Women in Innovation: Building Success - Grant Writing

Building Success –
Grant Writing
9th April 2020
#WomenInnovate

©KTN All rights reserved. | www.ktn-uk.org July 19 2
Answering the
assessors’ prayer
“Oh, Lord, send me a good one!”
@KTNUK #WomenInnovate

July 19 3
Support for
businesses
©KTN All rights reserved. | www.ktn-uk.org@KTNUK #WomenInnovate

Challenge Led
Industrial Strategy
Challenge Fund
Responsive
Smart Grants
Business Growth Pilots: Innovation Loans & Investment Accelerator
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
Managed Programmes: Procurement, DMCS & CCAV, Late-stage (e.g APC)
How do Innovate UK fund?

Catapult Network
Providing access to expert technical
capabilities, equipment and other
resources required to take innovation
ideas from concept to reality.

6
Enterprise Europe Network is part of Innovate UK’s
connecting network. It helps growing businesses to:
- manage innovation, commercialise great
ideas and grow
- access long-term finance from the public
and private sectors
- connect to a network of advisors spanning
more than 60 countries
- connect to partners to develop products
or services
- expand into new countries with help
from local experts
Enterprise Europe Network
Local presence, global connections

7
KTN is a network partner of Innovate UK. It
helps businesses get the best out of creativity,
ideas and the latest discoveries to strengthen
the UK economy and improve people’s lives.
KTN links new ideas and opportunities from
all sectors with expertise, markets and
finance through a network of businesses,
universities, funders and investors.
Knowledge Transfer
Network (KTN)
Find markets.
Find solutions.
Find funding.

Like all exams, the keywords and
answers are contained in the questions.
A lot of technique for individual Qs
but also requires a compelling narrative.
Essentially 10 scored questions
(+ 3 appendices) requiring answers of
no more than 400 words each, giving you
4400 words to convince them…
It’s an exam and a story …
©KTN All rights reserved. | www.ktn-uk.org July 19 8@KTNUK #WomenInnovate

… when you include the
Project Summary
Please provide a short summary of your project.
We will not score this summary.
This is the first thing they read. They need to read
it and say: ‘wow!, I get this and I like this’
Top tip: ‘Economist’ editorial style. 9 word
sentences, active tense.

Please describe your project in a way that is
understandable to the general public.
▪ This is only published if successful
▪ Mandatory, but the text will not be
assessed
Public Description

How does this application align with the
specific competition scope?
▪ Read the scope first when looking to
apply for a competition
▪ Avoid being rejected before
assessment
Gateway Question (Scope)

What is the business need, citizen challenge,
technological challenge or market opportunity
behind your innovation?
“Here’s an unmet business need that is
costing or denying (John/s) value. We can
develop the tech/service/product to fix this
challenge and when we do, (John/s) will buy
it.”
“Here’s some stuff that shows we
understand the wider context, too.”
https://horizons.innovateuk.org/
1. Need or challenge

13
Describe or explain:
the main motivation for the project
the business need, technological challenge or market opportunity
the nearest current state-of-the-art, including those near market or in
development, and its limitations
any work you have already done to respond to this need, for example
if the project focuses on developing an existing capability or building
a new one
the wider economic, social, environmental, cultural or political
challenges which are influential in creating the opportunity, such as
incoming regulations, using our Horizons tool if appropriate

14
Need or Challenge…
Our main motivation for this project was seeing the amount of plastic
film being unrecycled and discarded at the recycling plant.
As we explored we discovered that the unmet business need was
being able to recycle the plastic film into a useful material at
recycling centres. The technological challenge is the melting point
of this plastic interferes with the current process. If we over come
these hurdles we can see a market opportunity worth over 5
Billion a year, based on 1 000 tonnes of plastic in each of the 50
recycling centres in the UK being worth 100 UKP a ton.
This example is completely made up - honest !

July 19 15
Assessors crib sheet
1. Need or challenge

What approach will you take and where
will the focus of the innovation be?
“We will technically solve the challenge
by x, y, z. This is better than competitors
a, b, c because … Based on earlier work
(patent searches) we have freedom to
operate. We will deliver (this/these)
outputs.”
“and here’s a picture (Appendix Q2) that
oozes ‘wow factor!’”
2. Approach and innovation

Who is in the project team and what are
their roles?
“Our team is the best - and here’s a list of
credentials/track record that shows we
can build it and get traction in the market.
We will additionally need (these)
resources and this is where we get them”
Do not be shy!
3. Team and Resources

What does the market you are targeting
look like?
The market looks like (this) and here’s the
trends with numbers and recent
references that show we really know our
stuff. Our target addressable market is
(sensible, conservative, argued
numbers).
4. Market Awareness

