Funding opportunity

STFC innovations partnership scheme: Sep 2021

• Opportunity status: Closed
• Funders: Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
• Funding type: Grant
• Maximum award: £360,000
• Publication date: 30 September 2020
• Opening date: 20 July 2021
• Closing date: 5 October 2021 4:00pm UK time

The STFC innovation partnership funding is for researchers at eligible research organisations or our laboratories.

You should be working with partners from industry or other non-academic partners to turn research funded by us into commercial products and services.

Support is available for technical development.

We will contribute up to 80% of the full economic cost of projects with a total value of £450,000 and lasting up to 36 months. Partners should provide financial or in-kind support and have a vested interest in the outcome of the work.

Who can apply

You must be employed at an eligible research organisation and have normally held, or hold, STFC funding from our core science programme of nuclear physics, particle physics and particle astrophysics, astronomy and space science, or accelerators and computing.

Eligible organisations are:

• higher education institutions
• approved research council institutes
• approved independent research organisations
• public sector research establishments (PSREs).

STFC employees working at one of our national laboratories are eligible, but must demonstrate a clear transfer of technology to commercialisation.

Non-academic partners can include:

• businesses
• research and training organisations
• not-for-profit organisations such as charities, NHS bodies and government departments.

See our research grants handbook for more information on eligibility.

Not eligible? Find out about STFC’s other knowledge exchange schemes.

What we're looking for

We are looking to support the transfer to the marketplace of technology and expertise from STFC-funded research.

This includes technologies or ideas originating from our core funded areas:

• nuclear physics
• particle physics and particle astrophysics
• astronomy and space science
• accelerators and computing.

You must be working with a non-academic partner such as a business, charity, NHS body or government department. Your partner will be expected to make a financial or in-kind contribution and have a vested interest in the outcome of the research.

Our funding will support technical development.

Projects should not exceed £450,000 over three years. We will fund 80% of the full economic costs up to a maximum contribution of £360,000.

The contributions of your project partners are over and above the full economic costs of the project for the purposes of our funding.

See the full guidance for applicants (PDF 304KB).

How to apply

You should apply via the Joint Electronic Submissions system (Je-S).

You should attach the following documents to your application:

• Je-S pro forma
• case for support (six pages, see the full guidance for applicants (PDF 304KB))
• Gantt chart (one page)
• data management plan
• letter of support from technology transfer office
• letters of support from each project partner
• letters of support from any organisations interested in the project
• optional covering letter (covering letters will not been seen by external reviewers/the panel)
• other (any document uploaded under “other” will not be seen by external reviewers or the panel).

We recommend you start your application early. You can save completed details in Je-S at any time and return to continue your application later.

When you submit the application, it will first go to your host organisation for review. Please allow sufficient time for this.

The process from submission deadline to decision normally takes about five months.

Find more information on how to apply in the full guidance for applicants (PDF 304KB).

How we will assess your application

Your application will be assessed by external reviewers and then reviewed by an independent panel made up of members from industry and academia.

You can nominate one reviewer who is not a current or previous collaborator, friend or family member, or based at your host institution.

You will have the opportunity to respond to reviewers’ comments before the panel meeting.

Your application will be assessed on the following criteria:

• technical feasibility
• knowledge exchange and commercialisation
• economic and societal impact
• added value.

Contact details

Wendy Carr, Senior Programme Manager
wendy.carr@stfc.ac.uk

Additional info

Find out more about STFC funding to help turn academic research into commercial applications in the STFC Knowledge Exchange.

Supporting document

STFC innovation partnership scheme guidance notes (PDF, 343KB)