annual call for up to £25k grants for
prototype/product refinement and further customer development.
• https://www.techstartni.com/grants
Proof of Concept – Techstart NI

Innovation Advisors (New to R&D)
 3 advisors for Grant for R&D;
 Ciaran Mc Cartan
(Health, Life Sciences & Food)
 Richard Pelan
(Engineering/ICT)
 Robin Humphreys
(ICT/General enquiries)

Project Definition
 Help plan and define the project. This can include:
 A scientific and/or technical literature review
 Defining the market opportunity
 Defining the technical objectives and risks
 Defining the costs of the R&D and understanding the financial implications
 Determining the potential benefits
 Funding capped at £30k (£15k for applying to IUK/H2020) of grant and a guidance of 5-10% of main
R&D project costs
 £24 hour labour rates
 First region to get EU Commission approval
 The actual employee(s) labour rate is vouched

Grant for R&D
 Funding for Invest NI clients and potential clients
 Support for technically risky projects
 Ideas must be exploitable
 Support for future work - not retrospective
 Needs match funding
 Support is discretionary - subject to Invest NI decision

Aspects of Successful Applications
Project
 Level of Innovation
 Technical Risk and R&D Challenge
 Potential to create IP
 Exploitation Potential
 Company & Economic Benefit
Company / Applicant
 Management Ability & Staff Expertise
 Additionality
 Viability
 Track Record

Competence Centres
Collaborative, strategic research, led by industry and resourced by qualified
researchers
 Higher-risk, longer-term research with funding typically 5 years
 Stimulate CRD and contribute to the “market focussed technology innovation
communities”
CASE, Connected Health, NIACE (Advanced composites) and Agri-Food

“a business that does not innovate will likely not survive”
Innovation
Time
Decline
Decline
Innovation
Start-up
Growth
H1
H3
H2
40% of companies
today will be gone in
10years
(Magus Penker, 2018)
Companies who invest
in innovation
demonstrate greater
growth and are more
likely to export
( NESTA)
Companies who are
innovating are 2x more
likely to be growing
(ITI Business Monitor)
Continue to innovate
your products or your
company will not
survive
(Forbes)

Innovation Award
Internationally
Recognised
Innovation
Accreditation
Stakeholder
Engagement
Innovation
Awareness
Campaign

Targeting External Funding
Enterprises that participate in National & EU projects:
 Increase their R&D and innovation capability by tapping into a broader knowledge base
 Gain access to national/international networks
 Faster access to new markets and customers
 Have access to qualified staff
 Increase their reputation and visibility on a national/EU level
 Receive attractive rates of funding - Horizon 2020 – up to 100% direct costs/25% overheads

KTP – case study
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddAiPlHqsv4

Lorraine Acheson
Innovate UK

Funding for Innovation in ICT
Lorraine Acheson
Manager for Northern Ireland, Innovate UK
@NI_LorraineA

44
The UK’s innovation agency.
Our mission is to drive sustainable
economic growth through business-led
innovation.
We help innovative businesses of all
sizes in all sectors access the
knowledge, partners, investors, and
markets they need to innovate and
grow, through funding and support.
Innovate UK

8,000
Unique
organisations
involved
Up to
£7.30For every
£1 we’ve
invested
£2.2bnSince 2007
We’ve funded around
11,000projects
Up to
£16bnin added value
to the economy
Investment of Industry match funding
taking
the total value of
projects above
£3.75bn
70,000Jobs created in total
8 jobs
For each
organisation
involved
4
5

Benefiting everyone
through knowledge,
talent and ideas.
46
UK Research and Innovation
brings together the 7 Research
Councils, Innovate UK and
Research England.
As part of UK Research and
Innovation, Innovate UK drives
productivity and economic
growth by supporting
businesses to develop and
realise the potential of new
ideas including those from the
UK’s world-class research base.
Arts and
Humanities
Research
Council
Biotechnology
and Biological
Sciences
Research
Council
Economic
and Social
Research
Council
Engineering
and Physical
Sciences
Research
Council
Medical
Research
Council
Natural
Environment
Research
Council
Science and
Technology
Facilities
Council
Innovate UK
Research
England

