News story: Strengthening local places and regions: apply for funding

UK Research and Innovation has up to £50 million each for place-based consortia to work together, build on existing research and innovation capabilities and grow the local economy.

Businesses and research organisations that are located closely together can collaborate with local partners on research and innovation projects that create an economic improvement in a particular geographic area.

This is part of the Strength in Places Fund, announced in the Industrial Strategy white paper. The fund will tackle the regional disparities across the UK and grow prosperous communities.

A 2-stage application

The competition is being run in 2 phases.

In this first phase, we are seeking expressions of interests that set out plans for large collaborative consortia. There is up to £50,000 each for consortia in ‘seed corn’ funding, which is money invested in a project at the beginning with the intention that this will produce a profit.

Successful projects will then be invited to bid in a second phase. Individual consortia can get up to £50 million to develop full-scale proposals. Projects in this phase are expected to start in June 2019 and complete by April 2024.

Competition information

• the competition is open, and the deadline for expressions of interest is at midday on 25 July 2018
• there is up to £50,000 each for consortia in the first phase, and between £10 million and £50 million each in the second phase to develop your project further
• a business, university, research institute, Catapult centre or research and technology organisation can lead a project
• consortia must include at least one business and one research organisation. Other members could include local civic partners including Local Enterprise Partnerships, combined authorities, enterprise bodies and other, similar economic agencies
• briefing events will be held throughout May and June 2018