ISCF Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Competition Briefing - Feasibility Studies & Enabling Research - Innovate UK

UK Research
and Innovation
Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging: feasibility
studies and industrial research
Applicant briefing
16 January 2020 © Image courtesy of NB: Studio Ltd

UK Research
and Innovation
10.00: Arrival and Registration
10.15: Welcome and Introduction to the event David Blanchard - SSPPProgramme Management Board
10.20: An introduction to the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge Paul
Davidson - SSPPChallenge Director
10.45: Presentations by Innovate UK competition team Nick Cliffe, Sharon McHugh
11.30: Q&A
11.50: Coffee break
12.05: How the KTN can help you apply for the Plastics Innovation competition,
Veronica Sanchez-Romaguera
12.20: Enabling Research – a preview
12.45: Lunch + Networking
14:00: Formal Close
Agenda

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and Innovation
Welcome and Introductions
David Blanchard
Chair of the SSPP Challenge Advisory Group

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and Innovation
An introduction to the Smart Sustainable Plastic
Packaging Challenge
Paul Davidson
Challenge Director

UK Research
and Innovation
We work with the government
to invest over £7 billion a year
in research and innovation by partnering
with academia and industry to make the
impossible, possible. Through the UK’s
nine leading academic and industrial
funding councils, we create knowledge
with impact.

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and Innovation
AIM
OBJECTIVES
To establish the UK as a leading innovator in
smart and sustainable plastic packaging for
consumer products, delivering cleaner growth
across the supply chain, with a dramatic
reduction in plastic waste entering the
environment by 2025.
- To unlock a significant overall increase in R&I spend
(government and industry).
- To deliver R&I to support more sustainable plastic
packaging in line with the UK Plastic Pact targets.
- To increase UK plastic packaging supply chain
collaboration.
TARGET
Underlying principle …

UK Research
and Innovation
The SSPP Programme
R&D
Demonstration
Core Enabling
Research
A £2M
investment to
drive
collaboration
and systemic
change
An £8M
investment in
academic
research to
support
industry needs
An £50M
investment in
business –led
R&D,
including ‘first
of a kind’
demonstrators

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and Innovation
The SSPP Programme - Core

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and Innovation
The SSPP Programme – Enabling Research

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and Innovation
The SSPP Programme – R&D
Feasibility
DemonstratorIndustrial Research
Experimental Development

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and Innovation
Demonstrator and Demonstrator Proposals
Round 1
• Budget - £12 million
• 25% of eligible project cost
• £2M to £48M – unless agreed
• Up to 3 years
• Must be collaborative
• Business-led & involve at least
one SME
• experimental development
Proposals
• Budget - £700,000
• Standard funding model (e.g.
70% for SME)
• [RANGE]
• Single company or collaborative
(can be led by RTO)
• Up to 3 months
• feasibility study
Open since 9th December, closing date 19th February

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and Innovation
Scope – Feasibility Studies & Industrial Research
Nick Cliffe
Deputy Challenge Director

UK Research
and Innovation
Scope
Your project must aim to:
• help make the plastics packaging supply chain more circular
• deliver the targets of the UK Plastics Pact
• improve on current state-of-the-art plastic packaging, while still demonstrating
practical and close-to-market solutions
Your proposal must:
• show how your project supports the objectives of the Pact and delivers systemic
change
• clearly explain how you would reduce the UK plastic packaging system’s overall
environmental impact

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Pact Targets
• 100% of plastic packaging to
be reusable, recyclable or
compostable.
• 70% of plastic packaging
effectively recycled or
composted.
• 30% average recycled content
across all plastic packaging.
• Take actions to eliminate
problematic or unnecessary
single-use packaging items
through redesign, innovation
or alternative (reuse) delivery
models.