Place is key to innovation
Innovate UK funding supports
businesses working across the
UK.
Our regional managers work
closely with stakeholders in
every region and nation.
N. Ireland
Scotland
East Midlands
East of England
South East
North West
West Midlands
Wales
South West
North East,
Yorkshire &
Humber

CONNECTING

49
KTN is a network partner of Innovate UK. It
helps businesses get the best out of creativity,
ideas and the latest discoveries to strengthen
the UK economy and improve people’s lives.
KTN links new ideas and opportunities from
all sectors with expertise, markets and
finance through a network of businesses,
universities, funders and investors.
Knowledge Transfer
Network (KTN)
Find markets.
Find solutions.
Find funding.
KTN supported clean-tech company FeTu

50
Enterprise Europe Network is part of Innovate UK’s
connecting network. It helps growing businesses to:
• manage innovation, commercialise great
ideas and grow
• access long-term finance from the public
and private sectors
• connect to a network of advisors spanning
more than 60 countries
• connect to partners to develop products
or services
• expand into new countries with help
from local experts
Enterprise Europe Network
For growing, innovative businesses

51
- UKRI international fund, worth approximately
£110 million over 3 years
- funding 8 global expert missions in priority countries
and 12 global business accelerators, which will help
over 180 UK businesses explore global opportunities
- continuing to deliver our Newton Fund programmes
with £18 million investment in 2018-19, and £10
million in 2019-20
- continuing to promote engagement in Horizon
2020 through National Contact Points, Enterprise
Europe network, the Knowledge Transfer Network
and Innovate UK’s Brussels Office
Global programmes
To grow and scale up successfully,
UK companies need to access knowledge and
develop new partnerships globally.
We are expanding our support available
to businesses through:

FUNDING

53
AI and data
economy
Ageing
society
Clean
growth
Future of
mobility
Putting the UK at
the forefront of the
artificial intelligence
and data revolution
Harnessing the power of
innovation to help meet
the needs of an ageing
society
Maximising the
advantages for UK
industry from the global
shift to clean growth
Becoming a world
leader in shaping the
future of mobility
Grand Challenges

AI & Data Economy – Industrial Strategy Challenge
Fund
• Space & satellites technology
• Audience of the future
• Quantum
• Next generation services
• Digital security by design
54

55
Smart Programme
• enables businesses to apply for grant
funding regardless of technical or
industrial area of focus
• funding is offered to businesses that
submit the best proposals in a
competitive application process
• each competition typically offering
£20 million funding
For businesses in any sector
Paul Holt, Founder, Photocentric

56
Investment accelerator
Working with VCs, offers
businesses part grant/ part
equity.
Immersive Tech Investment
Accelerator opens May 20.
Briefing event in Belfast 10
June.

Innovation loans
57
For businesses on the edge of greatness
We are running a pilot programme of loan competitions to
the end of 2019. The programme is aiming to ensure that
businesses can access funding at all stages of innovation.
Up to £50 million available
for business innovation
projects near to market
Offered through competitions
to UK SMEs that want to scale
up by developing new services
Can be used for late-stage
R&D projects not yet at the
point of commercialization
Delivered by Innovate UK
Loans Ltd, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Innovate UK

58
Data privacy by Data Solver
- legal-tech start-up developing privacy
management software
- trade mission to Boston through the
Women in Innovation awards
- secured $330,000 angel investment in
2017, with ambitions to raise £1 million
Success stories:
“We’ve put our heart and soul into
this business, so people saying ‘yes’
means an awful lot.”
Claire Spencer, CEO, Data Solver

59
Smarter fashion by Dressipi
- enables retailers to match customers with
products using machine learning and AI
- now working with 30% of retail womenswear
market – Arcadia, John Lewis and Shop Direct
- tech yields 5-8% increase in net incremental
revenue per visitor for retail clients
- Innovate UK grant funded 12-month
collaborative project with major retailers
Success stories:
“Having that funding and support from
Innovate UK allowed it to be a true R&D
project and these big retailers felt very
comfortable in that environment.”
Sarah McVittie, co-founder, Dressipi

