MDI Programme Innovation and Scale-up Hub

Who can apply

Your project

Your project must:

• have a grant funding request of between £3.8 million and £4 million

• last 36 months

• start on 1 April 2027

• end on 31 March 2030

Any organisation receiving funding must carry out its project work in the UK, intend to exploit the results in the UK, and spend most of the funding within the UK.

Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day. You must not start your project until your Grant Funding Agreement has been approved by Innovate UK. Any delays within Project Setup may mean we need to delay your project start date.

You must only include eligible project costs in your application. See our overview of eligible project costs.

If your project’s grant funding request or duration falls outside of our eligibility criteria, you must provide justification by email to support@iuk.ukri.org at least 10 working days before the competition closes. We will then decide whether to approve your request.

If your project does not meet our criteria and you have not requested justification approval, your application will be made ineligible and it will not be sent for assessment.

Lead organisation

To lead a collaborative project, or work alone, your organisation must be a UK registered research and technology organisation (RTO) or academic institution.

More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules.

Project team

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:

• business of any size

• academic institution

• charity

• not for profit

• public sector organisation

• research and technology organisation (RTO)

Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) by the lead to collaborate on a project. Once partners have accepted the invitation, they will be asked to login or to create an account in the IFS. They are responsible for entering their own project costs and completing their Project Impact questions in the application.

To be an eligible collaboration:

• the lead and at least one other organisation must request funding

• you must explain why you’re collaborating and how the collaboration will work

• no single organisation can claim more than 70% of the total project costs

Non-funded partners

Your project can include organisations who do not claim any funding for their work on the project. Their costs will be covered from their own resources. These can include UK, EU and other non-UK organisations. Non-UK partners are permitted to carry out project work from within their home countries and exploit the results outside the UK.

Where non-funded partners have been invited to the application on IFS, their costs will count towards the total eligible project costs.

Subcontractors

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.

Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.

You can use subcontractors from overseas but must make the case in your application as to why you cannot use subcontractors from the UK.

You must provide a detailed rationale, evidence of the potential UK contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you. We will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use an overseas subcontractor.

All subcontractor costs must be justified and appropriate to the total project costs.

Number of applications

An eligible organisation can only lead on one application. Any further applications by the same organisation as lead will be made ineligible.

An eligible organisation that is not leading can collaborate in a one further application.

Sanctions

This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions. For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.

Use of animals in research and innovation

Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.

Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation.

Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process. This information will be reviewed before an award is made.

Previous applications

You can use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.

If you have previously submitted an application that reached our assessment stage, you can re-apply once more with the same proposal.

If there are minor differences to the proposal, but it is judged by us to be ‘not materially different’, the same rule applies.

We will not award you funding if you have:

• failed to exploit a previously funded project

• an overdue independent accountant’s report

• failed to comply with grant terms and conditions

Innovate UK may withhold a grant payment at any time if you have any outstanding sums due to us in relation to other projects.

Subsidy control (and State aid where applicable)

This competition provides funding in line with the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Further information about the Subsidy requirements can be found within the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

Innovate UK is unable to award organisations that are considered to be in financial difficulty. We will conduct financial viability and eligibility tests to confirm this is not the case following the application stage.

EU State aid rules now only apply in limited circumstances. See the Windsor Framework to check if these rules apply to your organisation.

In the ‘Project details’ section of your application you will be asked questions to indicate if State Aid or Subsidy applies to your organisation.

The successful applicant may provide non-financial, secondary funding as gross cash equivalent (the calculated value of the support provided) for the costs of the programme to end beneficiaries. Any secondary funding must be provided free of charge and may only be awarded to enterprises under Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) or the EU De Minimis Regulation, up to a maximum value of £200k gross cash equivalent per beneficiary.

It will be the responsibility of the lead organisation to ensure that all secondary funding awards remain compliant with the subsidy control basis under which they are awarded and notify Innovate UK of any awards which will require mandatory reporting. Lead organisations must establish and maintain appropriate processes, records and assurance mechanisms to demonstrate compliance.

