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Everything you need to know about Innovation, Collaboration and Funding

Everything you need to know about Innovation, Collaboration and Funding

September 2022
Innovation is the process of taking new ideas and research to market. It drives productivity, exports and economic growth and helps solve societal challenges.

In our recent webinar Innovate UK, Scottish Enterprise and ESA (European Space Agency) joined Location Data Scotland to explore opportunities around innovation, collaboration and funding.

Innovate UK funding and support

Innovate UK is the UK’s innovation agency, enabling business led and collaborative innovation in all sectors, technologies and UK geographic regions. The Innovate UK group offers a range of specialist support for innovative businesses:

Innovate UK Innovate UK KTN Innovate UK Edge Catapults
Funding and support for innovation projects Connections to new partners and opportunities Support for growing innovative businesses Specialist facilities and experts in technology areas

Carol Sunderland who works in the Artificial Intelligence and Data Economy (AIDE) Team discussed how Innovate UK has supported a range of geospatial innovation projects – both from a geospatial data generation and application perspective in a number of different sectors including agriculture, maritime, port logistics, construction, infrastructure and rail, by way of example. It was further explained that geospatial funding opportunities also lie in some cross-sector and international programmes.

ESA Funding and Support

We also heard from Ken Gordon, the UK business ambassador at ESA Space Solutions who are the largest space innovation network in the world. ESA support start-ups and SMEs to grow their business through zero equity funding, technology and commercial guidance, support from a personalised consultant and access to a network of partners. Companies can apply for ESA funding (open calls or kickstart activities) as long as they use one space asset – for example, earth observation, space weather, satellite navigation, satellite communication or human spaceflight technology.

Scottish Enterprise Funding and Support

Tracey Ward introduced the innovation, collaboration and funding team at Scottish Enterprise. Scottish Enterprise help ambitious companies who are seeking innovation funding from a variety of sources. Scottish Enterprise work typically, but not exclusively, with SMEs (10-250 employees) who are:

  • Market-orientated innovation and/or R&D projects
  • Can evidence a market (have customers who are willing to pay)
  • Are confident that they will be able to match-fund at least 30% of the project costs
  • Are willing to share their results


  • Our webinar speakers shared their top tips for preparing and submitting a funding application:

    1. Ensure there is a fit with the funding call in question (including the technology readiness level (TRL), does your organisation fit the criteria, does your idea match the themes of the funding?).
    2. Ensure your innovation is central to your application.
    3. Solve a problem worth solving and make sure you include external validation of the problem.
    4. Ensure you answer the IP (intellectual property) question fully.
    5. Convey the business case within your application and demonstrate your market knowledge and the opportunity. Clearly articulate your specific knowledge of the market you are addressing your proposition and where you are positioned within the value chain.
    6. For ESA applications understand how you will use the space assets you will be using.
    7. Don’t generalise; ie don’t say ‘we are the only people doing this’ unless you can prove it! Demonstrate where you fit against the competition.
    8. If your project requires partners, find your partners as early as possible. Seek support from the networks – Location Data Scotland, Innovate UK KTN and Scottish Enterprise. Individuals such as Luca Bodello from Innovate UK KTN can help provide geospatial connections.
    9. Demonstrate your knowledge of the market opportunity. For ESA applications this needs to be from a UK/European perspective.
    10. Don’t underestimate the time needed to complete an application. Ensure you submit it in plenty of time – on some platforms you can add draft versions of documents – upload as you go along so you have evidence if problems arise. Draft – Review – Redraft – Proof Read – Check – Submit
    11. As Innovate UK is awarded via a competition model, look out for relevant competitions and answer the questions clearly.
    12. Ensure you have the capacity to deliver the project.
    13. Co-funding can NOT be other sources of public money.



    If you missed our webinar, or just want to refresh your memory, links to the event recording and resources are available below.

    Location Data Scotland can help your business access the right funding sources and support to help grow your business. If you wish to access this support, or the support discussed during the webinar, use the links below.

    So, what do we really mean by Innovation in Geospatial?

    Panel at What is Innovation in Geospatial with Geospatial Commission, Electrek Explorer, Registers of Scotland, Eolas Insight, Geovation Scotland and Location Data Scotland
    Panel at What is Innovation in Geospatial with Geospatial Commission, Electrek Explorer, Registers of Scotland, Eolas Insight, Geovation Scotland and Location Data Scotland
    Panel at What is Innovation in Geospatial

    So, what do we really mean by Innovation in Geospatial?

