Contracts for Innovation: Net Zero Living Tech Trials, phase 3

Summary

This Innovate UK Contracts for Innovation (Phase 3) competition offers funding for extended field trials of pre-commercial technologies that can help UK Local Authorities achieve their net zero targets. The focus is on testing, validating, and demonstrating existing solutions in real-world environments to support their path to commercialisation.

It's a single-phase, competitive grant with limited funding. The competition does not fund early-stage ideas or product purchases, and any future adoption by Local Authorities would require separate procurement.

Scope

The aim of this competition is to conduct extended field trials to evaluate and enhance any emerging technological solution focused on helping Local Authorities in the UK meet their net zero ambitions.

This will lead to insight and feedback from future users and customers to make final adjustments to the product or service, that will lead to successful commercialisation.

In this Phase 3 you must further develop your existing pre-commercial innovation, deploying, testing and iterating in a real world or representative environment. You must work closely with potential users and customers, conducting the R&D to progress your project toward commercialisation.

Your potential users and customers can claim funding support to facilitate their involvement in the project. Applications will be evaluated on the level of commitment to the project and the solution demonstrated by the Local Authority partner or partners. The strongest applications would likely be able to highlight the authority’s intention to procure the solution if it can be shown to be effective. During the project all Local Authority partners should work to develop a business case to procure the solution after the project concludes.

You must demonstrate a credible and practical route to market, so your application must include a plan to commercialise your results.

Contracts will be given to successful applicants.

Specific themes

Your project can focus on any area of net zero recognised as a priority by your collaborating Local Authority potential customers.

Research categories

Phase 3: real world implementation and testing

The primary objective is to make further technical improvements on products, processes or services that are not substantially set.

This can include further prototyping, demonstrating, testing and validation of existing pre-commercial products, processes or services in environments representative of real-life operating conditions.

Project duration

Between 8 to 10 months

Must start by 1^st September 2025

End by 30th June 2026

Award value

Projects must have have total costs between £75,000-£100,000

Eligibility criteria

• Projects must be led by an organisation of any size
• Contracts will be awarded to a single entity only
• Subcontractors can be used for specialist skills and can be businesses, research organisations, research and technology organisations or the third sector(charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups)
• You must select whether you are VAT registered before entering your eligible project costs
• If you are VAT registered, you must enter your eligible project costs exclusive of VAT and your total eligible project costs inclusive of VAT must not exceed £100,000
• If you are not VAT registered, you must enter your eligible project costs exclusive of VAT and your total project costs must not exceed £100,000

Your application must have at least 50% of the contract value attributed directly and exclusively to R&D services, including solution exploration and design. R&D can also include prototyping and field-testing the product or service

‍

‍