SBRI: Reducing pollution resulting from domestic burning or agricultural practices: Phase 1
Up to 3 months
Up to £60k
24.05.2023
This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition funded by Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The aim of the competition is to develop products or services that can help reduce harmful pollutants in the atmosphere resulting from domestic burning or agricultural practices that generate ammonia, including from anaerobic digestion.
This is phase 1 of a potential 2-phase competition. The decision to proceed with Phase 2 will depend on the outcomes from Phase 1 and the assessment of a separate application into a subsequent Phase 2 competition.
Only the successful applicants from Phase 1 will be invited to apply to take part in Phase 2.
Check Your Eligibility
Domestic combustion is a major source of particulate matter (PM) emissions. Emissions of PM2.5 from domestic wood burning increased by 124 per cent between 2011 and 2021, to represent 21 per cent of total PM2.5 emissions in 2021. If we are to meet statutory PM2.5 targets we will need to find ways to reduce emissions from domestic wood burning.
Your solution must reduce emissions by introducing a new fuel type, improving wood-burning stoves and fires or by post-burning emissions capture and filtration.
The agriculture sector accounts for 87% of UK emissions of ammonia. This is emitted mainly during the storage and spreading of manures, slurries and digestate from anaerobic digestion and from the application of inorganic fertilisers. Ammonia reacts with nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide to form secondary particulate matter which significantly impacts human health in rural and urban areas.
Your solution must either prevent emissions of ammonia, extract it from the air or reduce deposition onto sensitive habitats.
Your phase 1 project must:
Contracts will be given to successful applicants. At this stage, contracts will be given for phase 1 only.
You must define your goals in your application and outline your potential plan for phase 2. This is part of the full commercial implementation in your phase 1 application. You must demonstrate a credible and practical route to market, so your application must include a plan to commercialise your results.
In phase 2, Innovate UK will ask successful applicants from phase 1 to further develop their innovations, deploying, testing and iterating them in a real-world or representative environment, working closely with potential users and customers.
Specific themes
Your phase 1 project must focus on one of the following:
If you wish to apply for both themes you must submit separate applications. Within those applications you must state that you are applying to both themes and satisfy the assessors that you have the capacity to deliver both projects successfully in parallel should they both be funded.
Research categories
Phase 1: technical feasibility studies
This means planned research or critical investigation to gain new knowledge and skills for developing new products, processes or services. In phase 1 the supplier will work closely with stakeholders to develop a solution.
Potential Phase 2: prototype development and evaluation
This can include prototyping, demonstrating, piloting, testing and validation of new or improved products, processes or services in environments representative of real-life operating conditions. The primary objective is to make further technical improvements on products, processes or services that are not substantially set.
Innovate UK will not fund projects that:
Projects must:
A total of up to £2 million, inclusive of VAT, is allocated to this phase 1.
Phase 1 feasibility study R&D contracts will be up to £60,000, inclusive of VAT, for each project up to 3 months in duration. Innovate UK expect to fund up to 30 projects in total across the two competition themes.
Potential Phase 2, involves up to 6 contracts being awarded to organisations chosen from the successful Phase 1 applicants. Up to £315,000 inclusive of VAT will be allocated for each contract, to develop a prototype and undertake field testing for up to 10 months.