The Role of KTN and Innovate UK Funding...•Smart is the new name for Innovate UK’s ‘Open grant...
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The Role of KTN and Innovate UK Funding Chris Danks Knowledge Transfer Manager (AgriFood), KTN
Transcript of The Role of KTN and Innovate UK Funding...•Smart is the new name for Innovate UK’s ‘Open grant...
The Role of KTN and Innovate UK Funding
Chris Danks
Knowledge Transfer Manager (AgriFood), KTN
The Innovate UK FamilyFund Connect
Collaborate
KTN Purpose
To stimulate (business-led) innovation in the UK, to grow the
economy and improve society
• By helping people to network, to develop the contacts and
expertise they need to innovate.
• And once people have the contacts/connections they need,
to help them access the funding they need to progress their
innovative ideas, to turn them into products and services.
KTN Purpose
The AgriFood TeamKTMs - Food
KTMs – Agri: Plants and CropsKTMs – Agri: Livestock & AquacultureKTM Agri-Food & Ind.
Biotech
David Telford Jayne Brookman Debbie Tully Serena Broadway Simon Baty
Charles Vander Broek
(AgriFood & Chem/IB Team)
Lucy Mather Tim Messeder Chris Danks Kaeli Johnson
Head of Agri-Food Specialist, Agri-Food
Externally
Comms led by Sophie Badoux:
• Monthly AgriFood newsletter
• Register for KTN newsletters:
• https://ktn-uk.co.uk/newsletter
• Linkedin, twitter etc
• Networking the networks e.g. BEIS AgriFood newsletter
• Started to use linkedin groups for consortia building
How we communicate
Newsletter
BKTN Legacy Projects
SPARK Awards
- First Round now closed but second round likely in 2020
- 10x awards of £10,000 to be awarded
- Covering all areas of Agriculture, Food production and Industrial Biotech
- Projects to be completed in 6 months
- Fund innovative ideas, which could lead to further work together
- Establishing new collaboration between a research partner and an SME
- Improve Interaction and new research and technology transfer projects
What we do in a nutshell…..
Partnering - Access to a network of industry & research partners, help to find partners for projects, consortia building, commercial partners
Funding – Help with finding & obtaining funding, reviewing proposals
Organising events – for knowledge transfer & collaboration
Information & News – in one place, up-to-date – newsletters, website, social media
Strategic work – Strategy Reports, Roadmaps, International Expert Missions, Special
Interest Groups
The AgriFood sector
Agriculture Food
UK Agri-Food Sector – Key Stats:1) Value: £113 billion GVA (2016)2) Employment: 3.9 million (2018)Source: Defra, 2018
Agri-Tech projects funded by Innovate UKIncludes all Innovate-UK calls (2004-2018)
300 Agriculture Projects since 2004
204 Plant sector 96 Animal sector
271+ Companies 53 RTOs
Funded project themes
27, 15%
46, 25%
10, 5%15, 8%
40, 22%
23, 12%
20, 11%
3, 2%
Breeding
Disease/Pest Control
IPM
Management Tools
Precision Farming
Productivity & Quality (incl yiledimpr, seed priming, storage)
Sustainability
Hydroponics &Aquaponics
“Innovation hot spots”
Key: High Frequency to Low Frequency
Cereals Fodder Oilseed Pulses FieldVegetable Potatoes Sugarbeet Flowersandornamentals Protectedcrops Fruit&Berries Othercrops NoSpecifiedCrop ALL
Breeding 9 2 2 1 3 2 1 1 10 2 2 35
Disease/PestControl 4 2 3 1 8 3 1 8 8 1 13 52
IPM 3 1 1 2 2 1 2 12
ManagementTools 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 1 5 16
PrecisionFarming 6 3 1 3 1 1 4 2 20 41
Productivity&Quality 5 1 2 2 6 7 2 2 27
Sustainability 1 1 6 2 3 2 1 13 29
Hydroponics&Aquaponics 1 3 1 5
Total 29 10 8 10 16 14 3 2 27 33 7 58 217
Pre-competitive vision booklet• To align on the critical areas of Plant
Science which could result in
significant change / step-change in
agriculture, horticulture, agronomy for
food, fibre and fuel production…
• To ensure that innovations are utilised
to the full potential, effective and well-
funded translational research focusing
on the key areas is needed
Key areas of pre-competitive vision
12 priority areas identifiedThree broad categories:
• sustainable improvements in productivity, quality and safety;
• social awareness, skills to exploit the opportunities presented
• environmental protection to support intensification;
How the booklet has been used
• To guide investment priorities for KTN networking events, advise applicants for research funding and support young scientists in their career development
• Informing government funding such as Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund’s Transforming Food Production programme
Technology readiness level and Innovate UK funding
Pre-industrial research / Industrial research / Experimental development
• Smart is the new name for Innovate UK’s ‘Open grant funding’ programme. Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £25 million in the best game-changing or disruptive ideas with a view to commercialisation.