If successful, you will be required to complete documentation outlining how you will comply with the process.

Further Information

If you are unsure about your obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 or the State aid rules, you should take independent legal advice. We are unable to advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations.

You must not do anything which could cause a breach of Subsidy Control legislation applicable in the United Kingdom.

This aims to regulate any advantage granted by a public sector body which threatens to, or distorts competition in the United Kingdom or any other country or countries.

This award is classified as a Subsidy which does not form part of your Minimal Financial Assistance or de minimis allowance.

Funding

Up to £4 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects in this competition. This is subject to us receiving sufficient number of high quality applications. Funding will be in the form of a grant. In addition, the overall maximum value of the grant may be increased over the life of the project where additional programme budget becomes available.

We reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions under exceptional circumstances, for example, in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations, or broader government funding decisions.

If your organisation’s work on the project is commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organisation normally acts non-economically but for the purpose of this project will be undertaking commercial or economic activity.

The balance between your total eligible project costs and the amount of grant awarded must be funded by the organisation receiving the grant.

For industrial research projects, you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:

• up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation

• up to 60% if you are a medium sized organisation

• up to 50% if you are a large organisation

For more information on company sizes, refer to the company accounts guidance.

If you are applying for an award funded under State aid Regulations, the definitions are set out in the European Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003.

Innovate UK may revoke our decision to provide funding without notice if government commitment for this initiative is withdrawn.

Research participation

The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 100% of the total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared between them. Of that 100% you can get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:

• 100% of your eligible project costs if you are an RTO, charity, not for profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation

• 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are an academic institution

Eligibility criteria for claiming 80% of FEC funding

1. Research organisations must use the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) method as the Je-S form has now been decommissioned.

2. We pay 100% of the 80% Full Economic Cost (FEC). On IFS only enter the 80% being claimed.

To find out more see our: Cost Guidance for Academics.

Your proposal

The aim of this competition is to establish an Innovation and Scale-Up Hub that will improve the targeting, quality and commercial impact of grant funded activity delivered through the UKRI Manufacturing Digitalisation Innovation (MDI) programme.

This hub is part of a planned £35 million investment by UKRI in a Manufacturing Digitalisation Innovation programme which builds on previous investment of £175 million.

The Hub will identify and prioritise common industrial challenges affecting the following Advanced Manufacturing Frontier 5 manufacturing sectors:

• Advanced Materials

• Aerospace

• Automotive

• Batteries

• Space

The purpose of the Hub is to:

• define and focus, through market segmentation, the development and application of Industrial Digital Technology (IDT) development that will drive growth within manufacturing supply chains and in-factory production

• accelerate the scale-up of supply-side high-potential technology providers offering compellingly adoptable IDT solutions

• create an environment that will support demand-side advanced manufacturing business across the Frontier 5 sectors

• optimise the technical and commercial outcomes for recent and future grant funded activities in this space

• improve Resource Efficiency and Energy Efficiency (REEE) strengthening sustainability, resilience and productivity

The Hub must support the development of a balanced portfolio of opportunities across Frontier 5 sectors.

The portfolio should prioritise challenges and technology providers with the strongest potential to:

• deliver UK business growth

• address needs shared by of the greatest number of manufacturers

• create widely adoptable industrial digital technology stack solutions

• generate private co-investment and follow-on investment

• improve manufacturing productivity and resilience and deliver resource and energy efficiency benefits

• create routes into additional UK and international markets

• meet the security, trustworthiness and explainability requirements of regulated manufacturing environments

Your project

Your proposal must deliver a hub that will work with manufacturers that are representative of relevant Advanced Manufacturing Frontier 5 market sectors. The hub must also work with high potential technology providers that have the capability and commercial ambition to develop widely adoptable industrial digital technology stack solutions.