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and Innovation
Materials Innovation
For example:
• new, recyclable polymer materials
• biopolymers
• improving ‘compatibilisation’ (making it
easier to use more recycled content)
• alternatives to plastics for packaging
applications (such as mycelium
materials to replace expanded
polystyrene) where plastic is the only
current option

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and Innovation
Design innovation
for example:
• design for recyclability
• design for reuse
• making food delivery and other
delivery packaging more
recyclable
• ‘Smart’ marking and
identification technologies to
make sorting easier

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and Innovation
Technology Innovation
For example:
• reuse processes such as cleaning
• collection
• sorting and separation
• mechanical recycling
• chemical recycling
• anaerobic digestion or
composting of compostable
packaging

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and Innovation
Business Model innovation
For example:
• reusable packaging systems such as
refill
• zero packaging business models and
systems
• consumer or business behavioral
change

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and Innovation
Projects out of Scope
We are not funding project which:
• do not have plastic packaging as the primary focus
• encourage or facilitate the export of plastic packaging whist still classified
as a waste
• use or manufacture either a liquid fuel or a solid fuel, such as refuse-
derived fuel or solid-recovered fuel, as the primary product

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and Innovation
Project Criteria
• Project cost between £30K and £100K
• Maximum grant is 40% of eligible project cost, but can be shared amongst
partners in collaborative projects up to state aid guidelines
• Projects must start by August 2020
• Project duration is up to 12 months
• Can be single business (any size) or collaborative
• Feasibility Study or Industrial Research

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Q3 – System Change
Question 3. System change and UK Plastics Pact targets
We will score this question out of 15.
Taking a systems perspective, explain how this project delivers systemic changes towards delivery
of UK Plastics Pact targets relative to the current state of the art. Before answering, read the
supporting information for definitions of systems perspective, lifecycle approach and environment
impacts.
Describe or explain:
• the elements of the supply chain to be considered, which form the system boundaries of your
project
• the ways your project would deliver a change in the system, for example a change in consumer
behavior, an increase in recycling rate or reduction in the use of virgin plastic
• how this project would contribute to delivering against one or more of the 4 targets adopted by
the UK Plastics Pact if it is delivered at scale.

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Q4 Environmental Impact
Question 4. Environmental benefits
We will score this question out of 15.
Taking a systems perspective explain how your project will change the environmental impact
(positive or negative) of the component or components of the plastic packaging system your project
is intended to replace.
Are there any trade-offs in terms of environmental benefits and impacts?
You must take a lifecycle approach and consider any additives and other chemicals (such as glues
or inks) and/or materials that are used in the manufacture of a finished product, as well as process
wastes.
Consider the following areas in your answer:
• how your project will prevent or reduce plastic packaging escaping into the environment, such as
by increasing collection rates
• the direct and indirect carbon footprint impacts of your project compared to the current state of the
art, including both logistics and the production of carbon dioxide by biodegradation if applicable.

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Q4 Environmental Impact - continued
• the likely consequences of human exposure to any plastics your project could release to the
environment
• the likely consequences other species (such as fish, marine mammals or birds) in the natural
environment being exposed to any plastics your project could release to the environment
• other environmental impacts not covered by the above categories
If your material is of biological origin describe the impact on land use (for example, displacement of
food crops).
If a life cycle analysis (LCA) is available, you can submit it as a PDF appendix no larger than 10MB
and up to 4 A4 pages long to support your answer. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

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Eligibility Criteria
Sharon McHugh
Portfolio Manager

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and Innovation
Resubmission Not a resubmission
A resubmission is:
an application Innovate UK judges as not
materially different from one you've submitted
before (but it can be updated based on the
assessors' feedback)
A brand-new application/project/idea that you
have not previously submitted into an Innovate
UK competition
OR
A previously unsuccessful or ineligible
application:
ü has been updated based on assessor
feedback
ü and is materially different from the
application submitted before
ü and fits with the scope of this competition
Resubmissions
This competition does allow resubmissions.