How are you going to grow your business
and increase your productivity into the
long term as a result of the project?
“The value proposition to our target
customers is (how they benefit in a
business sense and it’s worth x to them).
Our routes to market are (credible ideas,
preferably relevant to market identified in
Q4). Currently we sit (here) in the market
but this project will take us to (there).”
5. Outcomes and Route to Market

What impact might this project have
outside the project team?
“There are external (wider) benefits to
(economic/social/environmental/greater
good stuff) attributable to this solution
being implemented and they are worth
(some sort of guestimate). Stress any
regional impacts (local economy stuff).”
6. Wider Impacts

How will you manage the project
effectively?
“Here’s a tickety-boo project plan (work
packages, costed, research category,
description of deliverables, management
techniques and structure”.
“and here’s a funky Gantt chart
(AppendixQ7)”.
7. Project Management

What are the main risks for this project?
“Here’s a thorough risk assessment
(project/technical/commercial/environmental
/regulatory/whatever) with risk ownership
assigned and sensible mitigation suggested
along with a description of how risk will be
managed during the project.”
“and here’s a nice initial risk register
(AppendixQ8).”
Top tip - this is a ‘graph question’, label the
axes.
8. Risks

Describe the impact that an injection of
public funding would have on this project.
“We seriously need support. It will not
happen without it. Support enables (faster
time to market; derisking to the point where
private investors will come in) – and look at
those awesome (stakeholder and/or wider)
benefits.”
9. Added Value

How much will the project cost and how
does it represent value for money for the
team and the taxpayer?
“It’s excellent value for money - look how
modestly the work packages are costed.
Subcontracts are justified because
(they’re the best/we worked well with
them previously/etc). The return to the tax
payer comes from (increased VAT/payroll
taxes/ improved productivity/ efficiency/
contribution to govt strategy/etc.)”
10. Costs and Value for Money

small print …
… will kill you!
Scope. If in doubt, check with lead
technologists at Innovate UK. Use
the competition help. They are
helpful.

feedback …
… will kill you, too!
Typically 5 assessors assigned:
will love it!
will “i’ll give it five” (more like 7, actually)
would rather eat worms than see your
project funded
1
3
1

#Innovatio
Top Tips
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
Fit Scope Agree key points
with partners
Be clear and
concise
Make a realistic
plan
Be convincing
Remember risk
and innovation
Quantify and
justify
assertions
Check all
deadlines
Get advice and
feedback
Don’t leave it
too late to ask
Q and submit

28
Undertakings in
Difficulty
When accumulated losses
are more than 50% of
subscribed shares
AND
More than 3 years old.

29
Business-led innovation in response
to global disruption (de minimis)
a clearly innovative and ambitious idea, which would realistically and significantly meet a societal
need … due to the Covid-19 pandemic or the need … industry ..
that you have the capacity and capability to deliver … the working restrictions of Covid-19
the ability to start your project no later than June 2020
Themes: very broad
Competition closes: Friday 17 April 2020 12:00pm
You can claim 100% of your project costs up to the maximum of £50,000. These will be paid in
advance of the project start date.
More Info: https://qrgo.page.link/63b5Q

30
Women in Innovation Round 3
Opens Summer 2020
10 Award of £50,000 and a bespoke package of mentoring, coaching and business support.
Looking for those who:
• Have the potential (capability, experience and personal drive) to become leaders in business innovation
• Want to be role model for others
• Have a clear vision for their business
• Are looking to develop a game changing novel idea or business innovation
• Know what they are hoping to achieve from the award and how to measure success
• Fit the scope
Remember this is about more than just funding!

Support for
businesses
Electronic copy available
https://ktn-uk.co.uk/news/how-to-prepare-
the-best-application-for-grant-competitions
July 19 31©KTN All rights reserved. | www.ktn-uk.org@KTNUK #WomenInnovate

Support for
businesses
July 19 32
Customer support service
Email
support@innovateuk.ukri.org
Phone 0300 321 4357

Sign up for KTN
newsletters
Sign up to receive monthly KTN
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innovation news by sector/tech area
https://ktn-uk.co.uk/register
July 19 33©KTN All rights reserved. | www.ktn-uk.org@KTNUK #WomenInnovate

Stand out from the
Crowd!
@KTNUK #InnovationLoans ©KTN All rights reserved. | www.ktn-uk.org July 19 34
Ian Tracey
©KTN All rights reserved. | www.ktn-uk.org April 20 6
Connect with me on linkedIn
Us the QR code

Thank you
Register for our updates:
www.ktn-uk.org

Newsletter: https://ktn-uk.co.uk/newsletter
Online Community: www.worldlabs.org/womenininnovation
Email: siwan.smith@ktn-uk.org
#WomenInnovate

Women in Innovation: Building Success - Grant Writing

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