The Hub must define common industrial challenges experienced by manufacturers and not start with predetermined technologies or solutions in a challenge-led and technology-neutral approach.

Objectives

Your project must deliver on the following objectives:

1. Identify and prioritise cross-cutting industrial challenges for Industrial Strategy Frontier 5 sectors through market segmentation.

2. Convene representative manufacturers and technology providers that are best placed to address the segment challenges using Industrial Digital Technologies.

3. Assist businesses with formulating the most impactful target problems and the approach to developing a grant funded solution with maximum scale-up potential.

4. Support the development of compellingly adoptable industrial digital technology-stack solutions.

5. Improve technology-provider scale-up readiness and growth.

6. Strengthen adoption and diffusion pathways.

7. Generate evidence for programme management reporting and future investment decisions.

Outputs

Your key project outputs must include:

1. Defining the cross-cutting industry challenges for Frontier 5 market in a segmentation report including technical specification for grant funding interventions requiring Industrial Digital Technology innovation.

2. Segmented cohorts of high potential manufacturers and technology providers identified and introduced.

3. Pipeline of high-potential grant funding applications.

4. Evidence of expertise provision to advise, test, signpost and influence to maximise project impact of both recent and live projects.

5. Evidence of expertise provision in commercial readiness in preparation for scale-up of both recent and live participants.

6. A summary of validated technologies for publication and dissemination including delivering training to relevant UK adoption pathways.

7. Evidence based outputs, outcomes, benefits and impacts across the portfolio, together with critical evaluation and evidence supported recommendations for future intervention approach.

Logic model Objectives, Activities & Outputs

Hub objective 1 is to identify and prioritise cross-cutting industrial challenges for Industrial Strategy Frontier 5 sectors.

Activities that address the objective must :

• include segment Frontier 5 sectors through the lens of common industrial challenges

• assess the scale and significance of these challenges across sectors and supply chains

• identify challenges shared by multiple manufacturers and estimate the addressable market associated with each challenge

• prioritise challenges according to UK growth potential, industrial impact, Resource Efficiency and Energy Efficiency (REEE) strengthening sustainability, resilience and productivity benefits and suitability for CR&D grant funded intervention

• ensure technical specification define the industrial challenge and required outcomes without prescribing a particular named technology solution

Outputs from the activities must include:

• defining the cross-cutting industry challenges for Frontier 5 market in a segmentation report including technical specification for grant funding interventions requiring Industrial Digital Technology innovation

• challenge-based Frontier 5 market segmentation

• addressable market estimates

• prioritised portfolio of common industrial challenges

• assessment of cross-sector applicability and growth potential

• evidence base for targeted, challenge led grant funding interventions

Hub objective 2 is to convene representative manufacturers and technology providers that are best placed to address the segment challenges using Industrial Digital Technologies.

Activities that address the objective must:

• identify and engage manufacturers that are most representative of each priority Frontier 5 segment and can articulate challenges shared by a wider group of firms

• identify high potential technology providers with the technical capability, commercial potential and ambition to develop the most widely adoptable solutions to those challenges

• convene representative manufacturers, technology providers, catapults and research organisations to validate the challenges, define the outcomes required by manufacturers, identify target REEE-led, sustainability, resilience and productivity use cases and articulate common functional and technical requirements, including security, explainability, trustworthiness and interoperability

Outputs from the activities must include:

• segmented cohorts of high potential manufacturers and technology providers identified and introduced

• validated challenge statements grounded in the needs of representative manufacturers; evidence identifying manufacturers and technology providers best placed to inform challenge-led grant funding interventions

• generalised functional and technical requirements

• REEE-led use case portfolio

• specifications for security, trustworthiness, explainability and interoperability; technology neutral challenge briefs designed to stimulate widely adoptable solutions

Hub objective 3 is to assist businesses with formulating the most impactful target problems and the approach to developing a grant funded solution with maximum scale-up potential.