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and Innovation
Project Eligibility
ü To lead a project or work alone your organisation must:
ü Lead must be a registered UK
ü You must carry out your project in the UK
ü Exploit the results from / in the UK
To collaborate your organisation must:
ü be a UK registered business, academic institution,
charity, public sector organisation or RTO
ü carry out its project work in the UK
ü intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
ü be invited to take part by the lead applicant
ü enter its costs in the Innovation Funding Service
Project cost £30,000 - £100,000
Project length
Up to 12 months
Projects to start by Aug 20 and end by Sep 21
Eligibility criteria

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and Innovation
• Business – Small/Micro, Medium or Large (EU definition) registered in the UK
• Research Organisation (RO):
• Universities (HEIs)
• Non profit distributing Research & Technology Organisation (RTO) including Catapults
• Public Sector Research Establishments (PSRE)
• Research Council Institutes (RCI)
• Public sector organisations and charities doing research activity
• Check out the EU definition of a business (it may affect the grant you are able to claim)
http://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/business-friendly-environment/sme-definition_en
• If you are 100% owned by a large parent company as a small subsidiary this means by EU rules you are classed as a
large company and will only be entitled to the relevant grant
Types of organisations we fund

UK Research
and Innovation
Eligibility for State Aid
• Innovate UK is offering funding for this competition under the General Block Exemption Regulation. This is
available to eligible UK businesses.
• We are unable to grant funding to limited liability companies meeting the condition known as ‘undertakings in
difficulty’.
• This is where more than half of a company’s subscribed share capital has disappeared as a result of
accumulated losses.
• This test only applies to companies that are more than 3 years old.
• If you have a parent company the test can be performed on your parent or holding company.
• When submitting an application you must certify that you are eligible for state aid. If you are unsure, please
take legal advice before applying.
• Should you be successful, we will apply this test as part of our viability checks before confirming the grant
offer.
• Further information is available on our website in the general guidance under state aid

UK Research
and Innovation
State Aid – Article 25
• Funding for R&D projects split in to 3 categories; Feasibility studies, Industrial research & Experimental development.
• Applies to almost all sectors of the economy and has a wide range of eligible costs. Pre-approved state aid covers:
o Aid for research and development and innovation,
o Regional aid
o Aid to SMEs in the form of investment aid,
operating aid and SMEs access to finance,
o Aid for environmental protection,
o Training aid,
o Recruitment and employment aid for
disadvantaged workers or workers with
disabilities.
o Aid to make good the damage caused by certain
natural disasters,
o Social aid for transport for residents for remote
regions,
o Aid for broadband infrastructures,
o Aid for culture and heritage conservation,
o Aid for sport and multifunctional recreational
infrastructures,
o Aid for local infrastructure.
• Special rules apply to:
o Fisheries, agriculture,
o Companies in difficulty,
o Companies undergoing a state aid recovery order.

UK Research
and Innovation
• The aim of our State Aid scheme is to:
• optimise the level of funding to business and
• recognise the importance of research base to project
• At least 70% of total eligible project costs must be incurred by business
• The maximum level (30% of project costs) is shared by all research organisations in the
project
Participation Rules

UK Research
and Innovation
In all collaborative projects there must be:
• at least two organisations claiming grant within the application (including the lead)
• evidence of effective collaboration
• we would expect to see the structure and rationale of the collaboration described in
the application.
What is collaboration?

UK Research
and Innovation
Making more than one application
• Any one business can lead on one application and collaborate in a further two applications.
• If a business is not leading on an application, they can collaborate in up to three applications.
• A research and technology organisation or academic institution can collaborate on any number of
applications.

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and Innovation
Other Innovate UK projects
• If you have an outstanding final claim and/or Independent Accountant Report (IAR) on a live
Innovate UK project, you will not be eligible to apply for grant funding in this competition, as a lead
or a partner organisation.
• If you applied to a previous competition as the lead or sole company and were awarded funding
by Innovate UK but did not make a substantial effort to exploit that award, we will award no more
funding to you.