• All proposals must be business focused, rather than pure research. Applications can come from any area of technology, science or engineering and be applied to any part of the economy.
• The competition is open to any sector of the economy and any company size, universities or RTOs in any region of the UK.
SMART grants
• Opportunity to apply for a share of up to £25 million to
deliver ambitious or disruptive R&D innovations with
significant potential for impact on the UK economy.
• Your application must include at least one micro, small or
medium-sized enterprise (SME).
• Projects can last between 6 and 36 months
• Projects 6 -18 months (£25k-£500k) can be single
applicant or collaborative
• Project 19-36 months (£25k-£2m) must be collaborative
• Total project costs can range from £25k to £2million
• Continuous funding cycle current open round:
Opened: 10 January 2020
Closes: 22 April 2020
SMART grants
Organisation /
type of activity
Technical feasibility
studies and industrial
research
Experimental development Notes
Business
(economic activity)
Micro/Small – 70%
Medium – 60%
Large – 50%
Micro/Small – 45%
Medium – 35%
Large – 25%
Eligible costs include;
labour, materials,
depreciation, travel and
overheads
Research Organisation
(non-economic activity)
Universities – 100%
(80% of Full Economic
Costs)
Other research
organisations can claim
100% of their project
costs
Other research organisations must:
•be non-profit distributing and
•disseminate the project results &
•explain in the application form how this will be done
Public Sector
Organisation or Charity
(non-economic activity) 100% of eligible costs
Must be:
•Be performing research activity &
•disseminate project results & explain in the application form
how this will be done
•ensure that the eligible costs do not include work / costs
already funded from other public sector bodies
Standard Intervention rates
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
Criteria for a KTP
Project length of between 1 and 3 years
Associates recruited by University/RTO and Business partners
The Associate is employed by University/RTO
Project and Associate located at business premises with business supervisor
Academic Supervisor spends ~0.5 day/weekat the business premises
Features of a KTP
86% application success rate!
There is application assistance available in the
Research and Innovation Office.
…and we provide administrative support throughout the project lifespan too!
Return on investment of the programme:
£8 of net additional GVA generated for every £1 of KTP grant funding invested by sponsors
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
Agri-Tech Strategy
• Launched 22 July 2013
• Aims to improve the translation of research into practical application for agriculture and related industries in UK and overseas
• £160M government investment over 5yrs:
• Agri-tech Catalyst (£70m)
• Centres for Agricultural Innovation (£90m) –Agri-Tech Centres
Agri-Tech Centres
6
AgriTechCentres
- CHAP – Centre for Crop Health and Protection
- Agri-EPI – Agricultural Engineering Precision Innovation Centre
- Agrimetrics
- CIEL – Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock
- £70m investment to support agricultural innovations across 6 rounds (126 projects)
- Funding for collaborative projects, taking innovative ideas from any sector or discipline to tackle challenges in agriculture & provide an economic boost to the UK
- £60m has been invested through Innovate UK and BBSRC
- £10m invested by DFID to support transfer of technology and new products to developing countries
- In October 2018, the MOU between DFID and Innovate UK was amended and increased ODA funding to total £20m, supporting three more competitions (R7 - 9)
To date
• £10m investment to support competitions including rounds 7 onwards• £15m additional funding through GCRF from round 8 onwards
Timeline:
₋ Round 9 – 14 October 2019 – 8 January 2020 (last competition)₋ Round 10 – To be confirmed, provisional open date April 2020₋ Round 11 – To be confirmed, provisional open date March 2021
Latest funding available
Angola
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo (Brazzaville)
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Côte d'Ivoire
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gambia, The
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mozambique
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Eligible Countries
- Projects must show the potential to deliver impact for poor people through the uptake of agricultural and food systems technology and innovation
- Scope of the Catalyst includes:- primary crop and livestock production including aquaculture- non-food uses of crops, excluding ornamentals- challenges in downstream food processing, distribution or storage and value
addition- Improving availability and accessibility of safe, healthy and nutritious foods
- Your project’s innovations must:- be sustainable in the context of environmental challenges such as climate
change and resource scarcity- minimise negative effects such as pollution, food losses and waste
Agri-Tech Catalyst Round 9: Scope