Activities that address the objective must:

• facilitate challenge led engagement between representative manufacturers, high-potential technology providers, catapults and research organisations

• signpost relevant testbeds, demonstrators, facilities and technical expertise

• facilitate pre-competition engagement while maintaining fair, open and transparent competition processes

• support consortium formation around validated challenges

• identify appropriate manufacturer challenge owners and technology providers with complementary capabilities

Outputs from the activities must include:

• pipeline of high potential grant funding applications

• stronger project consortia

• improved alignment between common industrial challenges and technology-provider capabilities

• higher-quality applications

• pipeline of potential collaborations

Hub objective 4 is to support the development of compellingly adoptable industrial digital technology-stack solutions.

Activities that address the objective must:

• provide access or signposting to testbeds, demonstrators, validation environments and technical expertise

• advise on systems integration, deployment readiness, assurance, security, trustworthiness, explainability and interoperability

• test applicability across multiple manufacturers, supply-chain tiers and Frontier 5 sectors

• influence projects to ensure that outputs remain focused on widely adoptable products and services rather than bespoke solutions for a single manufacturer

Outputs from the activities must include:

• evidence of expertise provision to advise, test, signpost and influence to maximise project impact of both recent and live projects

• industrially validated technology stack solutions

• evidence of applicability across multiple manufacturers, supply chains or Frontier 5 sectors

• assurance and deployment-readiness evidence

• documented integration and configuration requirements

• evidence that solutions are sufficiently configurable, affordable, secure and trustworthy for wider adoption

Hub objective 5 is to improve technology-provider scale-up readiness and growth.

Activities that address the objective must:

• support commercial proposition development and route-to-market planning

• help technology providers identify priority customer segments and broader applications for their solutions

• support investor readiness and signpost high-potential firms to Innovate UK and other appropriate growth support

• identify opportunities for cross-sector deployment, follow-on investment and international markets

• help providers evidence commercial traction and progression in technology and commercial readiness

Outputs from the activities must include:

• evidence of expertise provision in commercial readiness in preparation for scale-up of both recent and live participants

• scale-up and commercialisation plans

• evidence of customer validation and commercial traction

• investor-readiness evidence

• follow-on investment opportunities

• routes into additional Frontier 5 markets

• export opportunity assessments; progression in technology and commercial readiness

• stronger pipeline of high-growth UK technology providers

Hub objective 6 is to strengthen adoption and diffusion pathways.

Activities that address the objective must:

• catalogue validated technologies and their potential industrial applications

• capture evidence of performance, maturity, affordability, security, trustworthiness and applicability

• prepare technology and evidence packages for potential adopters

• connect relevant outputs to current UK adoption programmes and other appropriate adoption mechanisms, including upskilling those delivery partner teams

• facilitate structured handover into commercial and publicly supported adoption pathways

Outputs from the activities must include:

• a summary of validated technologies for publication and dissemination including delivering training to relevant UK adoption pathways

• adoption ready pipeline of validated technologies

• technology catalogue

• performance, maturity and assurance evidence packages

• handover materials for adoption partners

• connections to relevant national and sector adoption pathways

• clearer routes from CR&D completion to commercial deployment and wider diffusion

Hub objective 7 is to generate evidence for programme management reporting and future investment decisions.

