This document provides guidance on writing applications for research and development (R&D) grant funding. It outlines the types of funding available, including grants that can fund up to 70% of project costs and innovation loans. Eligibility criteria require projects to be business-led with collaboration between businesses and research organizations. The document offers tips for crafting competitive applications, including describing the need/challenge, proposed approach, team qualifications, market assessment, outcomes, impacts, project management, and costs. Overall, it aims to help applicants understand what assessors are looking for in a successful funding proposal.

1. Masterclass
@mairidillon
A guide to writing applications
for R&D Grant Funding
Mairi Dillon, Access to Funding &
Finance, KTN

3. Types of funding products
1. Grants
‒ TRL 4-7 (“valley of death”)
‒ Match funded, claim up to 70% total costs
‒ Single or collaborative projects
‒ Feasibility studies; Industrial research;
Experimental development
‒ Project duration up to 3 years
2. Innovation loans
‒ Late stage R&D (close to commercialisation)
‒ Up to 100% total costs
‒ Single partner projects
‒ Loan NOT grant
‒ Project duration up to 5 years (3 R&D/2
commercialisation)
‒ Lifetime of the loan max. 10 years
Projects must be business-led
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4. Investing in science, research and innovation
We must become a more innovative economy and do more to commercialise
our world leading science base to drive growth across the UK
Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund
 Industry-led and powered by multi-disciplinary research and business
academic collaboration
 Develop UK industries that are fit for the future, driving progress in
technologies where the UK can become a world-leader in research and
commercialisation
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5. Eligibility Criteria
• Business – Small/Micro, Medium or Large (EU definition)
• 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
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6. Participation Rules
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
Please refer to the general guidance for applicants on our website
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7. What is collaboration?
In all collaborative projects there must be:
1. at least two organisations claiming grant
2. a business-led consortium, which may involve both business and the research base and
3. evidence of effective collaboration
We would expect to see the structure and rationale of the collaboration described in the application.
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8. Practical Considerations
Application details (Title, timescales, research category, etc..)
Project summary
• Describe your project, it’s objectives and how is it innovative
Public description
Scope
• How does your project align with the scope of this competition?
• If you can’t demonstrate that your project is in scope then it will be ruled as ineligible.
Application questions
• Each scored out of 10
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9. Searching for Innovate UK funding
opportunities
https://apply-for-
innovation-
funding.service.gov.uk/co
mpetition/search

10. Support for businesses
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11. Quick Icebreaker
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Group Activity

12. Airbnb
Book unique homes and
experiences all over the world.
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13. Consequences
- Write a sentence, fold it over,
then pass it on
Question:
What impact might this project
have outside the project team?
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14. Countdown
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Ready, Set…

15. Answering the assessors’
prayer …
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“Oh, Lord, send me a good one!”

