News story: Infrastructure systems for a better world: apply for funding

Innovate UK will invest in projects that stimulate innovation in infrastructure systems that provide critical services for the economy, environment and society, and create growth for UK businesses.

There is up to £5 million for projects that last between 3 and 12 months. Up to £10 million is available for projects that last up to 3 years, with costs between £100,000 and £5 million inclusive.

You can also apply into a Knowledge Transfer Partnership in infrastructure systems if you’d like to work with a recent graduate.

The opportunity

Infrastructure systems are the backbone of:

  • economic stability
  • growth
  • competitiveness
  • productivity

They are vital for social wellbeing and environmental sustainability; especially so when you consider the growing number of people, particularly in urban areas, who rely on these systems.

There is £425 billion of planned public and private infrastructure investment in the UK to meet the challenges and make the most of our world-leading capabilities in this area.

This includes infrastructure solutions in:

  • planning
  • engineering
  • architecture
  • energy
  • the intelligent mobility of people and freight
  • communications

We also have a strong base of creative start-ups in the digital economy and excellent academic research to support this aim.

Our priority areas

We’re particularly interested in projects in our priority areas for infrastructure systems. These are:

  • smart infrastructure that improves whole-life performance and/or cost and resilience
  • energy, including:
    • energy systems that flexibly match changing energy supply and demand profiles at local, regional or national scale
    • nuclear fission innovations that lead to major cost reductions, improved asset integrity and develop the supply chain
    • offshore wind innovations that result in significant reductions in the cost of energy
  • connected transport that encourages more efficient transportation of goods and people across more than one mode
  • urban living, addressing the challenges people face in urban areas

Competition information

  • the competition opens on 10 July 2017, and the deadline for registration is 13 September 2017
  • projects must be led by a UK business or research and technology organisation
  • you may work alone if you are an SME and your project is under one year with costs of less than £100,000. Otherwise, you must work with partners, including at least one SME
  • total project costs can range between £25,000 and £5 million, and last up to 3 years
  • businesses can attract up to 70% of their eligible costs, depending on their size and the project type