- The following are priorities for DFID funding. You could consider focusing on one or more themes, but note this list is not exhaustive:- integrating smallholders into global and local supply chains- meeting quality standards and improving productivity- increasing the value of production to smallholders- innovation that supports food systems to deliver nutritious, healthy and safe
food- control of crop pests, weeds and diseases- reducing food losses ‘post-farm gate’ and through the value chain- addressing food safety issues through the value chain- addressing challenges in downstream food processing, distribution or storage
and value addition- new food technologies and data-driven food systems, including for urban areas
Specific Themes of Interest
Industry strategy challenge fund objectives
• Increased UK business investment in R&D and improved R&D capability and capacity
• Increased multi- and interdisciplinary research
• Increased business-academic engagement on innovation activities
• Increased collaboration between younger, smaller companies and larger more established companies, connecting up value chains (or networks)
• Increased overseas investment in R&D in the UK
Transforming food productionPart of the industrial strategy challenge fund
Data to early diagnosis and precision medicine (up to £196m)
Healthy ageing (up to £98m)
Next generation services (up to £20m)
Audience of the future (up to £33m)
Quantum technology (up to £20m)
Transforming construction(up to £170m)
Transforming food production (up to £90m)
Prospering from the energy revolution(up to £102.5m)
Industrial Strategy
Challenge Fund
Transforming Food Production
ISCF Objectives
• Increased UK business investment in R&D and improved R&D capability and capacity
• Increased multi - and interdisciplinary research
• Increased business-academic engagement on innovation activities
• Increased collaboration between younger, smaller companies and larger more established companies, connecting up value chains (or networks)
• Increased overseas investment in R&D in the UK
The TFP challengeTowards net zero emissions productive food systems by 2040:
• Accelerating the development and adoption of integrated precision approaches to improve productivity in agricultural systems
• Enable food to be produced in ways that more efficient, resilient and sustainable
• Driving economic growth across the country
TFP Delivery
Future Food Production Systems
Creating disruptive solutions and high
value production system
Investment Accelerator
Building a vibrant investment ecosystem
around the agritech sector in the UK
Science & Technology into Practice
Strengthening connections between research and
practice and enabling adoption & demonstration
International
Building
opportunity
in partnership
and driving
export growth
£50m
£30m
£10m
Future Food Production Systems
£50 million
• Focused on projects that disrupt the traditional land-based models of production.
• Projects funded under this competition will develop
new resource efficient, low emission food production
systems and/or address the technological
bottlenecks that prevent the current state-of-the-art
supplying mainstream consumer markets.
• Funding: Up to £20m (Open 16 September)
support a small number of large-scale projects
• Previous funding £25m committed from July 2018
Science & Technology into Practice
• Increase engagement and collaboration between R&D, end-users and all stakeholders
• Demonstrate near market solutions at commercial scale and across different production environments.
• Provide end users with evidence of technical feasibility and economic viability of combinations of precision solutions across one or more demonstration platforms.
• Embed co-innovation approach to accelerate the development of new solutions £30 million
International bilateral agreements
• International activities focused on established strong strategic relationships and where there are advanced discussions around agri-tech.
• International bilateral agreements to ensure new technologies take advantage of overseas markets.
• UK funding (£10m from International partners £10m to match ISCF investment of £10m) for competitions with Canada and China to support development of advanced precision technologies in shared areas of ambition. £10 million
Investment accelerator
• The Investment Accelerator deploys grant funding alongside equity funding from private investors.
• To increase investment into early stage precision focused companies.
• To help early stage companies get direct access to commercial acumen and market opportunities through their relationship with an investor.
• To encourage new (platform, social impact, overseas) and existing investors to invest earlier and wider.
Science & Technology
into Practice -
Feasibility
Transforming Food Production
TFP objectives
1. Create integrated data-driven solutions to drive primary
agricultural productivity whilst driving towards net zero
emissions
2. Embed adoption of precision approaches to bridge the
productivity gap, strengthening connections between
researchers, businesses and practitioners
3. Stimulate the establishment of novel high value production systems
to position UK technologies at the forefront of new industries.