Activities that address the objective must:

• track portfolio performance, market demand, technology-provider growth, adoption progress, private co-investment and follow-on investment

• capture evidence of productivity, resilience, resource efficiency, energy efficiency and emissions benefits

• assess remaining capability gaps and emerging industrial challenges

• feed evidence into programme monitoring, evaluation, portfolio decisions and future business cases

Outputs from the activities must include:

• evidence based outputs, outcomes, benefits and impacts across the portfolio, together with critical evaluation and evidence-supported recommendations for future intervention approach

• determining whether this segmentation approach has worked

• portfolio intelligence and performance reporting

• evidence against programme objectives and critical success factors

• market and technology insights

• lessons learned

• updated challenge priorities

• recommendations for future UKRI or DBIST interventions

• evidence base for future grant funded investment decisions

Specific themes

Your project must engage with the following Industrial Digital Technologies (IDTs):

The IDTs include:

• Data Analytics

• AI and Machine Learning

• Additive Manufacturing

• Robotics and Automation

• Internet of Things and Connectivity

• Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

• Digital Twin

• Distributed Ledger Technology including Blockchain and Immutable Data

This is not an exhaustive list, other IDTs can also be supported.

Research categories

We will fund industrial research projects, as defined in the guidance on categories of research.

Projects we will not fund

We are not funding projects that:

• focus on sectors outside of Advanced Materials, Aerospace, Automotive, Batteries and Space

• target solutions that are not Industrial Digital Technology focussed

• have a primary exploitation route that is not focussed on manufacturing supply chain or in factory production

• support activities focussed primarily on the needs of a single manufacturer

• support bespoke solutions with no credible route to wider adoption

• duplicate existing market intelligence, testbed or scale-up support without demonstrating additional value

• provide general networking activity without a clear connection to challenge definition, grant funding interventions, technology-provider growth and adoption acceleration

• prescribe specific technologies before the industrial outcomes and requirements have been properly established

• begin with a predetermined technology solution without evidence of a material industrial challenge

• lack a credible approach to managing conflicts of interest, confidentiality and fair access

• include significant capital expenditure on buildings

• include significant expenditure on facilities or equipment that replicate already existing and accessible facilities in the UK

We cannot fund projects that are:

• dependent on export performance: giving a subsidy to an organisation on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of its products to another country

• dependent on domestic inputs usage: giving a subsidy to an organisation on the condition that it uses a set percentage of UK components in their product

6 October 2026

Online briefing event: join at 11.30am

(Briefing slides will be available to download from Supporting Information after the event)

18 December 2026

Invite to interview

26 January 2027

Interview panel start

28 January 2027

Interview panel end

4 February 2027

Applicants notified

1 April 2027

Project start on

Before you start

You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.

Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to make sure:

• that all the information provided in the application is correct

• your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria

• all sections of the application are marked as complete

• if collaborative, that all partners have completed all assigned sections and accepted the terms and conditions (T&Cs)

You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.

What we ask you

The application is split into four sections:

1. Project details.

2. Application questions.

3. Finances.

4. Project Impact.

Accessibility and Inclusion

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.

You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this competition’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the competition deadline.

You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

1. Project details

This section provides background for your application and is not scored.

Application team

Decide which organisations will work with you on your project and invite people from those organisations to help complete the application.

Application details

Give your project’s title, start date and duration.

Research category

Select the type of research you will undertake.

Project summary

Describe your project briefly and be clear about what makes it innovative. We use this section to assign the right experts to assess your application.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Public description

Describe your project in detail and in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information. If we award your project funding, we will publish this description. This can happen before you start your project.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Scope

Describe how your project fits the scope of the competition. If your project is not in scope, it will not be sent for assessment. We will tell you the reason why.

Your answer can be up to 800 words long.

2. Application questions

The assessors will score all your answers apart from questions 1 to 6. You will receive feedback for each scored question. Find out more about how our assessors assess and how we select applications for funding.

You must answer all questions.

You must not include any website addresses or links (URLs) in your answers. Any website addresses or URLs included, will not be viewed or opened.

Question 1. Applicant location (not scored)

You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and any partners or subcontractors working on your project.

We are collecting this information to understand more about the geographical location of all applicants.

Question 2. Animal testing (not scored)

Will your project involve any trials with animals or animal testing?

You must select one option:

• Yes

• No

We will only support innovation projects conducted to the highest standards of animal welfare.

