The application process
Apply using the Innovation Funding Service.
You need to create an account in the service to start an application, or sign in to your existing account. We recommend using a professional email address associated with your organisation as you cannot change it in the service.
Applications not submitted through the Innovation Funding Service will not be accepted. Applications can be re-opened once submitted but must be re-submitted ahead of the deadline for the application to progress. Full guidance for completing each section is found within the service.
Lead applicants
The lead applicant represents the lead organisation for the application. As the lead applicant you will be responsible for:
- starting an application
- inviting people from your organisation to the application and removing them
- inviting partner organisations you wish to collaborate with, where applicable, and removing them
- assigning questions to other participants
- answering questions relevant to you
- reviewing answers provided by any of the team
- ensuring the terms and conditions are accepted by both all parties (where applicable)
- ensuring appendices, where available, are uploaded
- submitting the application before the deadline
You should only invite people who are directly involved in the project. It is not possible to change the lead applicant on the innovation funding service, a new application will need to be started by a new lead applicant.
Collaborating in the Innovation Funding Service
Many Innovate UK competitions allow or require organisations to work in partnerships, with other organisations on collaborative research and development projects.
The collaboration rules for a competition, are stated in the eligibility section of the guidance. This section outlines the different roles of organisations who intend to work collaboratively in completing an application and setting up a project on the service.
Partner organisations
Partner organisations are invited to join an application by the lead applicant. Invited partners will be sent an email from us.
They will need to accept the invitation within 48 hours and create an account on the Innovation Funding Service or sign into an existing account.
Partners will then need to provide the information necessary to complete their part of the application. All inboxes, including junk and spam folders, should be checked for the invitation email.
As a partner you are responsible for:
- completing eligible project costs and finance details for your organisation
- inviting other people from your organisation to help with the application
- answering questions assigned to you by the lead applicant and uploading any necessary appendices
- accepting the terms and conditions for your organisation
Partners can see:
- all application questions and answers
- their own organisation’s finance details
- the application finance summary
Neither the lead applicant nor partners can view the detailed finances of any of the other organisations involved in the application. They can only view the overall eligible project costs in the application finance summary and their own detailed finances.
Partners are not able to:
- start an application
- invite people from other organisations
- assign questions
- submit the application
If you need additional help or support
If you need additional support or a reasonable adjustment in the application process you can contact us.
Competition deadline
If you are experiencing difficulties submitting your application you must contact us to allow your issue to be logged before the competition deadline. If we have no recorded interaction with you, with details of what has prevented you from submitting details of what has prevented you from submitting on time, we are unable to investigate further.
If our investigation draws the conclusion that Innovate UK is at fault, your application will be progressed further in the competition.
If our investigations determine it is user error, then we will not progress your application and you will be asked to apply into a future round or another competition.
We consider the following to be issues caused by Innovate UK:
- you are unable to submit due to the competition being setup incorrectly
- the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) site is down for a considerable amount of time immediately before the competition deadline
- any other issue that is clearly identified as being a problem caused by Innovate UK
We will not consider valid reasons for late submission, issues such as:
- poor internet connection
- poor quality equipment
- any questions not being fully completed by all consortium members
- the terms and conditions not being accepted by all consortium members
- the eligible project costs not being completed by all consortium members
It is your responsibility as the lead applicant to check over the application in good time to ensure you are able to submit the application before the deadline.
It is your responsibility to make sure your application form and all questions are completed in full before the competition deadline.