4. Drive growth in UK precision technology companies, creating high
value jobs and adding value in the UK agricultural value chain.
5. Develop export opportunities and increase investment into UK
research and innovation.
Scope
In scope…
• arable, - cereals, field-scale
vegetables or potatoes
• dairy
• ruminants, - beef, lamb, goat
• monogastrics, such as pork,
poultry and eggs
• Horticulture - berries, apples,
lettuce and tomatoes
• aquaculture
Out of scope…
• non-food products, equine and
amenity horticulture
• projects that only include one
solution
Feasibility: funding and eligibility
Science and Technology into Practice: Feasibility Budget ~£5m
Projects £75,000 -£250,000
6-18 Months
Led by business or
research organisation
Collaborative including
SME
Research organisations
up to 50% project costs
Relevant expertise to
explore adoption
Feasibility: Essence
• feasibility
study leading
to decision on
whether/how
to progress
• development
of precision,
data-driven
solutions and
systems
• potential to
improve
productivity
and
sustainability
• contribute to
the target of
net zero
emissions by
2040
• bring together
solution
developers
and end users
• commercial
setting
• technical
feasibility
• understanding
route to
adoption
• contribute to
TFP
objectives,
especially
objectives 1
and 2
Feasibility: application and assessment
• Two additional questions in application…
• Q1 – Transforming Food Production
• Q12 – Knowledge exchange
• Single stage assessment
Timeline
Competition close: 26 Feb 2020
Applicants notified: 1 May 2020
Project start: by 26 Aug 2020
Feasibility: Summary
Competition
18 Nov 2019
26 Feb 2020
£5
million
Feasibility studies
Business or Research
organisationled
Project Size
£75k-250k
Routes to adoption
6 – 18 months
Start – 26 Aug 2020
Science & Technology
into Practice -
Demonstration
Transforming Food Production
TFP objectives
1. Create integrated data-driven solutions to drive primary
agricultural productivity whilst driving towards net zero
emissions
2. Embed adoption of precision approaches to bridge the
productivity gap, strengthening connections between
researchers, businesses and practitioners
3. Stimulate the establishment of novel high value production systems
to position UK technologies at the forefront of new industries.
4. Drive growth in UK precision technology companies, creating high
value jobs and adding value in the UK agricultural value chain.
5. Develop export opportunities and increase investment into UK
research and innovation.
Scope
In scope…
• arable, - cereals, field-scale
vegetables or potatoes
• dairy
• ruminants, - beef, lamb, goat
• monogastrics, such as pork,
poultry and eggs
• Horticulture - berries, apples,
lettuce and tomatoes
• aquaculture
Out of scope…
• non-food products, equine and
amenity horticulture
• projects that only include one
solution
Science and Technology into Practice: Demo Budget ~£10m
Projects £400,000 -£4million
up to 30 Months
Led by business
Collaborative including
SME
Research organisations
up to 30% project costs
KE focus –need a
partner and a plan
Fundamentals
Essence
• industrial
research
• experimental
development
• development
of precision,
data-driven
solutions and
systems
• potential to
improve
productivity
and
sustainability
• contribute to
the target of
net zero
emissions by
2040
• combinations
of precision
solutions
• different
commercial
environments,
• work with end
users
• show technical
feasibility and
economic
viability
• contribute to
TFP
objectives,
especially
objectives 1
and 2
Essence:Combinations to create solutions, not single technologies
Must haves…
KE partner
• a specific
project partner
with suitable
infrastructure
and proven
experience to
deliver the KE
activities
Experimental
mindset
• building
understanding
of how your
approach can
best achieve
widespread
use - work
with
economists,
social
scientists
KE plan
• develop and
deliver a KE
plan that
identifies the
target markets
and expected
outcomes
Evaluation
• Develop
economic and
environmental
success
indicators
• accurately
measure
impact /
effectiveness
Timeline…
14 Nov – Briefing Stoneleigh
27 Nov – Briefing York
6 Apr – Invitation
20 Apr – Interview
01 May -
Notification
26 Feb – Competition closes
11 Nov – Competition opens
Apr 20Nov Dec Jan 20 Feb 20 Mar 20 May 20
Demonstration: Summary
Competition
11 Nov 2019
26 Feb 2020
£10million
Industrial Research
Experimental Development
Business led
Project Size
£400k - 4mKE Focus 30
months
Start – 26 Aug 2020
End – 31 Mar 2023
Enhancing agricultural
productivity and sustainability
TransformingFoodProduction
International Innovation Office
1. March 2017 UK ‘expert mission’ to Canada: scoping priority themes and establishing links to funders, research-base and industry .
