This morning saw the Belfast workshop for the Innovate UK smart products from smart materials competition take place at Riddel Hall.
This was the third in a series of events being held across the UK to give potential applicants the opportunity to find out more about the call and understand its scope as well as network with other applicants. It offered the chance to discuss and expand thoughts on potential areas of investigation into proposed projects and to identify potential partners for any submission.
The event was hosted by the Northern Ireland Polymers Association and Andy Sellars from KTN gave a very informative presentation on the practical aspects of applying for the competition. If you were unable to attend you can request a copy of his presentation from him at andy.sellars@innovateuk.gov.uk
Once all the workshops have been completed, a webinar covering any issues which have arisen will also be published on the Innovate UK Materials Knowledge Transfer Network.
Innovate UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) will invest up to £6m in collaborative research and development (R&D) projects to encourage the development of smart products that use a combination of functional, hybrid and multiple materials.
A smart product is one that responds autonomously to stimuli in the environment to produce a beneficial action, which is usually reversible. To be in scope, projects must involve the development of a smart product, or the enhancement of an existing product with the addition of smart properties. Projects should last between 1 and 3 years, with project costs in the range £500,000 to £1m.
As a minimum, projects for this competition must include three organisations, including a material supplier and at least one end-user. It’s hoped that businesses will look to collaborate with material specialists within research organisations to address some of the manufacturing challenges outlined. The deadline for applications is 29th April.