Examples of current competitions
- Smart Programme £25m closes 24 July
- Immersive Technology Investment Accelerator £2m closes 3 July
- AI supported-early fracture diagnosis - share of £240,000, to develop an innovative
AI solution for radiological diagnosis of fractures of upper and/or lower limbs closes
24 July
60

Let’s hear from someone who has been through this
journey….
61

Ronan Cunningham
BrainWaveBank Ltd

Adrian Johnston
Digital Catapult NI

_
Digital Catapult and Digital Innovation
Adrian Johnston – Director of Digital Catapult NI
May 2019

_
Unlocking NI’s potential through collaboration, inspiration and technology
67

Strategy
68
Global Context
- Digital sector critical to global
economy
- UK superb at specialisation
- Our job is to find more of these
companies
- Drive acceleration of advanced
technologies

Introduction to Digital Catapult
69
The technologies
Artificial Intelligence
AI & machine Learning
Future Networks
5G & Low Powered Wide Area Networks
Immersive
VR/AR/MR & Haptics
Lack of access to facilities
cost, location barriers, access
leading-edge equipment
Fragmented landscape
cultural divide between digital
and traditional sectors
A knowledge gap
opportunities, challenges and benefits
The challenges

70
Advanced Digital Technology Programmes
Our technology programmes
Digital Catapult delivers three game changing technology
programmes, each with strategic objectives to contribute
real action in UK Industrial Strategy.
Artificial Intelligence
The UK is a leader in the development of
AI. Digital Catapult’s AI programme
accelerates early adoption by industry and
grows the UK’s world leading machine
learning ecosystem.
Future Networks
Digital Catapult will drive the development
of new future networks business models
(eg in 5G and in LPWAN) from concepts
in university labs, to commercial reality
Immersive
Digital Catapult will make the UK the best
place in the world to produce immersive
content and applications.

Applied into high impact industries
Our industry focus
advanced digital technologies reach their full potential
when applied in industry. Digital Catapult focuses on
two industry sectors
Delivering increased research, development and
innovation in advanced digital technologies for the
creative industries.
Increasing the number of trailblazer companies
working with advanced digital technologies in UK
manufacturing.
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES MANUFACTURING

What we do
72
Convene and deliver
collaborative research and
development, leading to
commercial exploitation,
helping companies to
reduce risk.
Deliver specialised
innovation programmes
which drive collaboration
between small companies,
corporates and investors and
encourages the use of
facilities.
Build and operate
physical and digital
facilities for which there is
an identified business
need and will only exist
with public investment.
Leverage public funding to
bring about increased
private investment and
achieve new outputs.

73
Advanced digital technology facilities
Machine Intelligence Garage
helping UK AI companies with
leading-edge computation resources
5G & future network testbeds
The first non-academic UK 5G testbed
& our LPWAN “Things Connected” networks
Reality capture studio & immersive labs.
The world’s first commercial VR Volumetric
Capture Studio and four immersive labs

74
Advanced digital technology acceleration activities
Augmentor & CreativeXR
helping early stage UK immersive content producers through
acceleration activities and cascade funding
Machine Intelligence Garage Accelerator
Delivering challenge led AI acceleration activities
and programmes
Things Connected Innovation Programmes
Innovation and acceleration programmes for IoT
and LPWAN network start-ups and small businesses

75
Regional growth
We work across the UK
- Local centres in Northern Ireland,
North East Tees Valley, Brighton
and London.
- Work with Local authorities, LEPs
and universities
- Developing exciting new regional
partnerships e.g. Greater
Manchester Combined Authority.

76
Working with the Catapult Network
Working with the Catapult Network
Digital Catapult will continue to grow its engagement with and participation in the
Catapult Network.
Collaborative activity will focus on key elements of the Industrial Strategy.
- Work closely with High Value Manufacturing Catapult, delivering on ‘Made Smarter’ review
- Working on 5G test beds and trials with Satellite Applications Catapult,
- LPWAN test beds with Future Cities Catapult
- Sharing funded research positions across the network.

