Learn about our funding programme

Once you have registered your details at the bottom of this page, the full application form will be sent to you with details on how to submit your completed application.

Funding is available to all organisations and industrial partners across all regions of the UK.

As we embrace the digital manufacturing revolution, it is vital manufacturers across the UK can capitalise on the productivity and growth gains that come with adopting the latest data-led digital technologies.

If you have a question about the funding that is not answered on this website please feel free to contact dif@smdh.uk

DIF Project Managers will review information on Companies House as part of the project due diligence.  An analytical review of financial statements will be completed and assessed in line with Innovate UK due diligence requirements.

There can be a level of software development, but this should not form a substantive part of a Lighthouse project.  If a project is purely software development then it's unlikely to meet the specification requirements of a Lighthouse. Applicants can contact the SMDH team to discuss this further.

The call has been designed to allow for differing project sizes.  Rapid Demonstrator projects can secure up to £50k; Virtual Manufacturing Testbeds can secure up to £100k.  We anticipate Lighthouse projects to be larger projects.  Lighthouse projects need to be working with a multiple number of clients and able to build a rich data set from benchmarking, analytics and predictions can be developed. 

Data should be made available in an open file format or in a format whose specification is publicly available, as described in the Challenge Brief. Currently we can accept data as bulk uploads to https://mdep.smdh.uk, via S3 transfer methods or MQTT IoT data ingestion. We can also consider other bespoke data transfer requirements by contacting dif@smdh.uk.    

All projects must be completed by latest, 31st January 2025.  Final draft claims should be submitted within 30 days of project end and all supporting documentation to be submitted, the sooner of, 90 days of project completion or 20th March 2025; otherwise, Ulster University will not be obligated to pay.  The latest project start date will depend on the project term and alignment with these claim dates.

For Lighthouse and Testbed projects, evidence is required that the resources and staffing are in place to run the project within the timeframe.  Lighthouse and Testbed Consortium projects can include a start-up company, but the project must be led by an established company that has the finances and resources to manage and deliver the project within the timeframe. DIF does have some financial flexibility around the requirement for 3 years of financial statements, but other comparable evidence would have to be submitted.  For example, an unlimited company does not have to publish financial statements, but it would have to provide financial data to satisfy due diligence requirements. If a company does not have 3 years' financial statements but can evidence significant cash reserves together with staff and resources to deliver a project this can be considered.

For Rapid Demonstrator projects applicants may be asked to provide evidence that they have sufficient resources to successfully complete the proposed project within the timeframe.

Ideally, yes, but the latest would have to be the 31st March 2025 which is the project close date.  Co-Investment will be a target reviewed for any grant claim, and so the total co-investment will have to be evidenced before a final grant payment.  Note that final claims to be made within 90 days of project completion or by 20th March 2025; otherwise Ulster University will not be obligated to pay.

The co-investment can be internally funded if the company decides to invest in the project, however other UKRI and/or Innovate UK funding cannot be included as co-investment.  

Retrospective investment cannot be included as co-investment.  Capital costs for purchases made specifically for the project can be included as co-investment. Existing capital can only be included at workshop or laboratory charge out rates.   

The Rapid Demonstrator Call is best suited to companies that want to automate their manufacturing processes.