Further information for proposals involving animal testing is available at the UKRI Good Research Hub and NC3R’s animal welfare guidance.

Question 3. Permits and licences (not scored)

Will you have the correct permits and licences in place to carry out your project?

We are unable to fund projects which do not have the correct permits or licences in place by your project start date.

You must select one option:

• Yes

• No

• In the process of being applied for

• Not applicable

Question 4. International collaboration (not scored)

Does your proposed work involve any international collaboration or engagement?

You must provide details of any expected international collaboration or engagement. You must include a list of the names and the countries, any international project co-leads, project partners, visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in. You must also include details of any subcontractors or service providers.

If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration or engagement, your answer must confirm this.

Your answer can be up to 100 words long

Question 5. Export licence (not scored)

You must indicate whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance.

You must select one option:

• Yes

• No

Question 6. Trusted Research and Innovation (not scored)

You must explain if your proposed project work relates to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) Principles, including:

• a list of any dual use (both military and non-military) applications to your research

• a list of the areas where your project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act

• whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance and the status of any applications

• a list of any items or substances on the UK Strategic Export Control List

If your proposed work does not relate to UKRI’s TR&I Principles, your answer must confirm this.

We may ask you to provide additional TR&I information at a later date, in line with UKRI TR&I Principles and funding terms and conditions.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long

Question 7. Programme Objectives

What are the key objectives for the programme?

You must focus specifically on what the funding for this programme will enable you to do.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 8. Delivery Plan

How will you ensure successful delivery of the programme?

Your response must consist of two parts:

• Upload a delivery plan for the programme in the form of a Gantt chart which includes the key programme milestones

• Explain what steps will you be taking to ensure successful delivery of your milestones? Your response must consider how you will achieve the key milestones.

You must submit a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 9. Centre Activities

For each of the activities listed in the competition scope, explain how you are able to carry these activities out.

Your response must outline:

• how they fit with your current product, service lines or offerings

• how existing assets such as infrastructure, methods, approaches and tools, will support the programme

• how the centre will provide up-to-date technical advice to participants

Your answer can be up to 1600 words long

You must submit one appendix to support your answer. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom

Question 10. Centre Outputs

Explain how you will ensure that each of the outputs listed in the competition scope will be achieved.

Your answer can be up to 1600 words long.

You must submit one appendix to support your answer. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 11. Benefits

Outline the benefits you expect to result from your innovation in more detail.

In your explanation, include specific metrics or indicators that you intend to use to measure these benefits.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 12. Customers detail

What are the key characteristics and needs of your target customers? Describe your engagement with customers and broader research.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 13. Inclusive innovation

How will you promote equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the development and implementation of this programme?

You must consider how your approach can be adapted to foster an inclusive environment, even if you are currently working individually.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 14. Skills

What skills, capabilities or experience do you and your partner organisations hold that will help deliver the programme?

You must outline:

• skills, knowledge, or experiences that are applicable

• why the lead and partner organisations have been chosen

• detail the director's track record in engaging internal and external stakeholders, and navigating the inherent tension between delivery priorities and end-user needs

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 15. Sector positioning

Explain your understanding of the technologies driving this sector and the users who need them, and how the centre is positioned within the sector.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 16. Addressing Skills Gaps

How do you plan to address any skills gaps in your team?

Detail whether your business will need support to carry out this programme, and what types of support you will need.

Recognising and acknowledging the need for additional support is a vital part of the planning process and will not negatively impact your application.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 17. Risks

Outline the top three risks in more detail. For each identified risk, explain what actions you will take to mitigate its impact.

Risks can come from many areas for example:

• technical risks: risks related to product development, functionality of performance

• commercial or financial risks: such as those related to market adoption, competition or profitability

• environmental and social risks: risks related to environmental impact, regulations, social acceptance

• regulatory risks: risks related to obtaining necessary regulatory approvals

• project management risks: risks related to timelines, team or resources

Recognising and acknowledging potential risks is a vital part of the planning process and will not negatively impact your application.