16. It’s an exam and a story …
Like all exams, the keywords and answers are contained in the
questions.
A lot of technique for individual Qs - but also requires a compelling
narrative.
Essentially 10 scored questions (+ 3 appendices) requiring answers of
no more than 400 words each, giving you 4400 words to convince
them…
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17. … when you include the
Project Summary
Please provide a short summary of your project. We will not score this
summary. (400 words)
• This is the first thing they read. They need to read it and say: ‘wow!,
I get this and I like this’.
• Top tip – ‘Economist’ editorial style. 9 word sentences, active tense.
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18. 1. Need or challenge
What is the business need, citizen challenge, technological challenge or
market opportunity behind your innovation? (400 words)
• “Here’s an unmet business needs that is costing or denying (John/s)
value. We can develop the tech/service/product to fix this challenge
and when we do, (John/s) will buy it.”
• “Here’s some stuff that shows we understand the wider context, too.”
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19. 1. Need or challenge
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20. 2. Approach and innovation
What approach will you take and where will the focus of the innovation
be? (400 words)
• “We will technically solve the challenge by x, y, z. This is better than
competitors a, b, c because … Based on earlier work (patent searches)
we have freedom to operate. We will deliver (this/these) outputs.”
• “and here’s a picture (Appendix Q2) that oozes ‘wow factor!’”
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21. 2. Approach and innovation
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22. 3. Team and resources
Who is in the project team and what are their roles? (400 words)
• “Our team is the best - and here’s a list of credentials/track record
that shows we can build it and get traction in the market. We will
additionally need (these) resources and this is where we get them”.
• Do not be shy!
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23. 3. Team and resources
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24. 4. Market awareness
What does the market you are targeting look like? (400 words)
• The market looks like (this) and here’s the trends with numbers and
recent references that show we really know our stuff. Our target
addressable market is (sensible, conservative, argued) numbers).
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25. 4. Market awareness
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26. 5. Outcomes and route to market
How are you going to grow your business and increase your productivity
into the long term as a result of the project? (400 words)
• “The value proposition to our target customers is (how they benefit in
a business sense and it’s worth x to them). Our routes to market are
(credible ideas, preferably relevant to market identified in Q4).
Currently we sit (here) in the market but this project will take us to
(there).”
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27. 5. Outcomes and route to market
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28. 6. Wider impacts
What impact might this project have outside the project team? (400 words)
• “There are external (wider) benefits to
(economic/social/environmental/greater good stuff) attributable to this
solution being implemented and they are worth (some sort of
guestimate). Stress any regional impacts (local economy stuff).”
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29. 6. Wider impacts
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30. 7. Project management
How will you manage the project effectively? (400 words)
• “Here’s a tickety-boo project plan (work packages, costed, research
category, description of deliverables, management techniques and
structure”.
• “and here’s a funky Gantt chart (AppendixQ7)”.
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31. 7. Project management
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32. 8. Risks
What are the main risks for this project? (400 words)
• “Here’s a thorough risk assessment
(project/technical/commercial/environmental/regulatory/whatever)
with risk ownership assigned and sensible mitigation suggested along
with a description of how risk will be managed during the project.”
• “and here’s a nice initial risk register (AppendixQ8).”
• Top tip – this is a ‘graph question’, label the axes.
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33. 8. Risks
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34. 9. Additionality
Describe the impact that an injection of public funding would have
on this project. (400 words)
• “We seriously need support. It will not happen without it. Support
enables (faster time to market; derisking to the point where private
investors will come in; a new type of collaboration) – and look at
those awesome (stakeholder and/or wider) benefits.”
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35. 9. Additionality
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36. 10. Costs and value for money
How much will the project cost and how does it represent value for
money for the team and the taxpayer? (400 words)
• “It’s excellent value for money - look how modestly the work
packages are costed. Subcontracts are justified because (they’re the
best/we worked well with them previously/etc). The return to the
tax payer comes from (increased VAT/payroll taxes/improved
productivity/efficiency/contribution to govt strategy/etc).”
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37. 10. Costs and value for money
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38. small print …
… will kill you!
• Scope. If in doubt, check with lead technologists at Innovate UK. Use
the competition help. They are helpful.
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39. feedback …
… will kill you, too!
Typically 5 assessors assigned:
• 1 will want to have your babies.
• 3 will “oi’ll give it five” (more like 7, actually).
• 1 would rather eat worms than see your project funded.
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40. Summary
• Wow them from the off.
• Answer the questions.
• Put effort (and more wow) into the Appendices.
• Use short, punchy sentences. Create a narrative flow.
• If in doubt, ask.
KTN has a view; Innovate UK are the arbitrators.
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41. First Impressions Count
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Group Activity

42. Question One
What is the business need, citizen challenge, technological challenge
or market opportunity behind your innovation? (400 words)
• Talks to the need or challenge.
• What is the drive and reason for doing the project?
• Is your project market pull or technology push?
• We want to see that there is a genuine need for your idea.
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43. Critique
As a group consider:
• What standard is the response?
• Does it leave a lasting impression?
• How would you improve or amend?
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44. Poor Response
We as a business need to gain access to specialist
knowledge in this field. We have already produced working
prototypes but now need to be able to prove the concept on
an industrial scale.
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45. Poor Response
The challenges is how the x reacts during the process and
whether the x can [...] during the process. I believe with the
right expert knowledge that all of these problem will quickly
be able to be overcome. We will not only be open to the
massive UK market that is becoming more and more aware
of our own environmental problems but also to be able to
help on a global scale to prevent the [environmental issues].
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46. Poor Response
Having looked at the future opportunities that x (link to
webpage) is looking for the project will help with:
[Environmental factors listed]
Word Count: ~130
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47. Good Response
Not only is the [target market] increasing [market data figure
given] by 2021 (Source referenced) but access to x is increasingly
essential. [end user 1], [end user 2] and [end user 3] all require [x,
y, z facts given to provide further evidence of motivation]. ["Quote
on market trends"] (Source referenced 2018).
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48. Good Response
• Clear motivation for the project
• Strong understanding of the market and current SOA
• Clear USP for the technology/service
• Evidence provided and backed up
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49. Stand out!
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50. @mairidillon
The good, the bad and the ugly…
Panel Discussion
Chair: Lorraine Acheson, Innovate UK
• Brian Durnin, Seagate Technologies
• Stephen McComb, Knowledge Transfer Network; Innovate UK Assessor
• Pat Doyle, Innovation R&D, Invest NI

51. Thank you
Register for our updates:
www.ktn-uk.org
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