77
Accelerating the adoption of Emerging Technology
This can be achieved by
- Digitising Non Digital Companies – Introduction to new existing technology
- Scaling Technology Innovators – Introduce technology to new sectors
Immersive Tech
Training
Entertainment
Tourism
AI / ML
Chatbots
Industry 4.0
Computer Vision
Analytics

78
Construction Sector examples
- Wrap around services e.g. Architecture
- AI Driven site plans, optimisation of space, cost and
requirements. Validation by human interaction
- Site Surveys – Autonomous Drones with AI
Image analysis to assess project status

79
What drives emerging tech?
- Need and the Emerging Tech Sector has considerable opportunity today
- Emerging Tech sectoral implementation is a journey
- Opportunities exist in:
Agriculture – Agricultural Robotics – Sensing and Safety
Tourism – Immersive and enhanced experiences
Health – Efficient Service Delivery - Telehealth
Manufacturing – Intelligent Systems – Cobotics
FinTech – Customer Service and Identification

80
Disruptive Tech is driven by inevitability
Circular Economy – Maximise Resources, Minimise Waste
Green Energy Solutions – Energy Production, Storage and Distribution
Smart Cities – Aging society, Enhanced Mobility, Connectivity, Efficient Services

81
Example - Construction Industry Disruption
We work across the UK
- AI generative Design
- Distributed Ledger Technology for Smart Contracts or
Regulatory control
- Facial Recognition to monitor site security or task
management
- Automation of repetitive tasks e.g. Bricklaying,
pouring concrete or welding
3D printed bridge built by in Amsterdam
- Designed using digital models and AI
- Constructed via Additive manufacturing
- Robotic Automation

82
The rise of e-Democracy for Tech Adoption
Technology
Artificial Intelligence
Green Energy
High Speed Connectivity
Improved Mobility
Autonomous Vehicles
Open Data
Immersive Technology
Smart Cities for Citizens

83
Disruptive Tech driven by inevitability
Disruption will require :
- Technology and Hardware Development
- Software Solutions
- Data Integration and Governance solutions
- Business Process Transformation

84
Future Technology Trends of Interest
Human Like Computing
Neuromorphic Semiconductors to mimic the structure of the Human Brain and provide cognitive ability
Human Like Interaction
Increased Chatbot Capability with reasoning and enhanced speech recognition
Computer Vision Systems
Enhanced requirement for hazard awareness and perception in an autonomous world
Digital DNA Data Storage
New Advances in storing data in small form factors
Green Energy
Smart Grid with automated management and secure transparent distribution protocols
Blockchain
Trust Networks for Energy, Trade, Marketing and Healthcare Policy transformation
Digital Twin
Virtualisation of real world assets and physical models for real world simulation

85
Future Technology Hardware Trends of Interest
Brain Computer Interfacing
Enhanced entertainment solutions and industrial control e.g. Pilot Assistance
Edge Computation and Spatial Computing
Analytics integration and Intelligence at data source with enhanced connectivity
Screenless Displays
Virtual Retinal Displays for image projection – Hologram
Entertainment
Volumetric Capture, Haptic Suit development, Ultra Definition Content via low latency connectivity

86
Disruptive Tech Challenges requiring solutions
- Little cross sectoral “buy in”
- Inability to take POC to real world application
- Lack of open data
- Open Data Governance framework not in place
- Trust Networks required for Policy Change
- Cyber Security for Hardware and Software
- Ethical Technology Adoption
City Deal and Smart City Initiatives are the test bed

87
Driving technology to the Edge
Edge Computation and Future Networks can drive:
Safer Autonomous Solutions
Enhanced experiences – Autonomous In Car Entertainment
Connected Transport Solutions
Energy Network Management
The Internet of Everything

88
Disruptive Business Models
Semi Autonomous Retail
Amazon Go
XaaS
Anything as a Service
- Experiences will focus on personalises experiences and enhancement
- This will require personal data value platforms, governance and engagement mechanisms

89
Advances in Stratified Medicine
- A key area of implementation of IOT is in Telehealth
- Remote digital health applications
- Favourable conditions such as isolated rural locations, low level uptake in digital
technologies and an aging demographic
- Implanted microchip based patient monitoring and precision therapeutic dosing
- Alternative to therapies that require frequent dosing or delivery – MS, Diabetes
- Automatic Dosing for patients with compliance difficulties – Dementia
- Developing countries with inaccessible healthcare

