A summary of all funding opportunities, support programmes, networks and events available to UK Digital Businesses

1. Creative, Digital and Design
Business Briefing
December 2018

2. Content
• Funding competitions
• Support programmes
• Upcoming events
• Investment
• Networks
• Register for updates

3. Funding
Thistle Assistance app to help people with disability use public transport
Registration closes: Wednesday 2 January 2019 12:00pm
Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition with funding provided by the Can Do Innovation Challenge
Fund
Organisations can apply for a share of £150,000, including VAT, to develop a mobile app to help people with
disabilities when travelling on public transport.
READ MORE AND APPLY

4. Funding
Developing a data enabled public sector audit approach
Registration closes: Wednesday 9 January 2019 12:00pm
Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition with funding provided by the GovTech Catalyst
Organisations can apply for a share of £1.25 million, including VAT, to develop a data enabled public sector audit
approach.
READ MORE AND APPLY

5. Funding
Detection and identification of illicit postal goods at UK borders
Registration closes: Wednesday 16 January 2019 12:00pm
Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition with funding provided by the GovTech Catalyst
Organisations can apply for a share of £250,000, including VAT, to develop innovative detection technologies for
deployment in the UK postal border environment.
READ MORE AND APPLY

6. Funding
UK China Creative Industries Partnership Development Grants
Application closes: 17th January 2019
Project must start 14th February 2019
The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) has been successful in securing £5m, plus co-funding from
Chinese partners, for a major new international programme seeking to develop research-industry partnerships
between the UK and China in the creative industries. The purpose of the call is to support collaborations
between UK and Chinese (with a particular focus on Shanghai) academics, creative businesses, creative
intermediaries and other creative and cultural organisations.
READ MORE AND APPLY
.

7. Funding
Learning how crowdsourcing data could change the geospatial sector
Competition closes: Wednesday 30 January 2019 12:00pm
The Geospatial Commission will invest up to £1.5 million to fund projects for crowdsourcing the creation
and/or maintenance of geospatial datasets
READ MORE AND APPLY

8. Funding
SME support to evaluate innovative medical technologies: round 3
Competition closes: Wednesday 30 January 2019 12:00pm
SMEs can apply for a share of £1.5 million to support the evaluation of innovative medical devices,
diagnostics and regulated digital health products.
READ MORE AND APPLY

9. Funding
Defence and Security Accelerator: open call for innovation
Call Closes: 1 March 2019
Defence and Security Accelerator
The open call is looking for innovative ideas to improve the defence and security of the UK. These
could be a concept, technology, product or service. The aim is to find novel opportunities to be
exploited across the defence and security sectors.
READ MORE AND APPLY

10. Funding
UK Israel open collaborative competition
Registration closes: Wednesday 27 February 2019 12:00pm
UK and Israel are announcing a joint funding competition under the EUREKA framework
UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £1 million to develop innovative technologies targeting
global markets in partnership with Israeli companies.
READ MORE AND APPLY

11. Funding
European Space Agency (ESA) funding for business applications
Open call for applications:
ESA Business Applications offers funding and support to businesses from any sector who intend to use
space (satellite navigation, earth observation, satellite telecommunication, space weather, space
technologies) to develop new commercial services. Including Immersive Tech and Health Tech
Applications are open all year: businesses can either apply to a thematic opportunity or submit an
open application
READ MORE AND APPLY

12. Support programmes
Cyber Security Academic Startups Accelerator Programme
• Helps academics in UK universities commercialise their cyber security ideas
• Programme covers value proposition, market validation and development of minimum
viable product
• grants of up to £132,000 available per academic team over ten months
• UK academics should register their interest in Year 3. Applications are expected to open in
February 2019 for an April start
READ MORE
@CyberASAP

13. Support programmes
Active Lab Accelerator Programme
Apply by 10th December
ActiveLab is a bespoke 12-week accelerator programme of fast-track support to develop, connect and scale
the best and brightest physical activity businesses. ActiveLab will promote, foster and accelerate cutting-
edge innovation in health and physical activity from the UK and across the globe.
READ MORE

14. Support programmes
Advance London Accelerator Programme
Apply by 16th December
The Advance London start-up accelerator will offer 6 months of intensive support, based in LWARB’s office
in Shoreditch, London, for up to 10 start-ups. The focus for this accelerator is on start-ups operating within
the built environment value chain who either incorporate circular economy within their own business
model, or provide solutions that enable circularity within the built environment sector.
READ MORE

15. Support programmes
The Digital Impact Awards
Apply by 21st December
The Digital Agenda Impact Awards celebrate technology innovations that improve people’s lives and the
world around us. Now in their third year, the awards are open to any UK-operating business, government
or non-profit using digital products or services for positive social impact.
APPLY HERE

16. Support programmes
Innovate Green FinTech challenge
Apply by 11th January 2018
Applications are now open for a new cohort of our regulatory sandbox focusing on providing support to
firms developing innovative products and services to assist in the UK’s transition to a greener economy
READ MORE

17. Support programmes
The Accelerator Academy
Apply by January 2018
The Accelerator Academy is a 12 week high growth training and mentoring programme focused on start-
up and early stage high growth potential Tech, Media, Telecoms (TMT) businesses
The Accelerator Academy is part of The Accelerator Network.
READ MORE

18. Support programmes
Cylon
Apply by January 2019
CyLon is the world’s leading cyber security accelerator and seed investment programme. Based in
London, it is a 13-week programme designed to help teams achieve product-market fit in a uniquely
technical and demanding industry.
READ MORE

19. Support programmes
Develop your AI solutions with The Alan Turing Institute – Open call
New collaboration between The Alan Turing Institute and Digital Catapult provides funding for London
startups and scaleups to open their data challenges to researchers. This collaboration will provide
financial support for nine separate startup or scaleup companies to participate as a Challenge Owner in
any one of the Data Study Groups held between December 2018 and March 2020
Apply by 31st March 2020
READ MORE

20. Upcoming events
TechUK’s Digital Ethics Summit
12th December, London
EIT Digital Innovation Day
13th December, London
Conference on Visual Media Production
13th-14th December, London
CyberASAP Demo Day
17th January 2019, London
Immerse UK Speed networking
23rd January, London
Robotics and AI Pitchfest 2019
30th January 2019, London
Women in Innovation: Building Success
6th February 2019, London
Digital Business Meet-up
7th February, London
AI, Blockchain in Connected Medical Devices
7th February, London
Robotics and AI Industry showcase
12th March, Manchester
Keep up-to-date with KTN events here

21. Investment
Private Investment Directory – Digital Refer
Digital Refer now includes more than 250 organisations that provide private investment to
digital and creative businesses in the UK including:
• Accelerator programmes
• Business incubators
• Start-up studios
• Venture Capital funds
• Angel investor networks
• Corporate Venture Capital firm
LINK

22. Networks: Immerse UK
• Augmented and Virtual Reality Independent Network
• Bringing together businesses, public sector & research
• Free to Join
• Learn more about Immersive Tech developments
• Help shape UK funding & research policy
• Showcase your ideas & identify funding opportunities
• Make business connections & form collaborative partnerships
http://www.immerseuk.org/

23. Networks: UK5G
https://uk5g.org/
• Promotion of research, collaboration and the commercial application of 5G in the UK
• Share the knowledge and lessons of 5G Testbeds & Trials projects
• Enable new partnerships between technologists, potential new entrants and major industrial
adopters
• Support local (and international) investment opportunities

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