2. June 2017 Online workshop: to establish priority theme areas for industry-led R&D.
3. Sept 2017 London Roadmap: to identify short- medium- and long-term challenges and opportunities for UK-Canada Agri-food sector towards 2030.
4. June 2018 Global Business Innovation Programme mission: 12 UK SMEs participated in a one-week mission to Canada, visiting Saskatoon, Toronto & Guelph.
5. December 2018 – Online workshop establishing priority theme areas for industry-led research to address challenges facing UK / Canada food supply chain and nutrition sector towards 2030.
6. February 2019 –Canadian mission to UK: 10 SMEs with visits to MTC & Campden BRI; London workshop to promote Enhanced Industrial Productivity UK-Canada funding competition.
Activities to build strategic partnerships with Canada
Canada-UK Joint Call for Proposals
• Collaborative R&D funding competition to improve to the productivity and sustainability of crop, livestock and aquaculture systems– Agricultural technologies, including
livestock, dairy, poultry and aquaculture
– Crop development and agronomics– Indoor farming and greenhouse
technologies– Precision/smart agriculture
Call scope
In Scope• integrated precision approaches and
data driven solutions to support the transition to net zero agriculture.
• Projects between 24-30 months• crop, livestock or aquaculture
production systems.
Out of scope• Forestry, cannabis, non-food crops,
equine and amenity or ornamental projects.
Call eligibility
Your consortium must include the following elements:
• One UK business of any size
• One Canadian SME (500 employees or less), and IRAP client at time of Proposal submission
• Academic institutions or RTOs may participate in projects, but cannot be awarded funding through this competition. They may, however, act as a sub-contractor to a funded project partner.
• The consortium must:
• Carry out its project work in the UK and Canada where reasonable
• Intend to exploit the results from or in Canada and the UK
Call funding
UK Funding• Innovate UK has allocated up to £2 million to
fund innovation projects in this competition. • The maximum grant available for UK
partners is £400,000 per project.• Industrial research and experimental
development projects are both eligible, where you could receive funding:o up to 70% for IR and 45% for ExD if you are a
micro or small businesso up to 60% for IR and 35% for ExD if you are a
medium-sized businesso up to 50% for IR and 25% for ExD if you are a
large business
Canada Funding• NRC IRAP has allocated approximately
$3.5 million to fund co-innovation projects in this call
• The maximum contribution available for Canadian partners is £700,000 per project.
• Financial support follows the usual IRAP contribution rates for labour and contractors, plus contributions towards travel. IRAP contributions are typically ~50% of total project costs.
No one country and / or organisation can represent more than 75% of the total project cost.
Call timeline
27th Jan
Competition
Opens
11th &
13th Feb
Briefing
Event
20th May
Competition
Closes
Jun
Notifications
Projects
Start Oct
2020
20 March
Expression of Interest closes
(Canadian applicants only)
How to write a successful proposal and how the KTN can help
Chris Danks
Knowledge Transfer Manager (AgriFood), KTN
Collaborating & Innovating – key ingredients
for success Successful Collaboration and
Innovation:
1) Industrial need that can be
addressed by
2) Technical capability
3) Funding for new collaborative
project
4) Outputs benefitting both partners
1) Company A: Business need
2) University B:R&D/Tech expertise
Collaboration & Innovation
3) Funding
4) New products & Services4) Increased research impact
Hallmarks of a good proposal
‒ Innovation
‒A strong business case
‒A credible plan for Research and Development
‒The right consortium
‒A clear need for support (Risk)
‒Alignment to the competition scope
A good proposal has:
Hallmarks of a good proposal
‒ All projects must involve significant innovation
‒ Show how your project is commercially/scientifically innovative
‒ Provide evidence to support this i.e. results of
• Patent searches
• Competitor analyses
• Literature surveys
‒ Detail background IP, strategy for protecting any IP generated and
distribution of IPR
Innovation
Gateway to Research tool
This website will be of particular interest to innovative Small and
Medium Enterprises (SMEs), enabling easy access to information
about current research projects and outcomes of past projects.
www.gtr.ukri.org
Gateway to research tool
Innovate UK dataPublic descriptions
https://datavis.innovateuk.gov.uk/
Specific Horticulture examples
#ISCF_TFP18
Specific Horticulture examples
#ISCF_TFP18
Hallmarks of a good proposal
‒What is the need/benefit that this project will address?
