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Innovate UK invites applications for its smart grants. These support innovative or disruptive ideas in any area of technology, science or engineering with a view to commercialisation. All projects must be business focused. Preference is given to those that demonstrate realistic and significant potential for global markets.

Applications must include at least one SME, therefore only SMEs may work alone. Project leads must be a UK based business of any size or a research and technology organisation. Academic institutions cannot lead. Collaborators must be a UK based business, academic organisation, charity, public sector organisation or RTO. Applicants must carry out their R&D project activity in the UK and intend to commercially exploit the project results from or in the UK. RTOs who wish to lead must have two or more business collaborators, including one SME. They must have a credible route to market for the output of the project, which is expected to be through the partners rather than through the RTO itself. As project partners, RTOs may participate as either a research organisation and receive 100 per cent of the grant, or as a business entity and be reimbursed a percentage of their eligible costs. Applications may include partners that don’t receive funding.

Projects with a duration of between six and 18 months and with total eligible costs of between £25,000 and £500,000 may be single or collaborative. Projects with a duration of between 19 and 36 months and with total eligible project costs of between £25,000 and £2 million must be collaborative. Up to £3m may be provided for these collaborative projects in exceptional circumstances. For feasibility studies and industrial research projects, eligible project costs are funded at up to 70 per cent for micro and small businesses, up to 60 per cent for medium-sized businesses and up to 50 per cent for large businesses. For experimental development projects that are nearer to market, eligible project costs are funded at up to 45 per cent for micro and small businesses, up to 35 per cent for medium-sized businesses and up to 25 per cent for large businesses.

The European Commission Horizon 2020: Excellent Science European Research Council invites proposals for its ERC-2020-StG starting grants. These support principal investigators in starting their own independent research team or programme. Applications may be made in any field of research with an emphasis on the frontiers of science, scholarship and engineering.
Applicants may be researchers of any age or nationality, and may reside in any country at the time of the application. They must be able to demonstrate the potential for research independence and evidence of maturity, and have produced at least one important publication as main author or without the participation of their PhD supervisor. Principal investigators should have been awarded their first PhD between two and seven years prior to 1 January 2020. They must spend a minimum of 50 per cent of working time in an EU member state or associated country and a minimum of 50 per cent of their working time on the ERC project. They must be engaged at the host institution for the duration of the project. Host institutions must be established in EU members states or associated countries as a legal entity under national law, or may be an international European interest organisation, the European Commission's joint research centre, or any other entity under EU law, including public and private entities, universities, research organisations and similar undertakings.
The total budget is worth €677 million to fund approximately 455 grants. Each grant is worth up to €1.5m over five years and an additional €1m may be requested for eligible start-up costs of moving to the EU or an associated country, the purchase of major equipment and access to large facilities.
Ref: ERC-2020-StG.