When you have spent weeks of hard work crafting the perfect application, the last thing you want is for your application to be deemed ineligible. Yet this happens time and time again, due to simple oversights. So with another round of Innovate UK Smart grants closing today, lets pray to the portal stability gods and here’s my last submission checklist for eligibility that could save you from this fate:
📌 Project Duration & Funding Rules:
- Check the project Start date and End date fall within the eligibility criteria.
- Check the project duration – under £500K total project size (not grant) must be 18 months or less. Over £500K: Minimum 19 months (Beware the “dead zone” between 18-19 months!)
- Larger projects require minimum 2 collaborative partners – who are claiming grant and have signed off upon the submission.
- Note in the last round a staggering 40% of larger applications were not sent out for assessment because of failing one or more of the above criteria.
✅ Documentation:
- All J-es forms present with correct application numbers and With Council status
- All appendices properly attached to (the correct application) and corresponding questions
- Gantt charts are readable – and not drawn on a postage stamp!
- Data consistency is key across all sections – from technical readiness levels to financial projections triple check you use the same numbers and claims across the application.
Remember:
💡 If you can: always get a fresh pair of eyes to review your submission. When you’ve been deep in the details, it’s surprisingly easy to miss critical eligibility criteria.
#InnovateUK #GrantWriting #Innovation #RDFunding #UKBusiness #SMARTGrants
What’s your go-to checklist for grant submissions? Share your tips below! 👇
*FOI data can be found here: https://ukri.disclosurelog.co.uk/disclosures/10f2bf95-9820-4f70-8aa2-c07d5e57f251