This document provides a summary of various digital business funding opportunities and support resources in the UK. It outlines several current public funding calls for areas such as innovation vouchers, technology feasibility studies, medical technologies, and inclusive technologies. It also lists sources of private financing, crowdfunding options, and sources of non-financial support for digital startups and existing businesses. Key upcoming events and useful reports on topics like future cities and digital payment trends are also mentioned.

1. Digital Business Briefing
December 2014

2. What is this briefing?
• A digest of useful information for UK digital
businesses seeking funding and support,
updated every month
• Brought to you by the following organisations:

3. Contents
• Live public funding calls
• Other public funding
• Private financing
• Other financing mechanisms
• Non-financial support for your business
• Relevant events
• Other information
• Useful reports

4. Live Public funding calls
Innovation Vouchers
Key feature: Innovation voucher scheme funding for start-up, micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises to work with an external expert to gain the
knowledge to innovate and grow.
Scale:
• Up to £5k funding for SMEs
Closes: on 21st January
2015
More info on innovateuk.org

5. Live Public funding calls
Technology-inspired Innovation – Feasibility Studies
Key feature: For proposals that might kick-start the delivery of
genuinely new products and services, with substantial and scalable
commercial potential.
Scale:
• For SMEs working on new projects
• Will fund up to 75% of project costs up to £25k
Closes: on 21st January
2015
More info on innovateuk.org

6. Live Public funding calls
Better interactions between people and machines
Key feature:
Scale:
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships designed to help
develop new ways for people to interact with machines
• For businesses who want to work with an academic organisation
• Will fund up to 60% of project costs
Closes: on 15th April
2015
More info on innovateuk.org

7. Live Public funding calls
Medical Technologies – Launchpad Wales
Key feature:
Scale:
Grant funding to help develop medical technology cluster
in Wales. Focuses on medical devices and data.
• For businesses who want to develop projects up to £250k
• Will fund up to 60% of project costs
• Must demonstrate benefit to Wales cluster (based, working with or
testing in Wales)
Closes: on 10th December
2014
More info on innovateuk.org

8. Live Public funding calls
Inclusive Technologies Prize
Key feature:
Scale:
• Up to £50k
A tender from Department of Work and Pensions that
gives “disabled people equal access to life’s opportunities”
• Will fund up to 100% of project
Closes: on 16th January
2015
More info on: Inclusive Technology Prize

9. Live Public funding calls
Biomedical Catalyst – Early Stage Awards
Key feature:
Scale:
Funding to develop and test solutions to healthcare
challenges – diagnostics, devices and data
• Up to £200k project size
• Will fund up to 75% of project costs
Closes: on 21st January
2015
More info on: innovate UK

10. Live Public funding calls
Biomedical Catalyst – Feasibility Grants
Key feature:
Scale:
Funding to develop and test solutions to healthcare
challenges – diagnostics, devices and data
• Up to £200k project size
• Will fund up to 75% of project costs
Closes: on 18th March
2015
More info on: innovate UK

11. Live Public funding calls -
Creative Production
Horizon 2020 ICT-19-2015
Key feature: R&D funding of new or emerging technologies (e.g. 3D and
augmented reality technologies) for digital content creation to support the
creative and media industries and for unlocking complex information and
media and interacting with them.
Scale: €561,000,000
Opens:15th October 2014 Closes: 14th April 2015
Further info: Horizon 2020 website, UK list of National Contact Points for
Horizon 2020 and the Enterprise Europe Networks

12. Public funding calls –
Learning Technology
Horizon 2020 ICT-20-2015
Key feature: This challenge encourages public procurement of innovative
solutions to address the needs of the digital learning ecosystem in making
better use of educational cloud solutions, mobile technology, learning
analytics and big data, and to facilitate the use, re-use and creation of
learning material and new ways to educate and learn online.
Scale: €561,000,000
Opens:15th October 2014 Closes: 14th April 2015
Further info: Horizon 2020 website, UK list of National Contact Points for
Horizon 2020 and the Enterprise Europe Networks

13. Public funding calls –
Internet of Things
Horizon 2020 ICT-30-2015
Key feature: The evolution of the Internet of Things embedded in
Smart Environments and Platforms forming a web of "everythings"
has been identified as one of the next big concepts to support societal
changes and economic growth at an annual rate estimated at 20%.
Scale: €561,000,000
Opens:15th October 2014 Closes: 14th April 2015
Further info: Horizon 2020 website, UK list of National Contact Points
for Horizon 2020 and the Enterprise Europe Networks

14. Live Public funding calls –
Cities
An integrated future for cities
Key feature: large-scale SBRI contracts to encourage new ways of
achieving better integration of infrastructure and services across a
city. Contracts will be to develop prototypes, must link up cities and
will enable users to interact with multiple models to tackle different city
problems.
Scale:
• Contracts of between £1.5 - 2m – 100% funded
• Single contract, but able to sub-contract out work
Closes: registration closes on 7 January 2015
More info on innovateuk.org

15. Live funding calls
"Smart" grants for start-ups and small businesses
Key feature: A grant scheme which offers funding to small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in R&D projects in the
strategically important areas of science, engineering and technology.
Scale:
• Proof of market - up to £25k - 60% of project cost
• Proof of concept - up to £100k - 60% of project cost
• Prototype development - up to £250k - up to 45% of project cost
Closes: 29th January
2015
More info on innovateuk.org

16. Live funding calls
Cognicity Challenge
Key feature: Prize fund in 4 challenge areas of Internet of Things.
Winners will get to pilot their projects across the Canary Wharf estate
in East London
Scale:
• 4 X £50k challenge prizes – incubated and developed with
support over a 12 week period
Closes: 19th December 2014
More info on www.cognicity.london