UK Research
and Innovation
Timeline Dates
Competition Opens 13 January 2020
Briefing Event 16 January 2020
Submission Deadline 1 April 2020
Applicants informed 15 May 2020
Key Dates

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and Innovation
The Innovation Funding Service (IFS)

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and Innovation
Search for a funding competition and review
criteria

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and Innovation
Applicant: create an account
To create your account:
UK based businesses - Use Companies House lookup as it speeds
up our checks by providing your company number and you are unable
to enter it at a later date
Research organisations, academics & Universities - Enter your
information manually so you’re not listed as a business on IFS and
ensure you receive the correct funding

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and Innovation
Project Details
• Application Team
- Collaborators: Invite organisations who you are working with on the project
- Contributors: Invite colleagues from your own organisation to help you complete your application
• Application Details
- Title, Timescales, Research Category, Innovation Area & Resubmission (y/n)
• Project Summary
- Short summary and objectives of the project including what is innovative about it
• Public Description
- Description of your project which will be published if you are successful
• Scope - How does your project align with the scope of this competition?

UK Research
and Innovation
Application form
Question 1 Need or challenge
Question 2 Approach and innovation
Question 3 System change and UK Plastics Pact Targets
Question 4 Environmental benefits
Question 5 Team and Resources
Question 6 Markey awareness
Question 7 Outcomes and route to market
Question 8 Wider economic and social impacts
Question 9 Project management
Question 10 Risks
Question 11 Added value
Question 12 Costs and value for money
Appendix Q2
Appendix Q4
Appendix Q9
Appendix Q1
Application Questions
Detailed Guidance
Available on IFS
Appendix Q10
Appendix Q12

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and Innovation
Application Finances

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and Innovation
To claim funding:
Your business does not have to be UK registered with Companies House when you apply but it must be
registered before you can receive funding.
You are unable to claim funding if:
• You are an overseas organisation so your company number begins with FC
• You organisation is setup as a branch so your company number begins with BR
• Your company is based in Jersey so your company number begins with JE

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and Innovation
Ineligible:
• Dividends
• Bonuses
• Non productive time
Eligible:
• Staff working directly on project
• Paid by PAYE
• NI, pension, non-discretionary
costs
Labour

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and Innovation
Overheads
Innovate UK’s definition: additional costs and
operational expenses incurred directly as a result of
the project. These could include additional costs for
administrative staff, general IT, rent and utilities
Indirect (administration) overheads
• please ensure they are additional and
directly attributable to the delivery of the
project
Direct overheads
• E.g. office utilities, IT infrastructure, laptop
provision not covered by capital usage
• must be directly attributable to the project
• Provide detailed breakdown together with
methodology/basis of apportionment

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and Innovation
Material costs
Please be clear on what the materials
are, just putting consumables doesn’t
provide enough detail and we will
request more information should you
be successful

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and Innovation
Capital equipment usage
Eligible:
• Used in the project or shared with day-to-day
production
Calculations will need to be in line with your accounting
practices.
Even if the equipment is depreciated fully over the life of the project
this must be added under capital equipment.

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and Innovation
Subcontractors
Eligible:
• Justified and quantified
• If using non-UK sub-contractors are being
used you will need to provide strong
justification on why an UK-based sub-
contractor is not being used
• If you’re sub-contracting to a parent or sister
company, please ensure you list at cost and
do not include profit.

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and Innovation
Travel & subsistence
Eligible:
Costs must be directly linked to the project
Please breakdown your costs as follows:
• Travel
• Accommodation
• Subsistence
If you have an annual trip to visit
the parent company this is not an eligible cost

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and Innovation
Other costs
Eligible:
• Costs that could not be added under previous
headings.
• Do not double count
• Patent filing costs for new IP – SMEs
up to £7,500

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and Innovation
Funding
• Funding rules
• The level of funding awarded will depend upon the type of organisation and the type of
research being undertaken in the project
• Funding is calculated by project participant
• IFS will advise the maximum grant % you can request based upon your answers to:
• Type (and size) of organisation
• Research category defined by the lead applicant in the Application Details section of the
application