    September 2022
    Collaboration in Key!

    30 August 2022 saw Location Data Scotland and Geovation Scotland join forces to run an event at the Registers of Scotland’s building in Edinburgh to explore the topic of innovation in geospatial with industry, public sector and academia.

    A range of speakers and panellists from the Geospatial Commission, Registers of Scotland and industry joined Ashley Stewart, lead for Location Data Scotland and Lyndsey Dougan head of Geovation Scotland, to explore what we really mean by innovation in geospatial.

    Innovation is Problem x Execution = Solution

    Lyndsey explained that Geovation Scotland deliver a hugely successful accelerator programme targeting companies in Scotland working in the geospatial sector and they feel collaboration is the number one ingredient to make innovation happen. It’s not just about having an idea or creating new technology – it’s about creating value and having the support infrastructure in place to make it happen!

    We also heard from Douglas McNeil from SME Eolas Insight who have an innovative solution tackling the impact on the environmental sector using location data. Doug said “In our experience, we can see there is lots of geospatial technology impacting the environmental sector and these technologies are making service development easier, enabling SMEs to punch above their weight. These technologies can help inform us to support our efforts towards biodiversity net gain and help us on our journey towards net zero.”

    Tourism business Electrek Explorer introduced their innovative app which supports the green traveller to find new experiences when they are out and about, providing information about e-bike and EV routes, charging points, nature sites, EV accommodation, bike friendly accommodation, electric bike charging cafes, local businesses and activity providers.Eilidh Smyth from Electrek Explorer said, “Innovation is nothing without the support of the wider ecosystem. We had fantastic support from Location Data Scotland and Geovation Scotland to help raise our profile, challenge our business model and make cross-sector collaborations which has really helped us scale and grow.”

    In terms of innovation, areas such as climate change and sustainability, transport, utilities and insurance are evolving, however sectors such as the emergency services are way behind! The key challenge in driving innovation is scalability. There are lots of great things happening across Scotland but questions remain around how we as a nation can help develop new skills and technologies and commercialise these, to drive more innovation. We also need to consider data democratisation – how do we get the right data to the right people in the right way at the right time? And what about data standards – are they interoperable, are they based on fair principles? Now is the time to create national standards that tie it all together.

    Scotland has an amazing opportunity to drive innovation. We are a small nation with lots of opportunity to scale. Scotland is the perfect location for a test bed as we have scalable datasets and can lead by example. But we need to work together rather than working in silos!

    As a starting point, we encourage you to join Location Data Scotland’s community to help you find collaboration partners and stop trying to figure this out on your own!

    Relevant Funding, Events and Reports referred to during the event:

    Location Data Scotland : Innovation and Collaboration Webinar – 28th September 2022

    SAVE THE DATE: Geovation Showcase 20th October

    Geovation Scotland Accelerator Open Call

    Applying Space Data to the Net Zero Economy

    Agri Challenge – Can your organisation help to accurately measure biomass and natural capital using space data?

    Other Funding Opportunities

    Geospatial Commission Annual Plan 2022/2023

    Building public confidence in location data: The ABC of ethical use

    Upcoming Innovation Challenge – Collaboration Opportunity

    Cattle
    Cattle

    Upcoming Innovation Challenge – Collaboration Opportunity

    August 2022
    Can your organisation help to accurately measure biomass and natural capital using space data?

    Scottish Enterprise in partnership with Scottish Government and the Data Lab will shortly be launching a national, Scotland CAN DO innovation challenge call, which is open the any eligible organisation in Scotland. This grant funding for Scottish businesses is to facilitate the development of innovative solutions, using space data, that will support the transition to Net Zero. This Scotland CAN DO funding call offers 100% of eligible project costs. It will allow companies to assess the technical and commercial feasibility of their proposed solution over a period of 3 to 5 months, with projects completing by the nd of March 2023. A minimum of £20,000 and a maximum of £30,000 grant funding is available.

    Further information will be shared when the call officially launches on 22nd August, but this is advance warning of the upcoming opportunity and also an invitation for Earth Observation companies to collaborate with a cooperative of farmers to develop solutions to solve their biomass and natural capital measurement challenge which could, potentially, be scaled across the agricultural sector.

    Download further information on the agricultural challenge below.

    If you are interested in this opportunity and would like to be introduced to the challenge holder, please contact us.