UK-Singapore Collaborative R&D 2024

To start an application on the Innovation Funding Service (IFS), your organisation must:

• be a UK registered business of any size
• partner with a Singapore registered business, which must be a separate non-linked entity to the UK project partners

Singapore partners must not be invited into Innovate UK’s application on the Innovation Funding Service. They will be funded by Enterprise Singapore following a parallel application.

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

• business of any size
• academic institution
• research and technology organisation (RTO)

A UK registered business can only lead on one application but can be included as a collaborator in a further two applications.

If a UK registered business is not leading any application, it can collaborate in up to three applications.

A UK registered academic institution or RTO can collaborate on any number of applications.

For UK organisations your project must:

• have a maximum grant funding request of £750,000
• last between 24 and 36 months
• start by 1 April 2025
• end by 31 March 2028

UK project partners must carry out the majority of their project work in the UK and intend to exploit the results from or in the UK.

The consortium must include at least one separate non-linked business registered in Singapore. No one country or project partner can represent more than 70% of the total project cost.

The aim of this competition is to fund business led, collaborative research and development (CR&D) projects focused on industrial research, for innovative proposals developed between the UK and Singapore.

Your project must demonstrate:

• a clear game-changing or disruptive innovative idea leading to new products, processes or services
• a strong and deliverable business plan that addresses and documents, market potential and needs
• sound, practical financial plans and timelines
• good value for money which will always be a consideration in Innovate UK funding decisions
• a clear, evidence-based plan to deliver significant economic impact, return on investment (ROI) and growth through commercialisation, as soon as possible after project completion
• considerable potential to significantly benefit the UK economy or national productivity
• the benefits of participants from the countries working together and how this adds value
• a clear definition of where intellectual property (IP) can be used and shared between the participants and countries
• a clear route to market within two to three years of project completion

We would particularly welcome applications from the following sectors:

• Advanced manufacturing and materials
• Agrifood tech
• Mobility and transport
• Cybersecurity
• Health and life sciences

We are not funding projects that:

• work on military applications
• do not meet Innovate UK’s eligibility criteria
• do not submit all mandatory documentation
• request grant of more than £750,000 from Innovate UK
• do not have an eligible Singapore partner

Innovate UK held an online briefing on Monday 10 June at 2pm (UK time). Click here to watch the recording. Briefing slides are available to download.

If you would like help to find a collaboration partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Global Alliance team, or the relevant sector teams:

• Advanced manufacturing and materials
• Agrifood tech
• Mobility and transport
• Cybersecurity
• Health and life sciences