‒What is the current market like (size, dynamics etc.)?
‒How will the partners profit from success; when and how much?
• Quantify the Return on Investment
‒Describe the route to market
‒Clarify how you project proposal fits within your business plan(s)
A strong business case
Worked example – £2m total cost project:Project costs for 5 partners (2 SME, 1 University, CHAP and 1 large), doing industrial research.
Total Eligible Project Costs
Maximum % of eligible costs which may be claimed as a
grantInnovate UK
GrantProject
ContributionBusiness SME £520,000 70% £364,000 £156,000Business Medium £360,000 60% £216,000 £144,000Business Large £520,000 50% £260,000 £260,000
University HEI (80% FEC) £200,000 100% £200,000 nil**Centre RTO £400,000 100% £400,000 nilTotal £2,000,000 £1,440,000 £560,000
** 20% FEC not to be shown as a contribution
Research Base Costs £600,000
Research base % of Total Eligible costs (cannot exceed 30%) 30.00%
Consortia costing example
Hallmarks of a good proposal
‒Outcome focussed research
‒R&D: Ensure there is enough time for D in the project
‒Provide sufficient detail to be able to judge the quality & feasibility of the technical plan and the value for money
• WP no. & name; partners involved; timeline; description of activity; milestones
‒Demonstrate the necessary skills & resources are available
‒Provide a clear/simple management structure and plan
A credible plan for R&D
Hallmarks of a good proposal
‒What will the wider benefits be? Quantify if you can
• Economic, Social, Environmental...
‒What is influencing your future market? Horizons is a practical tool that helps you to work out just that. It defines the environmental limits and social conditions necessary for a sustainable economy. Use it to develop and test your strategy, inform commercial decisions, and drive new innovation.
‒https://ktn-uk.co.uk/programmes/horizons
Wider impact
Horizons Tool
A better understanding of the context of a market opportunity (i.e. the social, environmental and economic trends driving it) will lead to a better definition of the solution, and help define:
‒ Route to market/exploitation
‒ Who you should partner with
‒ Potential benefits of the project
‒ Risks in the project
‒ Technical approach
‒ Need for financial support
How it may be more useful
Hallmarks of a good proposal
‒ Horizontal or vertical consortia (or both) possible
‒ Why these partners? – what makes this a particularly strong
consortium?
‒ If there are global markets in mind, explain how these will be accessed
‒ Show how all the partners have an active role to play and how each
benefits in some way (no “passengers”)
‒ Sub-contractor or partner?
‒ Cross-Sector partnerships and end-users?
The right consortium
Many end users are ‘sole traders’4.1 Micro companies, sole traders and partnerships not operating a
PAYE scheme
If you do not currently operate a company PAYE scheme and are working
directly on the project, you can include your labour as an eligible cost
calculated using a maximum of:
• your labour costs must be 8 hours per day
• 5 days and up to 40 hours per week
• £22 per hour
• your costs must be recorded through the business accounts
• your project time must be supported by timesheets and project records
Any grant awarded must comply with these provisions.
Hallmarks of a good proposal
Explain why the project would not go ahead (or would be delayed or reduced in scope) without funding
‒ Innovate UK:
• “Have you explained and justified why you are not funding the project yourselves?
• Have you explained how the project would be undertaken differently with Innovate UK investment?”
A realistic prospect of success, but sufficient uncertainty that there is still need for R&D
A clear need for support
Hallmarks of a good proposal
“funders recognise that projects of this
type are inherently risky, but seek
assurance that projects have adequate
arrangements for managing this risk”
A clear need for support: RISK
Hallmarks of a good proposal
‒ Use the format: Likelihood and Impact scoring
(High/Medium/Low)
‒ Explain the risks and how these will be mitigated
• Technical (incl. regulatory)
• Commercial
• Managerial
• Environmental
A clear need for support: RISK Register
Fundamental 1
1. Is it a big enough market? Does it represent value for
money compared to the investment requested?
