Inclusive Innovation Awards 2022/23 Briefing Event

Innovate UK is investing up to £2.5 million per year for the next three years to celebrate inclusion in innovation. We want to support businesses who are role models in developing innovations that centre on equality, diversity and inclusion in their design and development.

The Inclusive Innovation Awards are open for applications from 26 September 2022 to 9 November 2022. The Inclusive Innovation Awards winners will be showcased as businesses leading the way in developing inclusive innovation.

50 awards will be offered to micro, small or medium-sized enterprises across the UK to support diversity in business. The winners will receive a £50,000 grant each for scale-up of existing, or development of new, work on inclusive innovations. A campaign will provide the cohort of businesses with press opportunities to highlight their work and influence positive change in other businesses.

Innovate UK and Innovate UK KTN are hosting a briefing event to tell you more about the scope for this competition and support available for applicants. Join us online to find out more about the application process, eligibility, timeline and more.

What is an inclusive innovation?

We define an ‘inclusive innovation’ as one that centers equality, diversity and inclusion in the design and development of a product, process, or service. Importantly, the innovation must address a challenge.

The innovations considered for these awards might be designed to support a specific demographic, OR it might be something that has been developed to be specifically accessible to all (i.e. designed for a wide range of demographics). The inclusive innovation could involve scaling existing practices of a company to venture into a new market OR developing a new product.

The remit is broad to ensure that the diversity of inclusive innovations being developed across the UK are celebrated.