Launchpad: life & health sciences, Northern Ireland – R1 CR&D

Overview

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is to invest up to £2 million in innovation projects.

The funding will support projects across the three Launchpad competition strands that target the innovation cluster in Northern Ireland. The aim of this competition is to support outstanding innovation projects led by businesses. Your business must be active or growing work activities in the life and health sciences innovation cluster in Northern Ireland. The projects will contribute to Northern Ireland’s ambitions for its life and health sciences cluster.

This competition is split into three strands:

• Launchpad: life and health sciences, Northern Ireland, Round 1 Collaborative Research and Development (CR&D) (this strand)
• Launchpad: life and health sciences, Northern Ireland, Round 1 De minimis or Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA)
• Launchpad: Northern Ireland, Cluster Management

It is your responsibility to ensure you submit your application to the correct strand for your project. You will not be able to transfer your application and it will not be sent for assessment if it is out of scope.

Project size

Your project’s total grant funding request must be between £150,000 and £1 million.

Up to £2 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects across the three strands of this Launchpad competition for Northern Ireland.

For industrial research projects, you could 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 experimental development projects which are nearer to market, you could get funding for your eligible project costs of:

• up to 45% if you are a micro or small organisation
• up to 35% if you are a medium sized organisation
• up to 25% if you are a large organisation

Eligibility

Your project

Your project must:

• have a total grant funding request of between £150,000 and £1 million
• last between 6 and 18 months
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• start at the earliest on 1 April 2024
• end by 31 March 2026

Projects must always start on the first of the month and this must be stated within your application. Your project start date will be reflected in your grant offer letter if you are successful.

You must only include eligible project costs in your application.

Lead organisation

To lead a project your organisation must:

• be a UK registered business of any size
• be or involve at least one grant claiming micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
• collaborate with other UK registered organisations
• be active or growing your work activities in the life and health sciences innovation cluster in Northern Ireland
• have a demonstrable ambition for business growth

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

Academic institutions cannot lead or work alone.

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)

The contribution of project partners must add to the innovation led growth of the cluster.

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 IFS.

Non-funded partners

Your project can include partners that do not receive any of this competition’s funding, for example non-UK businesses. Their costs will count towards the total project costs.

A business can lead on only one CR&D strand application for this competition, but can be included as a collaborator in any number of applications.

If an organisation is not leading any application, it can collaborate in any number of applications.

Purpose

The aim of this competition is to support outstanding innovation projects led by businesses. Your business must be active or growing work activities in the life and health sciences cluster in Northern Ireland.

Your project must focus on innovation in life and health sciences.

Your project must lead to increased investment into research and innovation. It must contribute to growing business activities and economic impact in the cluster.

Themes

Your project can focus on one or more of the following:

Diagnostics, therapeutics and biomarkers

• multi-omics
• medical imaging
• liquid biopsy
• biomarker or genetic testing
• diagnostic or therapeutic development

Data, digital and medical devices

• point-of-care testing
• wearable or ambient sensors
• clinical trials decision support
• augmented reality
• digital health

Innovations in healthcare service delivery

• health service productivity
• integrated care platforms
• remote rehabilitation

Your project can also consider the following enabling areas:

• artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum
• advanced therapies, novel formulation or delivery
• regulation or ethics
• supporting innovation in skills development

These lists are not exhaustive.