Will a 10% market share give you a return to justify the grant
value that you are asking for?
Fundamental 2
2. Can the innovation be world leading? Is the idea
sufficiently distinctive and strong to be successfully exploited
in the UK and globally?
Can you really not buy ‘it’ elsewhere at a reasonably
comparable cost or get ‘it’ from a consultancy?
Fundamental 3
3. Is it at the right stage of development? It must be market
driven, rather than predominantly a research project.
Do you have a customer in mind for ‘it’, are they a partner on
the application and if not why not?
Fundamental 4
4. Why should public money be used? Why not use
company funds or raise additional finance via VC investment
or a bank loan?
Do you have a strong risk register, that isn’t just a paper
exercise where everything’s nicely mitigated so as not to
scare off the investor?
General Tips - 1
‒Agree key points of the collaboration agreement before you waste too much time on a idea that won’t fly
‒Lambert Toolkit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/university-and-business-collaboration-agreements-lambert-toolkit
‒Be clear, concise and realistic, use appendices where available
‒Do not assume assessors are experts in your subject
‒Provide evidence wherever possible
• e.g. of market data, of track record or of patent searches & reference these (e.g. Defra, 2013)
General Tips – 2
• Stress the added value of the funding applied for and the
excellent value for money
• Explain the financing – Break down & justify
• Check ALL deadlines
• Start discussing, planning and writing ASAP
• Do not leave it too late to ask questions or submit!
• Write a proposal that excites and inspires
General Tips - 3
• KTN guide to writing a successful
funding application
• PDF version available:
https://admin.ktn-
uk.co.uk/app/uploads/2018/10/MASTER
_Good_Application_Guide.pdf
How the KTN can help
• Advice on project scope and eligibility criteria
• Help with identification of potential partners (Industry or RTO)
• Build a relationship with relevant KTM, for future calls and beyond
• Review of draft proposals
• KTN has limited resource so will have to prioritise reviewing
applications to those received early and from organisations that
have not previously received funding
Grants lead to investment opportunities
• Overall, grant funding from Innovate UK and partners has supported over
330 multi-partner, industry led Agri-Tech projects in recent years
• Innovate UK funding pot limited, many great projects not funded
• Significant investment (£50k to £1-2m) and no equity dilution/consideration
• A ‘business plan’ approach to questions although often ‘collaborative’
• 5 external assessors, acting as ’due diligence’ with additional IUK checks
• Increase in SME focus by Innovate UK/KTN and not just those funded
• KTN the ideal conduit between investor community and industry
AgriTech Investment Showcase
Provide an opportunity for Agri-Tech specific investment
Complimentary to the role of supporting grant funding
Raise the quality of company ‘offers’ through bespoke training
Built a community of Agri-Tech Investors, 120+ currently
Investment Showcases in ‘17 &’18, and October 14th 2019
Additional ‘Investor only’ event and short film prepared
55 companies received training, 25 pitched at Showcases
Activity Overview
AgriTech Investment ShowcaseThe AgriFood Team Role
Cross team collaboration to
involve A2FF to provide
training
Identify innovative
companies seeking
external financing
Mentoring (technology -
business planning)
Networking opportunities
within the cohorts
Engage and inform a
specific Agri-Tech
Investment Community
Additional Income from
Innovate UK to cover
external costs
Leveraging expert
external support;
Rabobank, UKBAA and
Farm491
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzUTORE6lBg
AgriTech Investment ShowcaseWhy we are proud of this 2017-2018
££ £ £ £
££
£ £ ££
GrantGrant Grant
Grant
Grant Grant Grant
GrantGrantGrantGrantGrant
Grant Grant
UK AgriTech Investment deals
