July 22, 2013

Design challenges for a circular economy

The Technology Strategy Board is to invest up to £1.5m in collaborative research and development (CR&D) to encourage companies to rethink the design of products, components and/or services, with the potential to reduce their environmental impact by a factor of four. The aim is to stimulate the development of a ‘circular economy,’ using materials which are designed to be used again, rather than ending up as waste. 

“We are looking to support projects that are high-impact, both in terms of the market opportunity that they address and the environmental benefits that they offer. For example, they could involve the first application of a design approach to an existing category of product, where it could be rapidly expanded upon, or the demonstration of a new business model within an organisation to encourage behavioural change in consumers.”

This competition is open to all UK companies. Projects must be collaborative, and they must be led by a business which offers access to the market for the product or service involved, ie a brand owner or industrial end-user. We are primarily seeking to fund industrial research, with a business partner attracting 50% public funding for their project costs (60% for SMEs). The maximum project value for this competition is £300k.

The competition opens on 29 July 2013, and the deadline for applications is at noon on 11 September 2013.

For more information, visit the Technology Strategy Board competition page.