20240429 Calibre April 2024 Investor Presentation.pdf
BEN Investability Dr James Clipson
1. Driving Innovation
Technology Strategy Board
Support and Funding Opportunities
Dr Jim Clipson james.clipson@tsb.gov.uk
2. Driving Innovation
Organisation
Funding through Competitions
Collaborative R&D
Grant for R&D
Small Business Research Initiative
European Opportunities
Eurostars
3. Driving Innovation
Who we are as an organisation…
• An arm’s length executive body guided by business-led
Governing Board
• Sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
(BIS)
• We work across government in partnership with the research
councils, regional development agencies and the devolved
administrations
• Focused on business innovation and the application of
technology
• Staff of 140 based in Swindon
4. Driving Innovation
What are we funding?
• About 1000 Business-focused R&D Consortia
• Usually Business led
• Over 3000 businesses are involved
• 100 Higher Education Institutes involved
• £540m invested – of total £ 1,200m
6. Driving Innovation
The “Ideal Project”
• A clear commercial opportunity to open up or exploit a
significant growth market.
• A technical challenge that requires the creation of an
industrially driven consortium and innovative and
risky research and development to solve.
• A realistic project with deliverables and applications
that are innovative, commercially exploitable and of
wider benefit.
• A demonstrable need for support.
7. Driving Innovation
Types of Project
Commercialisation
Prod. Prototype
System Qual.
System Dev.
Technology Demo
Technology Development
Feasibility
Blue sky
Research Commercial Investment
Councils BAS APP EXP Venture Capital
TSB and its co-funders funding
Market readiness
8. Driving Innovation
Intervention Rates
• Basic Research – 75%
• Applied Research – 50% - SMEs may get 60%
• Experimental Research – 25%
• N.B. Rates apply to project.
• Maximum grant determined by total competition
amount – which varies £1m - £20M.
9. Driving Innovation
TSB Strategic Criteria
• Does the UK have the capability?
Significant research capability/capacity to exploit opportunities,
• Is the idea “ready”?
Clear opportunity to which this is a timely response.
Speed progress towards more sustainable economic growth.
• Is there a large market opportunity?
What is the size of the global market opportunity?
Will it create added value in the UK, taking into account the global
market potential?
• Can the Technology Strategy Board make a difference?
Can we add value?
Will our investment promote sustainability and quality of life?
10. Driving Innovation
Application Structure
The Application is broken down into 4 sections:
Gateway: Scope Section One: Business Proposition
• Does the project fit the competition • What is the business proposition
call? that the applicants are trying to
address and exploit?
Section Two: Project & Partners Section Three: Value Add
Details : • Is the project value for money?
• What will the project entail? • Why should the Technology Strategy
• Who are the project participants and Board invest?
what is their credentials?
11. Driving Innovation
Application Assessment
All applications are assessed by independent reviewers
drawn from industry and academia
What do they look for?
• Clear and concise answers
• The right amount of information – don’t give too much detail or making
assumptions
• Quantification and justification where required
• That you‟re the right people with the right bright idea and the means to
exploit its potential
13. Driving Innovation
Overview
• Assist micro, small and medium sized
businesses and pre-start-ups
• UK wide
– Supersedes RDA scheme
– Working alongside Devolved Administration schemes
– Discussing to align with DAs
• Single company grants
• Deliver successful new products, processes and
services
• Economic Growth
14. Driving Innovation
Grant Types
• Proof of Market
– assess commercial viability
– market research
– initial planning for commercialisation
• Proof of Concept
– initial feasibility studies
– basic prototyping, specialist testing and or demonstration
– investigation of production options.
– Pre-clinical research studies
• Development of Prototype
– pre-production prototype
– IP protection
– trials and testing (including clinical)
– identifying routes to market
15. Driving Innovation
Modes of operation
Responsive Thematic
• Always open • Single competitions
– Batched assessment 6 / – Once off
year
• Specific competition brief
• Any technology or sector – Deadlines
• Funds – Topic area
– Spread over the year – Funding level
– Balanced between grant – Types of grant
types • Resubmission not
• Resubmission permitted possible (to the same
within limits competition)
16. Driving Innovation
Grant Types
Grant Type Intervention rate Max grant level Max duration
(responsive mode)
Proof of Market 60% £25,000 (max 20% 9 months
upfront payment)
Proof of Concept 60% £100,000 (lower of 20% 18 months
or £10,000 upfront
payment)
Development of 35% medium £250,000 24 months
Prototype enterprises
45% small and
micro
In Thematic mode PoM and PoC can have a 15% uplift (75%)
17. Driving Innovation
Eligibility
• UK based SMEs and pre-start-ups
• Fewer than 250 employees
• Turnover < €50m
• Balance sheet < €43m
• EU definition:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-
figures-analysis/sme-definition/index_en.htm
19. Driving Innovation
SBRI
• SBRI is a structured process enabling the Public
Sector to engage with Innovative Companies :-
• Helping Departments fulfil their Objectives
– Using Innovation to achieve step function improvement s
• Accelerating Technology Commercialisation
– Provide a route to market
• Supporting the development of Innovative Companies
– Provide a lead customer/R&D partner
– Provide funding & credibility for fund raising
20. Driving Innovation
SBRI Key Features
• Procurement Process
• Engaging with Innovative Companies & Procuring the R&D to :-
• Find & eventually procure novel solution to existing problem
• Encourage creation of solutions which meet policy
objectives
• Development Contracts
• 100% funded R&D
• Operate under procurement rules rather than state aid rules
• UK implementation of EU Pre-Commercial Procurement
• Deliverable based rather than hours worked or costs incurred
• IP rests with Company
• Certain usage rights with Public Sector – companies
encouraged to exploit IP.
21. Driving Innovation
SBRI Process
• Open competition based on PSB Challenges
• PSB defines the problem space for which solutions are either
absent or inadequate
• Competition widely advertised through TSB channels
• Reach out to broad spectrum of technology based industry
• Applications assessed by PSB and most promising ones
awarded development contracts.
• Project risk is managed through a Phased process
• Phase 1 Proof of Feasibility 2 - 9mths & £20k to £100k
• Phase 2 Prototype Development can be up to 2 years and £1M
(depends on challenge)
22. Driving Innovation
Current competitions – a sample
• Highly innovative strategic technologies in low
carbon vehicles
• Disruptive technologies in low carbon vehicles
• Regenerative Medicine Programme: Developing
Therapeutics 2
• Regenerative Medicine Programme: Tools and
Technologies
• Metadata production tools
• Have I got „views‟ for you? Gathering and analysing publicly
available data to gain an understanding of current events
• http://www.innovateuk.org/competitions/competitionsearch.ashx