You can submit a risk register as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 18. Governance

How will you ensure the programme is effectively governed and overseen?

Describe the key governance arrangements, including:

• the governance structure and key decision makers, you must also provide a structure diagram as an upload

• how strategic oversight will be provided

• how progress, risks and finances will be monitored and reported

You must submit a structure diagram as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom**.**

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 19. Opportunity assessment and selection

How will you assess and select opportunities to support?

Describe:

• the methods, criteria and processes you will use to assess opportunities

• how you will prioritise and select opportunities for support to ensure the opportunities are aligned with the objectives of the programme

• how you will ensure assessments are fair, transparent and consistent

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 20. Data Protection, Safety and Security

How will you ensure data is protected and that activities are delivered safely and securely throughout the programme?

Describe:

• your approach to managing data protection and information governance

• how you will identify and manage safety and security risks

• how you will ensure appropriate policies, processes and controls are applied across the programme and delivery partners, where relevant

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

3. Finances

Each organisation in your project must complete their own project costs, organisation details and funding details in the application. Academic institutions must use the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) method and upload to IFS to support their costs. This is a replacement to the Je-S form which has now been decommissioned.

For an overview on what costs you can claim, see our project costs guidance. Note this is general guidance, for specific guidance see the eligibility section in this competition.

4. Project Impact

This section is not scored but will provide background to your project.

Each partner must complete the Project Impact questions before being able to submit the application.

More information can be found in our Project Impact guidance and by viewing our Impact Management Framework video.

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles.

Assessment

Your application will be reviewed by three independent assessors based on the content of your application and their skills or expertise relevant to your project. All of the scores awarded will count towards the total score used to make the funding decision unless you are notified otherwise.

You can find out more about our assessment process in the General Guidance.

Your submitted application will be assessed against these criteria:

MDI Programme Innovation and Scale-up Hub - Assessor guidance for applicants.pdf (opens in a new window)

Interviews

If your application passes the first stage of assessment, you may be invited to attend an interview, where you must give a presentation. Your interview will take place either online or at a designated location. The interviews will be held between 26 January 2027 and 28 January 2027.

If you require reasonable adjustments for your interview, we recommend you contact us within three working days of receiving your invite to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the interview.

Before the interview and by the deadline stated in the invitation email, you:

• must send a list of who will attend the interview

• must send your interview presentation slides

• can send a written response to the assessors’ feedback

List of attendees

Agree the list with your consortium. Up to nine people from your project can attend, ideally one person from each organisation. They must all be available on all published interview dates. We are unable to reschedule slots once allocated.

Presentation slides

Your interview presentation must:

• use Microsoft PowerPoint

• be no longer than 30 minutes

• have no more than 31 slides

• not include any video or embedded web links

You cannot change the presentation after you submit it or bring any additional materials to the interview.

Written response to assessor feedback

This is optional and is an opportunity to answer the assessors’ concerns. It can:

• be up to two A4 pages in a single PDF or Word document

• include charts or diagrams

Interview

After your presentation the panel will spend 45 minutes asking questions. You will be expected to answer based on the information you provided in your application form, presentation and the response to feedback.

After your interview

The panellists will individually score your application and these will be averaged for your overall interview score. This score will replace the one you received from initial assessment unless stated otherwise in this competition brief. We will notify you whether you have been successful or not by email and you will receive feedback on your interview within a week of notification.

Background and further information

Made Smarter Innovation and Manufacturing Digitalisation Innovation

Made Smarter Innovation (MSI) is a Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) funded programme aimed at transforming the UK's manufacturing industry. This will be achieved by supporting R&D and the commercial scale up of innovative digital technologies.

MSI has been running since 2020 and is now complimented by Manufacturing Digitalisation Innovation (MDI) programme funded through UKRI. This Innovation and Scale-up Hub will support opportunities funded through either MSI or MDI.