Sensor Technology
- Wearable Device
- Environmental
- Social Data
- Health Data Framework
- Activity / Interaction
Smart City – Driving Disruption
Cyber
- Data security
- Sensor / HW Security
Connectivity
- 5G
- LPWAN
- Sensor
Infrastructure
- AI / Analytics
- Computation
- Partnerships
- Distributed Ledger
Technology
- Data Storage
Immersive
- Health Care Application
- Data Review
Autonomous Vehicles
- Cyber – Side Attacks / Hardware
- Connectivity
- Sensor
- Immersive
- Edge Compute
Example
Telehealth applications

91
Conclusions
Conclusions
Emerging Technology is driving innovation across many sectors today
Global Culture Change and Circular economies will accelerate the need for disruptive tech solutions
Future advances will require
Disruptive cross sectoral thinking
Open Data frameworks
Secure, trusted and governed data networks
Solutions to business process transformation
Personalisation will be key
Entertainment, Healthcare, Retail, Tourism etc
Northern Ireland Tech Ecosystem is a perfect testbed for accelerating the development of solutions for a
global market

92
Some of our partners & clients

_
Adrian Johnston
Director, Digital Catapult NI
Adrian.Johnston@digicatapultni.org.uk
Thank you

George McKinney, Invest NI
David Sinclair, Yelo
Philip McAleese, See.Sense
Liam McQuillan, Liopa

Stephen McComb
Knowledge Transfer Network

Masterclass
A guide to writing applications
for R&D Grant Funding
Stephen Mc Comb, KTN
@mccomb_sj

Types of Funding Products
1. Competition Based Grants
2. Innovation Loans
3. Investment Accelerator
4. SBRI
5. UKRI Future Leaders (Emerging)
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Assess Suitability
• Stage of R&D – Blue sky or close to commercialisation
• Level of Government Contribution – Can I fund the gap?
• Single or Collaborative – Can I find suitable partners? Can I work with them?
• Loan or grant – Match your company needs.
• Equity – Have I considered the equity implications
• Duration – Does this match the stability of the company.
• Level of Innovation Required – Business may be profitable but unsuitable to the
competition.

Considering Eligibility Criteria
• Are You Eligible - Small/Micro, Medium or Large (EU definition), Research
Organisations, Public Sector Organisations doing research activity.
• Participation Rules - 50%/ 70% of total eligible project costs may be incurred by
business. Focus on funding to Business.
• Collaboration – Business Led, Multiple Organisations and effective partnership.
• Scope – does your project align with the competition.
• Innovation – world leading science and business which drives growth.
We would expect to see projects that align with the challenge and with a structure and rationale
of the collaboration that makes business sense.

Searching for Innovate UK funding
opportunities
https://apply-for-
innovation-
funding.service.gov.uk/co
mpetition/search

Support for businesses
Invest NI

Quick Icebreaker
Group Activity

Quality Grant Writing
The Elevator Pitch Ice Breaker
Essential 1
Essential 2
Essential 3
Beneficial 1
Beneficial 2
Skill 1
Skill 2
Skill 3
Additional 1
Additional 2
- Partner 1 = Earliest birth month/day in year
- Partner 1: Specific challenge for your company
- Partner 2: Sell your skills

How Did You Score?
1) Did you convey all the skills you have?
2) Where your skills what the funder wanted?
3) How could I have pre-understood the skills I needed?
4) How could I have communicated better the skills that I have
and they want.
@mairidillon

Answering the assessors’
prayer …
“Oh, Lord, send me a good one!”

It’s an exam and a story …
- Answer the Question
- Tell a Story
- Convince Rather than Meet the Word Count
- High Scores in all Questions

Before you Start
A well told story about robots won’t win the romantic fiction awards.
Check that your scope aligns.
If in doubt, check with lead technologists at Innovate UK. Use the
competition help. They are helpful.

… First Impressions
Project Summary
Please provide a short summary of your project.
• This is the first thing they read - ‘wow!, I get this and I like this’.
• Top tip – ‘Economist’ editorial style. 9 word sentences, active tense.