Investee company Tracked fund Total raise
Agrivi South Central Ventures 835000
Agroceutical products Undisclosed 146000
Agronomix Undisclosed 61000
Airponix Ltd Cleantech Innovate 500000
Arcadia Biosciences BASF Venture Capital
Beta Bugs Limited Undisclosed 70000
Biocarbon Engineering Undisclosed 3190000
Biotangents Kelvin Capital 1550000
Breedr Local Globe 2200000
Butternut Box Five Seasons Ventures 8000000
Cervest Future Positive Capital 2290000
Climate Edge Undisclosed 190000
DryGro Seedrs 521000
Dynium Robots Undisclosed 784000
Earth Rover Undisclosed 206000
eCow Mercia 350000
Entomics Green Angel Syndicate 600000
FungiAlert Undisclosed 1200000
Grobotix Systems Undisclosed 65000
GrowUp Urban Farms Ignite Social Enterprise 750000
HayBeeSee Newable (then LBA) 250000
Hectare Agritech Seedrs 4230000
Hummingbird BASF Venture Capital 3500000
KisanHub IQ Capital Fund 3400000
Lettus Grow Bethnal Green ventures 20000
Map of Ag Undisclosed 12800000
MycoNourish Limited Undisclosed 204000
Optimal Labs Entrepreneur First 70000
Ozo Innovations Wheatsheaf 1390000
Phytoponics Smart Anchor Ventures 300000
Population Genetics Syngenta 3630000
RootWave (Ubiqutek) SyndicateRoom 160000
RowAnalytics Wheatsheaf 890000
SEM Energy Undisclosed 1500000
Sixty-5 Technologies Co-FundNI 180000
Small Robot Company Crowdcube 1170000
SmartBell Undisclosed 75000
Stable Syngenta 4500000
Tropic Biosciences Five Seasons Ventures 9900000
Vertical Future Earthworm 4000000
WeedingTech SyndicateRoom 800000
WeFarm Local Globe 10260000
Recent AgriTech Investments : £87,187,000 from 41 company deals
UK AgriTech Investment deals
Investee company Tracked fund Total raise
Agrivi South Central Ventures 835000
Agroceutical products Undisclosed 146000
Agronomix Undisclosed 61000
Airponix Ltd Cleantech Innovate 500000
Arcadia Biosciences BASF Venture Capital
Beta Bugs Limited Undisclosed 70000
Biocarbon Engineering Undisclosed 3190000
Biotangents Kelvin Capital 1550000
Breedr Local Globe 2200000
Butternut Box Five Seasons Ventures 8000000
Cervest Future Positive Capital 2290000
Climate Edge Undisclosed 190000
DryGro Seedrs 521000
Dynium Robots Undisclosed 784000
Earth Rover Undisclosed 206000
eCow Mercia 350000
Entomics Green Angel Syndicate 600000
FungiAlert Undisclosed 1200000
Grobotix Systems Undisclosed 65000
GrowUp Urban Farms Ignite Social Enterprise 750000
HayBeeSee Newable (then LBA) 250000
Hectare Agritech Seedrs 4230000
Hummingbird BASF Venture Capital 3500000
KisanHub IQ Capital Fund 3400000
Lettus Grow Bethnal Green ventures 20000
Map of Ag Undisclosed 12800000
MycoNourish Limited Undisclosed 204000
Optimal Labs Entrepreneur First 70000
Ozo Innovations Wheatsheaf 1390000
Phytoponics Smart Anchor Ventures 300000
Population Genetics Syngenta 3630000
RootWave (Ubiqutek) SyndicateRoom 160000
RowAnalytics Wheatsheaf 890000
SEM Energy Undisclosed 1500000
Sixty-5 Technologies Co-FundNI 180000
Small Robot Company Crowdcube 1170000
SmartBell Undisclosed 75000
Stable Syngenta 4500000
Tropic Biosciences Five Seasons Ventures 9900000
Vertical Future Earthworm 4000000
WeedingTech SyndicateRoom 800000
WeFarm Local Globe 10260000
Showcase Participants : £28,881,000 (33%) from 20 company deals (51%)
AgriTech Investment Showcase
Extending AgriTech to include FoodTech
Launch for applications 4th March Closing 8th May
A2FF Training 17th June
Farm 491 Workshops August
Pitch Critique 15/16th September
Selection Days29/30th September
Investor Showcase 19th October
World AgriTech Summit and Future Food Tech Summit 20-23rd October
2020 Plan
Research Councils
c.£3bn
Innovate UK
c. £600m
Privately financedbusinesses
c. >£15bn
CONCEPT COMMERCIALISATIONTRL 1 5 TRL 10
Summary : Role of KTN
Co-ordinate Research Clubs
e.g. SARIC
PS Advisory BoardStrategic Vision
Sector & Cross-Sector EventsInternational Expert Missions
Newsletters
Briefing EventsApplication Reviews
Partnering
Pitch TrainingMentoring
Showcase Event
Thank you for your attention.
Chris Danks
Knowledge Transfer Manager – AgriFood
t: 07583 022666
