Innovation Exchange

Innovate UK KTN’s Innovation Exchange is a cross-sector program supporting innovation transfer by matching industry challenges to innovative companies from other sectors. It does this by putting large businesses with technical needs in contact with companies who have the right innovative solutions, for faster development of novel solutions.

The power of cross-sector collaboration

Innovation Exchange is an Innovate UK KTN programme specially designed to help organisations search for game-changing solutions to challenges and bring them to market faster.

Leveraging expertise across our diverse network, Innovate UK KTN promotes innovation transfer, matching real industry challenges from large businesses, to companies and innovators already working on the solutions. Our unique cross-sector approach taps into the power of collaboration providing technical solutions from other sectors.

Over the past 4 years, Innovate UK KTN’s Innovation Exchange Programme has proven it is a highly successful programme in the energy, defence, health and transport sectors and is now being expanded into others as well, such as infrastructure, security and agri-tech.

With over 2.5K application entries across 130 challenges, 694 UK companies pitched their ideas, 88 trials were undertaken generating £25.3m value to challenge holders, and 26 commercial contracts were put in place, valued at £7.7m, as a direct result of the Innovation Exchange Programme.

“Posting our challenges on KTN’s Innovation Exchange has allowed us to have a cross-sectoral approach and added an element of reach that has proved invaluable. The responses have allowed us to explore applying solutions from other sectors like medical X-Ray technology to some really tricky problems.” Andy Cooney, Technical Manager at Sellafield

Sign up to receive email alerts for new Innovate UK KTN Innovation Exchange challenges.

Funding opportunities

Global Innovation Exchange challenge: Airport Navigation in the Metaverse for Improved Accessibility
This Global Innovation Exchange challenge, delivered by Innovate UK KTN through the Global Alliance Africa project, is supporting Kenya Airways to identify innovative solutions for airport navigation via the metaverse. They would like to harness the opportunities that next generation technologies pr
22 days left to apply
Innovation Exchange challenge: Seeing in the Dark
CCTV cameras are important surveillance and crime prevention tools, but they can be vulnerable to tampering or sabotage. Innovate UK KTN and NSTIx Op-Tech Co-Creation Centre is offering grant funding to develop an applique protection system for CCTV cameras. The challenge aims to provide a solution
4 days left to apply
UK-China Healthy Ageing Accelerator Feb-Apr 2023
We seek innovators with new product or service ideas that can support people to stay healthy, connected and active as we age.
21 days left to apply

Related Case Studies

Innovation Exchange Challenge sparks NUVIA UK and Lucideon’s solution to tackle hazardous nuclear waste

Innovation Exchange Challenge sparks NUVIA UK and Lucideon’s solution to tackle hazardous nuclear waste

The cross-sector Innovation Exchange approach was key in facilitating a collaboration between Lucideon and NUVIA UK to solve the issue of hazardous waste encapsulation. Read more about this success story.

Main image credit: Sellafield Ltd 

Related Events and Recordings

Wed
23
Nov
2022

Innovation Exchange Regional Roadshow

10.00 - 15.00 | Norwich

Read more
See all events

Our Experts

Related News

New Innovation Exchange launches to help UK companies interested in entering China's longevity-focused mobility and gait market

28/06/2022

New Innovation Exchange launches to help UK companies interested in entering China's longevity-focused mobility and gait market

Innovators with new product or service ideas that can support people to stay active, mobile and connected as they age can now apply for the Healthy Ageing Innovation Accelerator Competition.

Read more
Global Alliance Africa at Innovate UK KTN partners with Rand Water to find Circular Economy solution to water treatment residue challenge

27/09/2022

Global Alliance Africa at Innovate UK KTN partners with Rand Water to find Circular Economy solution to water treatment residue challenge

In August 2022, Innovate UK KTN met with Rand Water to identify challenge areas for the launch of a joint Global Alliance Innovation Exchange (iX) challenge.

Read more
More News
Close

Connect with Innovate UK KTN

Join Innovate UK KTN's mailing list to receive updates on funding opportunities, events and to access IUK KTN’s deep expertise. Please check your email to confirm your subscription and select your area(s) of interest.