1. Need or challenge
What is the business need, citizen challenge, technological challenge or
market opportunity behind your innovation?
“Here’s an unmet business needs that is costing or denying (John/s)
value. We can develop the tech/service/product to fix this challenge and
when we do, (John/s) will buy it.”
• Depth about the wider context
• Insight on how you will solve it where others fail

1. Need or challenge
Good
Great

2. Approach and innovation
What approach will you take and where will the focus of the innovation
be?
“We will technically solve the challenge by x, y, z. This is better than
competitors a, b, c because … Based on earlier work (patent searches)
we have freedom to operate. We will deliver (this/these) outputs.”
• “and here’s a picture (Appendix Q2) that oozes ‘wow factor!’”
• A technical stretch is important – Not off the shelf

2. Approach and innovation
Good
Great

3. Team and resources
Who is in the project team and what are their roles?
“Our team is the best - and here’s a list of credentials/track record that
shows we can build it and get traction in the market. We will additionally
need (these) resources and this is where we get them”.
• Do not be shy!
• Use the competition to expand your network

3. Team and resources
Good
Great

4. Market awareness
What does the market you are targeting look like?
• The market looks like (this) and here’s the trends with numbers and
recent references that show we really know our stuff. Our target
addressable market is (sensible, conservative, argued) numbers).

4. Market awareness
Good
Great

5. Outcomes and route to market
How are you going to grow your business and increase your productivity
into the long term as a result of the project?
“The value proposition to our target customers is (how they benefit in a
business sense and it’s worth x to them). Our routes to market are
(credible ideas, preferably relevant to market identified in Q4). Currently
we sit (here) in the market but this project will take us to (there).”

5. Outcomes and route to market
Good
Great

6. Wider impacts
What impact might this project have outside the project team?
• “There are external (wider) benefits to
(economic/social/environmental/greater good stuff) attributable to this
solution being implemented and they are worth (some sort of
guestimate). Stress any regional impacts (local economy stuff).”

6. Wider impacts
Good
Great

7. Project management
How will you manage the project effectively?
“Here’s a fantastic project plan (work packages, costed, research
category, description of deliverables, management techniques and
structure”.
• “and here’s a Gantt chart (AppendixQ7)”.
• The plan lines up with all other comments and comitments made in
earlier sections.

7. Project management
Good
Great

8. Risks
What are the main risks for this project?
“Here’s a thorough risk assessment
(project/technical/commercial/environmental/regulatory/whatever)
with risk ownership assigned and sensible mitigation suggested along
with a description of how risk will be managed during the project.”
• “and here’s a nice initial risk register (AppendixQ8).”
• Top tip – this is a ‘graph question’, label the axes.

8. Risks
Good
Great

9. Additionality
Describe the impact that an injection of public funding would have
on this project.
“We seriously need support. It will not happen without it. Support
enables (faster time to market; derisking to the point where private
investors will come in; a new type of collaboration) – and look at those
awesome (stakeholder and/or wider) benefits.”

9. Additionality
Good
Great

10. Costs and value for money
How much will the project cost and how does it represent value for
money for the team and the taxpayer?
“It’s excellent value for money - look how modestly the work packages
are costed. Subcontracts are justified because (they’re the best/we
worked well with them previously/etc). The return to the tax payer
comes from (increased VAT/payroll taxes/improved
productivity/efficiency/contribution to govt strategy/etc).”

10. Costs and value for money
Good
Great

Summary
• Wow them from the off.
• Answer the questions.
• Use short, punchy sentences. Create a narrative flow.
• Bring Innovation
• Be Great not Good

Tip – Read News Articles
• Previous awards
• 5-10 years experience (Frequently International)
• Identified & quantified a problem
• Early explorations & Analysis
• The results promising with HOWEVER still
significant challenges (lack of sensitivity,
unproven, scalable)
• Lead to world firsts
• Ambitious - high risk - multidisciplinary

First Impressions Count
Group Activity

Critique
As a group consider:
• What standard is the response?
• Does it leave a lasting impression?
• How would you improve or amend?

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Original Presentation from @mairidillon