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What Is The Catapult Network?
The Catapult Network is part of Innovate UK and is a Government backed set of 9 leading innovation centres covering high-tech sectors in 65 locations across the UK. Each Catapult has an industry speciality with a central research hub and supporting local hubs in various strategic locations. Catapults contain cutting edge research and development (R&D) infrastructure, including hubs, laboratories, testbeds, factories and offices.
The main goal for these centres is to support innovative businesses across fields, such as manufacturing, space innovation, healthtech, digital transformation, energy, transport, telecoms and the urban environment and connect them to relevant scientists, engineers, academics and technical specialists.
There is also funding available, such as grants and fully funded business support to help carry out research and development, take high potential ideas to market, promote business growth and increase overall productivity.
Total funding to the Catapult Network from the UK Government is currently worth £1.6bn over a 5 year period between 2023 and 2028. This amount represents a 35% increase in funding for innovative research and development activities at the Catapults compared with the previous 5 year funding period of 2018-2022 where the allocation was set at £1.2bn.
What Are the Different Catapults?
i) Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
This Catapult is headquartered in London and has smaller research centres in Braintree, Stevenage and Edinburgh and is dedicated to the advancement of innovative medical applications relating to cell and gene therapy to help deliver life changing therapy to those most in need. There are state of the art research laboratories as well as a commercial team to help accelerate innovations and support businesses within this sector and can include grant funding and fully funded business support.
ii) Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult
This Catapult is based in Newport with additional research centres in Bristol, Glasgow and Durham and specialises in the application of compound semiconductors and the commercialisation of products containing them. The facilities available include Power Electronic, Radio Frequency (RF) and Microwave, Photonics, and Advanced Packaging labs to support the commercial application of compound semiconductors in electric vehicles, future telecom networks and power electronics. The Catapult works with both larger companies as well as start-ups in order to help harness their innovations into successful business ideas and offers grant funding and fully funded business support.
iii) Connected Places Catapult
This Catapult is based in London with 2 additional locations in Birmingham and Milton Keynes and is the UK’s accelerator for cities, transport and place leadership. Stakeholders such as Government, Local Government and industry specialists can collaborate to help improve travel across the UK, as well as on other topics such as 5G, green recovery, air quality and local resilience. There is funding available in the form of grants and fully funded business support to help implement innovative ideas across the UK in terms of travel and city improvements.
iv) Digital Catapult
This Catapult is also headquartered in London but has locations in Bristol, Gateshead and Belfast and specialises in advanced digital technology and experimental high-tech concepts to be converted into real world solutions. There are labs that support testing of multiple hardware, software and networking solutions as well as access to advanced interfaces, such as VR headsets, immersive technology, haptic equipment and augmented reality. Businesses can get funding via grants and fully funded business support in order to take their experimental digital ideas and commercialise them.
v) Energy Systems Catapult
This Catapult has a single location in Birmingham and focuses on accelerating the UK to a net zero future by supporting the clean tech sector and helping to design low carbon energy systems. There are lab facilities available where real world products and services can be tested in a ‘Living Lab’ that simulates a home environment and energy reduction strategies can be trialed. Grant funding and fully funded business support is available to help businesses to address innovation priorities, identify market access barriers and help decarbonise energy systems at the lowest possible cost.
vi) High Value Manufacturing Catapult
This Catapult actually has several clusters across England, Wales and Scotland, situated in a number of science and innovation park locations. The high number of locations for this Catapult is due to the core priority of ensuring the UK remains a world leading advanced manufacturing hub across multiple sectors.
The main goal is to assist thousands of companies each year in taking cutting edge research into manufacturing techniques from both universities and industry and helping enhance UK-based products and constantly improve the way they are made. A number of advanced concepts are available in various labs, including digital factory applications, lightweight manufacturing, manufacturing skills, agile techniques as well as industry specific specialities, such as advanced materials, bioprocessing, aerospace, additive manufacturing and composites.
UK manufacturers can apply for grants as well as get access to fully funded business support in order to take their manufacturing techniques and bring them up to date and make them competitive on a global stage.
vii) Medicines Discovery Catapult
This Catapult has a single location in Alderley Edge in Cheshire and aims to work on cutting edge drug discovery and advanced medicine and medical techniques. There are lab facilities available to assist with translational imaging, cellular sciences and biomarkers that can then deliver data that is critical for medicinal and therapeutic decision-making. SMEs and other innovators can access grant funding and fully funded business support in order to develop tools and techniques that can help grow the UK’s drug discovery economy and tackle industry challenges that currently hold back finding treatments for many existing medical conditions.
viii) Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult
This Catapult is headquartered in Glasgow and also has a number of other key locations strategically placed around the British mainland coastline and specialises in innovative research and engineering for offshore renewable energy generation. There is close collaboration between universities, engineers and businesses to help accelerate the creation and growth of companies that can provide renewable offshore energy, such as floating wind platforms and help push the UK towards net zero targets. Businesses can access grant funding and fully funded business support to facilitate their growth in this innovative sector.
ix) Satellite Applications Catapult
This Catapult has its main base of operations in Harwell, which has its own space cluster and also has a number of other strategic lab locations across the UK and specialises in accelerating the adoption and commercialisation of satellite services and space technology. The Catapult aims to bring together industry and academic expertise from universities to help get experimental research off the ground and bring new services to market. The labs include a range of digital and physical testing environments to help encourage cross collaboration across the UK space sector ecosystem and also extensive satellite manufacturing equipment, far-field and near-field antenna test ranges and operations centres. Businesses can apply for grant funding or access fully funded business support in order to carry out research and development activities as well as help take their new satellite or space based application to market.