Both MSI and MDI programmes are investing to accelerate the development of game changing digital manufacturing ideas.

The aims are to:

• turn breakthrough ideas into the UK’s next industry giants in industrial digital technologies

• deliver a UK manufacturing sector that is more resilient, productive and environmentally sustainable

Advanced Manufacturing

In the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, Advance Manufacturing was recognised as one of growth driving sectors.

You can review the following documents:

• Industrial strategy and sector plans, in particular the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan

• Industrial strategy sector definitions list

• Unlocking resource efficiency

Specific Government Requirements

There are a number of specific government requirements relating to the investment and activities of businesses in certain advanced materials technology areas.

You should familiarise yourself with the following:

• National Security and Investment Act’s:17 sensitive sectors including advanced materials

• Science and Technology Framework: 5 critical technologies

• Strategic Export Control - consolidated list

There may be specific information in these links to support your application, your project and beyond.

Made Smarter Innovation Scheme Information

This award is being offered under the Made Smarter Innovation Subsidy Scheme in accordance with section 10(4) of the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

Briefing recording and slides

Briefing recording and slides will be available to download here after the briefing event.

What happens if you receive a Grant Funding Agreement

If you have passed your initial assessment and have received an email with a Grant Funding Agreement, you will be asked to complete the project setup process on the Innovation Funding Service (IFS). Watch our video on what steps are there before a project starts.

We will ask for information that will allow us to undertake mandatory checks on your organisation and the eligibility of your costs, as well as review the documentation for your project.

You must follow the unique link embedded in your email notification. This takes you to your project's dedicated IFS Set Up portal, where we gather the information required to set up your project, for example, your bank details. Watch our video on how successful applicants receive their funding.

If your application is unsuccessful

If you are unsuccessful with your application this time, you can view feedback from the assessors. This will be available to you on your IFS portal following notification.

Sometimes your application will have scored well, and you will receive positive comments from the assessors. You may be unsuccessful as your average score was not above the funding threshold or your project has not been selected under the portfolio approach if this is applied for this competition.

Find a project partner

If you want help to find a project partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect.

Support for SMEs from Innovate UK Business Growth service

Innovate UK Business Growth helps innovation focused businesses make the best strategic choices and access the right resources, in order to grow and ultimately achieve scale.

Visit the service’s website to learn about how you might benefit as a winner.

Protecting your innovation

A Secure Innovation campaign has been developed to help founders and leaders of innovative start-ups protect their technology, competitive advantage, and reputation.

This was developed by UK’s National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Data sharing

This competition is operated by Innovate UK, alongside related activity from Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) (each an ‘agency’).

Any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process concerning your application can be shared by one agency with the other, for its individual storage, processing and use.

This means that any information given to or generated by Innovate UK in respect of your application may be passed on to BIST and vice versa. This would include, but is not restricted to:

·the information stated on the application, including the personal details of all applicants

·scoring and feedback on the application

·information received during the management and administration of the grant, such as Monitoring Service Provider reports and Independent Accountant Reports

Innovate UK may also share any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process concerning your application with Innovate UK’s national and regional UK third parties and partners who may contact you. For more information see how we handle grant applicant and grant holder data.

Innovate UK and BIST are directly accountable to you for their holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. Data is held in accordance with their own policies. Accordingly, Innovate UK, Innovate UK Business Connect and BIST will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.

Innovate UK’s Privacy Policy

Innovate UK Business Connect Privacy Policy

BIST (fDSIT) Privacy Policy

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles.

The Information Commissioner’s Office also has a useful guide for organisations, which outlines the data protection principles.

Contact us

If you need more information about how to apply or you want to submit your application in Welsh, email support@iuk.ukri.org or call 0300 321 4357.

Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Innovate UK or any of our partners will not tolerate abusive language in any written or verbal correspondence, applications, social media or any other form that might affect staff.