17. Other public funding
Funding Central and Finance Finder websites
Key features: Online guide to over 4,000 grants, contracts and other
forms of finance:
• Fully searchable based on finance type, scale and your
geographical location
• Constantly updated – especially good for businesses seeking
charitable or grant funding
More info on Funding Central and Finance Finder

18. Public Investment
Nesta Impact Investment Fund
Key feature: An equity investment fund investing in social ventures with
innovative products or services that are addressing some of the UK’s most
pressing challenges. Investments are made in areas that tackle:
• the health and wellbeing of an ageing population
• the educational attainment and employability of children and young people
• the social and environmental sustainability of communities.
Scale: between £150k - £1m
Closes: on-going
More info on Nesta Investments

19. Private financing
Connect Ventures, London – invest in mobile, internet and digital media
businesses; invest at the early stage and focus on seed investments;
investment size ranges from £200K-£600k
Edge Investments, London - specialist investment house focused on the
creative industries sector, in particular media and entertainment, which has
raised more than £145m since launch
Growth Accelerator, Cornwall – provided by some of the UK’s leading
growth specialists; works with businesses from a diverse range of sectors;
key eligibility criteria include fewer than 250 employees and annual turnover
under £40m
Index Ventures, London, San Francisco & Geneva – venture capital firm
making investments in information technology and life sciences companies,
since 1996 they have teamed up with technology entrepreneurs in more
than 30 countries

20. Private financing
Ingenious Media, London – a UK media investment and advisory group with
operating divisions of Investments, Ventures, Asset Management and
Corporate Finance; since 1998 they have raised and invested over £9bn in
the media and entertainment, clean energy and real estate sectors
Notion Capital, London – invest in B2B Cloud & SaaS companies who have
sustained 100% Year-over-Year growth; investment areas include adtech,
communications and collaboration tools, ecommerce, enterprise software,
fintech and security; portfolio raised over £200m in 2014
Silicon Valley Bank – global bank dedicated to the innovation sector with
focus on technology businesses; have supported clients such as Shazam,
The Foundry and Cambridge Broadband Networks

21. Other financing mechanisms
Crowdfunder.co.uk – UK’s largest crowdfunding network having launched
1000’s of projects and raised over £2m, platform launched by KEO digital
and partners include Nesta and Plymouth University
Funding Circle – an online marketplace which allows savers to lend money
directly to SMEs; the first site to use peer-to-peer lending for business
funding in the UK; as of February 2014 Funding Circle has facilitated £223
in loans to SMEs
Kickstarter.com – a global crowdfunding platform based in the United
States; the company’s stated mission is to help to bring creative projects to
life; since launching in 2009, 7m people have pledged $1bn, funding 70,000
creative projects
Seedcamp is a London based accelerator that provides startups with seed
money, mentorship, office space, support over a year long programme.

22. Launching a new digital business?
• The Open Data Institute runs a start-up programme that helps
start-ups build business models around open data
• Tech City UK offers advice and support to start-ups looking for
guidance in and around London. It has just launched its Digital
Business Academy. Tech City UK can also endorse visa
applications to help recruit talent to Britain.
• Innovate UK - IC tomorrow connects start-ups and SMEs with
leading commercial partners and investors, through funded
contests, events, and strategic matchmaking opportunities.
• Transmit Start Ups provide financial support and mentoring to
creative and digital entrepreneurs that would not normally be
available via traditional banking relationships.

23. Are you an existing digital business
seeking non-financial advice or support?
• Nesta runs a creative business mentor network for digital
businesses looking to grow
• The UKTI offers advice to help with exporting
• Tech City UK can help advise on inward investment
• The British Business Angels Association can help put you
in touch with relevant business angel investors
• The Digital Catapult can help you showcase your business

24. Are you an existing digital business
seeking advice or support?
• Subsidised costs to work with a specialist to build and
deliver business growth – GrowthAccelerator
• Use the IP Health check to identify commercial IP in your
business
• AngelList – helps source angel investors

25. Personal Data and Trust Network
A digital business network to build and nurture a community that
brings together industry, the public sector, funders, research
organisations and innovators to support the UK in becoming the
global leader in trust and responsible innovation with personal data.
For more information and to join, visit the Digital Catapult website

26. Training and skills
Develop your skills with these world-class courses:
• Training in Open Data from the Open Data Institute
• Digital Project Management – via @IABUK
• Digital Acceleration – via @hyperisland_uk
• Digital training – via @Econsultancy – e-marketing courses

27. Key events in December
• RE.WORK Future Cities - London, 4th-5th December
• THINK Cloud Vendors - London, 9th December
• Cambridge Wireless: ‘Living in the Virtual World’ - Cambridge, 9th
December
• The KTN is running workshops across the UK on Solving Urban
Challenges with Data
• Wired Sussex events – via @WiredSussex
• Manchester events – via @McrDig
• For all events in and around London, check out Tech City News

28. Useful reports/ market research
• The Scale-Up Report – Sherry Coutu CBE urges the UK to put
more focus on growing companies
• 2014 Startup Job Trends – from Adzuna and Silicon
Milkroundabout, finds that 1)Tech start-ups are paying 26% above
the market rate for the best talent 2) their hiring is up 80%
• Report of the Digital Government Review – recommends ways to
improve trust and engagement between the government and its
digital citizens
• Over half of UK shoppers now regularly using digital wallets -
research by online payment and digital wallet provider Skrill (HQ:
Ldn) finds major generational gap in paying habits

29. Something else we've missed?
Please let us know: digitaleconomy@ktn-uk.org
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