What Are Some Current Funding And Support Opportunities Available From The Catapults?
i) Innovate UK: Funded Access To Catapults
Innovate UK can provide businesses who need research and development and growth support with grants worth up to £15,000 to access support services from the relevant Catapult within their area of expertise. Access to the Catapults will provide assistance with testing new product ideas, getting access to technical expertise and specialist sector knowledge and get support with access to markets and commercialisation assistance.
ii) Connected Places Catapult: HMGCC Challenge: Assurance of Printed Circuit Boards Using Machine Vision
This Catapult has released a challenge where businesses can receive funding for time spent, materials, overheads and other indirect expenses for projects with a budget of up to £80,000 relating to machine vision methods to robustly assure printed circuit boards (PCBs). The client for the challenge His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre (HMGCC) is looking for methods to non-destructively image and verify PCBs, with a specific focus on analysing copper traces.
iii) Digital Catapult: Quantum Technology Access Programme
The Digital Catapult provides support for businesses looking to use the applications of quantum computing for their industry, as well as helping them to upskill their workforce, build valuable partnerships and drive innovation. Support includes access to quantum computing technology as well as training and masterclasses and networking opportunities.
iv) Satellite Applications Catapult: Green Technology Innovation Vouchers
This voucher scheme is providing businesses with support worth up to £10,000 to use the Environmental Space Living Lab for projects relating to commercial service development for monitoring activities using satellites for agriculture, aquaculture, and the environment in the UK.
v) Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult: Launch Academy Programme
This accelerator programme provides support for businesses looking to commercialise new technologies that can help support the UK’s offshore wind supply chain. Support includes workshops and one-to-one expert support with commercialisation and research and development activities. Successful participants will also be provided support with accessing grant funding or with raising private equity investment as well as assistance with filing patents.
vi) Connected Places Catapult: Local Authority Transport Decarbonisation Accelerator
This accelerator is providing research and development support to SMEs who can address some challenges that are currently faced across various public transport networks in the UK. The solutions that are required to be developed relate to decarbonisation of public transport fleets and the adoption of EV electric vehicles. Businesses involved with the accelerator will get support for commercialisation of opportunities when working with the relevant public sector transportation partners.
Case Studies Where Businesses Received Funding From Catapults
i) Climate Tech Start-up Awarded £50,000 Grant
The Connected Places Catapult awarded London based climate tech startup IPG Energy a £50,000 grant to collaborate with the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) to build a manufacturing blueprint for a new pollutant-free and fuel-agnostic IPG Flameless Generator.
ii) Data Innovator Awarded £75,000 Grant
Techstart Ventures and the Digital Catapult have awarded Rubik Technologies a grant worth £75,000 in order to help further develop its data driven solution Data Mule that helps improve performance for mid-sized manufacturers by using business intelligence.
iii) Five North East Offshore Energy Firms Awarded Share of £1.2m
The Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult has awarded five tech companies based in the North East of England a combined share of £1.2m as part of its Technology, Innovation and Green Growth for Offshore Renewables (TIGGOR) programme. The funding will help support the companies in getting a fast track route to market for their innovations relating to wind farm projects, turbine monitoring sensors and will also support the creation of new jobs in the area.
iv) Seven SMEs Awarded Grants For Highway Carbon Reduction
The Connected Places Catapult has awarded seven SMEs grants worth between £15,000 and £30,000 to develop innovations as part of its collaboration with National Highways in order to to reach net zero carbon maintenance and construction goals for UK roads. Solutions that will be developed with this funding include recycling concrete techniques, creating carbon negative composite aggregate, provision of low carbon fencing materials and smart fibre reinforced plastic bridge beams.
How To Apply For Catapult Schemes
Full details about how to apply for Catapult schemes and the eligibility criteria is available on each individual scheme page on the relevant Catapult site. Any deadlines, funding amounts or how business support is funded and any required match-funding from businesses will also be outlined on these pages. Interested businesses can speak to funding and support experts based at each Catapult who can guide them through requirements and eligibility criteria to see if the relevant Catapult funding or support is a match with their needs and help them to apply. There are also application forms and other supporting guidance available on scheme pages as well.
Want To Find The Latest UK Catapult Network Opportunities?
If you want to see the full set of UK Catapult Network funding and support currently available, please visit https://getbusinessgrants.com/