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and Innovation
Organisation /
type of activity
Technical feasibility studies
and industrial research
Experimental development Notes
Business
(economic activity)
Micro/Small – 70%
Medium – 60%
Large – 50%
Micro/Small – 45%
Medium – 35%
Large – 25%
Research Organisation
(non-economic activity)
Universities – 100% (80% of
Full Economic Costs)
Other research organisations
can claim 100% of their
project costs
Other research organisations must:
• be non-profit distributing and
• disseminate the project results &
• explain in the application form how this will be done
Public Sector Organisation or
Charity
(non-economic activity) 100% of eligible costs
Must be:
• Be performing research activity &
• disseminate project results & explain in the application form how this will
be done
• ensure that the eligible costs do not include work / costs already funded
from other public sector bodies
Research Organisations
(undertaking economic
activities) Organisations
receive funding related to the
size of their organisation
Micro/Small – 70%
Medium – 60%
Large – 50%
Micro/Small – 45%
Medium – 35%
Large – 25%
Funding dependent upon type of organisation

UK Research
and Innovation
Funding Example for this SSPP competition
Organisation Total Cost Max Rate Max Grant Note
Partner A (Micro or Small) £28,000 70% of project cost £19,600.0
Partner B (Large) £31,000 50% of project cost £15,500.0
Partner C (Medium) £18,000 60% of project cost £10,800.0
Partner D (RTO) non-economic £12,000 Up to 30% Total Cost £12,000.0
Less than 30% of
total cost
Total Project Cost £89,000
Max Grant (40% of total cost) £35,600
Funding is capped at 40% of total cost, but can be divided up according
to state aid rules
Grant Note
Partner A £19,600 Max grant permitted
Partner B £0 No grant claimed
Partner C £4,000 Less than 60%
Partner D £12,000 Full cost
£35,600
A possible
breakdown

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and Innovation
Academic Partners

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Why Je-S?
• We use the Research Councils’ Joint Electronic Submission System (Je-S) to collect academic
finances
• The Je-S system automates the collection of Full Economic Costs (FEC) based costs from
academic partners and tells them exactly what numbers should be used in the application form for
their costs
• Also to collect project finance details from non-HEIs (e.g. RTOs) that are claiming they are
carrying out academic quality work and want to be funded on an FEC basis
• Using Je-S means that Innovate UK follows standard Research Council guidelines on funding
universities and enables Research Councils to easily co-fund Innovate UK projects

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and Innovation
• Enter the TSB reference number here
• Enter the TSB Contribution column
figures from your J-eS output document
into the project costs section of the
application
• Upload the Je-S with council status form
as a PDF at the bottom of the screen
Project costs – academic partners

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Je-S application elements
Not just the financials
• E.g. Justification of resources
• E.g. Pathways to impact
Full details on the Je-S system
Queries about Je-S via the Je-S Helpdesk
• JeSHelp@je-s.ukri.org
• 01793 444164

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Submitting your application

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Project cost summary
All organisations can see a summary
of project costs
Ensure the highlighted costs fits the
criteria for this competition £30k-£100k

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Checking your finances are complete
IFS checks
• all organisations have marked
their finances as complete
• research organisation
participation is no greater than
30% of the total project costs

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Submit your application early!
Be aware of the
potential for last
minute technical
issues!

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Assessment

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Application assessment
All applications are assessed by independent assessors drawn from industry and academia
What do they look for?
• Clear and concise answers
• The right amount of information
• not too much detail
• no assumptions
• Quantification and justification
• A proposal that presents a viable opportunity for growth, a level of innovation that
necessitates public sector investment and has the right team and approach to be successful
Keep your assessors
engaged and interested in
your proposal. You want
them to be fascinated and
excited by your idea!

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and Innovation
Note on feedback
• The feedback is compiled using the written comments of the independent assessors who
review and assess the applications.
• It is intended to be constructive in nature and to highlight both the strong as well as the weak
areas of your application.
• Please bear in mind that because applications are assessed by a number of assessors, you
may receive information which appears to be conflicting. This may reflect their different
interpretations of the proposal that you submitted.
• It must also be noted that some proposals may appear to have been favourably assessed
based on their comments, in such instances it could be that your proposal simply fell below the
funding threshold, with others achieving a higher merit score overall.

