UK – Germany Bilateral: Collaborative R&D Round 4

To start an application on the Innovation Funding Service (IFS), your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size. You must:

• be or involve at least one grant claiming micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
• collaborate with at least one German registered SME applying to the German ZIM programme, which must be a separate legal entity, not linked to the UK partners

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)

A UK registered business, academic institution, research and technology organisation (RTO), charity, not for profit or public sector organisation can only lead on one application but can be included as a collaborator in a further 2 applications. If a business is not leading any application, it can collaborate in any number of applications. Other organisations can collaborate on any number of applications.

Your project must:

• have a maximum grant funding request of £500,000
• last between 18 and 36 months
• carry out the majority of its project work in the UK
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• start by 1 August 2025
• end by 31 July 2028

The majority of the project work must be undertaken in the UK and Germany. 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 SME registered in Germany that is a separate legal entity and not linked to the UK partners. This is to ensure genuine international collaboration, not internal company research. Linked companies are considered a single entity under the parent company.

Your project must demonstrate a balanced technological contribution by the participants from both countries and must be equally significant to all participants.

No one country or project partner can represent more than 70% of the total project costs on the UK application.

Your proposal must demonstrate a clear intention to commercially exploit the results of the project domestically or globally.

The aim of this competition is to enhance UK and German collaborations and capabilities in the emerging fields of technology in our society. This is to develop and deliver new innovations and applications of the technologies across a broad range of sectors.

Your project must demonstrate:

• a clear game-changing or disruptive innovative idea leading to new products, processes or services
• a strong and deliverable business proposal within your application that addresses and documents, market potential and needs
• sound, practical financial plans and timelines
• good value for money
• how you intend to deliver significant economic impact, return on investment (ROI) and growth through commercialisation, within 2 to 3 years of project completion
• clear potential to significantly benefit the UK economy or national productivity
• the benefit 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 2 to 3 years of project completion

We particularly encourage applications from the following emerging technology areas:

• Quantum
• AI
• Semiconductor Applications
• Engineering Biology
• Future Telecommunications
• Green Technologies including hydrogen and battery technologies

This list is not exhaustive.

Applicant briefing event: 3 October 2024.

The round 4 competition closes at 11am on 6 December 2024.

If you would like help to find a collaboration partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Global Alliance team.