News story: Game-changing ideas for civil aerospace: apply for funding

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, working through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) and Innovate UK, has up to £4 million to develop world-leading civil aerospace technologies.

Organisations can submit their interest in one of 2 competitions for:

• fast-track collaborative research and development projects
• longer-term collaborative research and development projects

Projects must be in line with the UK aerospace technology strategy, Raising Ambition. This strategy is supported by an annual investment of £150 million by the UK government in research and technology development.

A further £4 million will be on offer for feasibility studies in 2019.

Fast-track collaborative research and development

Exploit technology within 3 to 5 years

Up to £2 million is available for fast-track projects that could be exploited within 3 to 5 years.

Projects could look at:

• sensing for harsh environments and integrated vehicle health monitoring
• coping with extreme conditions
• creating secure, smart, connected and efficient sub-systems
• technologies to improve factory efficiency

Fast-track competition information

• the competition opens on 24 September 2018, and the deadline for expressions of interest is midday on 5 December 2018
• projects that meet the quality threshold will be invited to make a full funding application
• an SME can lead a project, working with other businesses or research organisations
• we expect projects to range in size from £425,000 to £1 million and to last between 1 and 2 years
• businesses could attract up to 50% of their project costs
• you will need to sign up to the ATI framework agreement to be eligible to apply

Collaborative research and development

Longer-term returns

Up to £2 million is available for longer-term collaborations, the results of which could be exploited in 5 years or more.

Themes include:

• how to enable single crew operations
• machines and electronics that allow for more electric aircraft
• supporting the next generation of materials and processes
• preliminary design and trade tools for future aircraft and systems

Competition information

• the competition opens on 24 September 2018, and the deadline for expressions of interest is midday on 5 December 2018
• projects that meet the quality threshold will be invited to make a full funding application
• a business must lead the project, working with other businesses or research organisations
• we expect projects to range in size from £425,000 to £1.5 million and to last up to 3 years
• businesses could attract up to 50% of their project costs
• you will need to sign up to the ATI framework agreement to be eligible to apply