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and Innovation
Scoring
We review scores and feedback to check assessors are adhering to our guidelines and scoring fairly.
In some cases, where we feel a score is unjust and not supported by feedback, we may remove that
score as an outlier and update the total score for the application.
Please be aware that both low and high outliers may be removed and as a result scores may
increase or decrease.
If outliers are removed we are unable to reflect this change in the scores you receive as part
of your feedback due to this decision being completed outside the system

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and Innovation
Application assessment
• The score spread shows the difference between the top and bottom
scores
• If score spread is 30 or more, we will look to see if an outlier is
apparent
• If 3 or more appear in either the two columns Count of No Scope or
Count of No Recc’d we review the applications feedback and if
justified, the application will not be eligible for funding.

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• The green box = particular assessors scores on an application
• The purple box = set of scores for a particular question
• The red box = at first glance this looks like an outlier
Identifying outliers

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Assessor feedback

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Project setup for successful applicants

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IFS for successful applicants
Project Set up: 8 steps to complete
• Applicable to all grant claiming partners
• Must be completed within 30 days - projects must start
within 90 days or funding may be withdrawn
• Confirmation of your bank account is required to ensure we are
paying the correct organisation you may/will be asked to
provide a redacted bank statement to confirm this
• Project change requests cannot be submitted before the
project starts

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Project set up
All grant claiming project partners will be required to complete project set up. To avoid delays you
should consider:
• Who will be the project manager?
• Who will be the finance contact for each consortium member?
• How will your consortium be set up? (if applicable)

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Collaboration agreement
Original agreement signed by all participants
Key Features:
• Who is in the consortium?
• What are the aims, and how is the work divided up?
• Ownership of IPR
• Management of consortium
Negotiating a Collaboration Agreement can be complex and time consuming. Start work on
this at an early stage in the process.

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Grant claims and payments
• All grants are claimable quarterly in arrears
• Claims can only be made for costs incurred and paid between the project start and end dates
• Claims may be subject to an independent audit (including all academic partners) according to grant size
• Claims are only paid once quarterly reporting and necessary audits are complete
• Projects over 6 months are monitored on a quarterly basis including a visit from the appointed
Monitoring Officer. Anything outside of this will be discussed on a case by case basis.
• The monitoring will be carried out against a detailed project plan and financial forecast

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Project Change Requests (PCR) TBC
• We are unable to process any PCRs before the Grant Offer Letter is issued
• If a member of your collaboration has failed UiD and is unable to resolve you will be
advised to withdraw and apply into the next round of the competition
• PCRs will only be agreed and authorised by Head of Operational Delivery

UK Research
and Innovation
Customer Support Services:
0300 321 4357 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5:30pm)
support@innovateuk.ukri.org
Knowledge Transfer Network:
www.ktn-uk.co.uk
Innovate UK:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk
Q&A

ISCF Smart Sustainable Plastic
Packaging: Enabling Research
Briefing – 16 January 2020
Sara Banning
Innovation Lead

Academic led projects:
To support research that addresses widely understood
problems in relation to plastic packaging, whose solutions are
unknown today, but which if solved will unlock existing
barriers to fundamental systems change and make an
important contribution to achieving the objectives of the
SSPP Challenge.
Aim of the Enabling Research workstream

SSPP Enabling Research objectives
The specific SSPP programme objectives that apply to the Enabling
Research workstream are:
• To deliver innovative R&I to support more sustainable plastic
packaging in line with the UK Plastics Pact targets.
• To increase UK plastic packaging supply chain collaboration in order
to improve sustainability.
• To increase understanding of environmental impacts of existing and
new plastic packaging to inform new and improved design,
technologies and processes.
• To increase understanding of behaviour on the sustainability of plastic
packaging to inform new and improved design, technologies,
processes and business models.

What we’re looking for
Your research should:
• be problem-led, addressing widely understood problems associated with plastic
packaging for consumer products (e.g. food, household, cosmetics, medical etc.)
• be framed in the context of its impact on activities and environmental consequences
across the plastic packaging supply chain
• draw upon relevant expertise from across multiple academic disciplines, where
appropriate to the proposed research
• where relevant, engage with project partners from the business community and third
sector organisations to co-create research questions
• consider implications and outcomes for relevant actors across the plastics supply chain

Indicative research themes
Indicative research themes that span the packaging supply chain include:
• Behavioural insights (consumer and business)
• Supply chain, and business and economic models
• New plastic packaging designs,
• New recyclable materials,
• Recycling technologies and processes
• Environmental impacts of existing and new plastics

Funding available
To fund a breadth of research projects from across the plastic
packaging supply chain that addresses current knowledge gaps
hindering transformation of the plastic packaging system.
• Up to £8m (80%FEC) is available. UKRI anticipates supporting
around 10 projects.
• A range of projects lasting between 18 – 36 months will be supported
to develop a balanced portfolio.
• Projects lasting 36 months are expected to start from 1 November
2020.

Eligibility
This call is open to UKRI eligible research organisations fitting the criteria below:
• UKRI grants may be held at approved UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs),
approved Research Council Institutes (RCIs) and approved Independent Research
Organisations (IROs).
• Non-academic organisations such as businesses, NGOs, local and national
policymakers are encouraged and should be recorded as Project Partners.
• Investigators may participate as a Co-I or a PI in a maximum of two proposals
submitted to this call and only one of these may be as the lead Principal Investigator
(PI).
• IIASA Co-investigator eligibility rules apply to this call. Further details are available at:
https://nerc.ukri.org/funding/application/eligibility/.

Application and Assessment timelines
Application
• Outline proposal closing date: 16:00 17th March 2020
- Submitted using the Research Councils’ Joint Electronic Submission system (Je-S)
• Full Proposal closing date: 16:00 16th June 2020
- Submitted using the Research Councils’ Joint Electronic Submission system (Je-S)
• Interview panel: w/c 14th September 2020
Assessment
• Outline Proposals will be assessed by an independent interdisciplinary panel.
• Full Proposals will be peer-reviewed with selected proposals invited to interview panel.
Applicants will receive the external reviewer comments to help prepare for the
interview. PIs will not have the opportunity to send a written response prior to the panel.
• Contact: plastics@nerc.ukri.org

Application Requirements and Criteria – Outline Proposals
Application includes:
• Completed Je-S form
• Case for Support – no more than 4 sides of A4, including:
- the proposed research, its context and how it addresses the assessment criteria
- a track record of the team
- the contribution of any project partners
Assessment Criteria
• Fit to Scheme
• potential for Excellence

Application Requirements – Full Proposals
Application includes:
• Completed Je-S form
• Case for Support – up to 8 sides of A4, including:
- an outline of the project and anticipated outcomes that describes the proposed
work and how it address the assessment criteria
- a track record of the team
- the contribution of any project partners
• Pathways to impact
• CVs
• Justification of resources
• Outline data management plan
• Letters of support – for project partners ONLY

Assessment Criteria – Full Proposals
Scientific Excellence
• Demonstrate the originality and quality of the
proposed research
• Potential to address the problem(s) in relation
to plastic packaging as appropriate to the
Enabling Research workstream
• Extent to which solutions will unlock existing
barriers to fundamental systems change
Fit to scheme
• Contribution towards delivering systemic changes
that support UK Plastics Pact targets
• Potential to deliver sustainable environmental,
societal and/or economic benefits
• Complementarity with UK research already
funded in the area across the UKRI portfolio
• Complementarity with institutional strengths
• Potential for collaboration across the plastic
packaging supply chain, where appropriate.
• Potential to leverage match funding from project
partners, where relevant.

@UKRI_news UK Research and Innovation UK Research and Innovation

ISCF Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Competition Briefing - Feasibility Studies & Enabling Research - Innovate UK

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