Creative Catalyst Challenge fund is looking for:
Proposals for the R&D of an innovative new product/system/process that decarbonises or reduces waste within the Creative Industries, reducing impact on our climate and/or leading us towards net zero.
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***Applications are now closed***
Any questions? Contact us at creative.catalyst@wearecreative.uk
Full Guidelines can be found here.
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What is it?
A bespoke fund offering a total grant pot of £250,000 for creative entrepreneurs and companies working within the Creative industries in the UK. The fund will finance research and development of an innovative new product/system or process that decarbonises or reduces waste within the Creative Industries, reducing impact on our climate and/or leading us towards net zero.
The proposed new product/system or process will enable companies to build upon their creative and commercial ideas, creating opportunity for business growth.
For Round 2 – we will allocate the £250,000 funding pot as follows:
- 1 award of up to £100,000 for more established businesses with market traction and customers of a product, ideally with co-investment in place
- 2 awards of up to £50,000 each for businesses 2+ years old looking to develop a new product or idea
- 2 awards of up to £25,000 each – very early-stage/new businesses and R&D ideas
You cannot submit multiple applications, so we will only accept one submission per company.
Who is it for?
The Creative Catalyst Challenge Fund is open to Creative Industries SMEs registered and trading in the UK. Please note – if you applied for Round 1 and were unsuccessful, please do not apply again with the same idea.
Your proposal must:
- be from the creative industries and support the creative industries.
- demonstrate clear benefits for the UK creative industry and the wider UK.
- focus on a clear opportunity and the proposed innovation which addresses it
- address and engage in cross-sector innovation that has positive impact on the environment
Examples of the types of projects we are looking for:
- Developing/protoyping innovative new manufacturing processes for an everyday product within a creative industry
- Developing/prototyping innovations in energy efficiency or low-carbon power in creative industry operations, e.g. on film sets and at events or in creative technologies
- Developing/prototyping new tech or services for reducing waste and introducing more circular economy principles e.g. in production, at events, in creative industries specific manufacturing
Your project must:
- Have a total grant funding request of either £100,000, £50,000 or £25,000
- Start by 01/10/2024
- All projects must be completed and budgets allocated by 31st March 2025
- Carry out all of its project work in the UK
- Intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
*Project budgets can exceed the requested amount but any additional funding must be clearly identified and in place*
Applications are invited from Registered Ltd Companies/SMEs based in the UK and working in the following sub-sectors of the Creative Industries:
- Music & Sound
- Advertising & Marketing
- Crafts
- Visual Arts
- Dance, Theatre & Performance
- Architecture
- Publishing
- AR, VR & Immersive
- Createch
- TV & Broadcasting
- Film
- Gaming
Due to the availability of other funds and support – we will not be accepting applications from:
- Fashion businesses/products/ideas
- Monitoring or reporting tools for the sector – these are already in existence and we’re looking for new cross cutting ideas.
Proposals need to be for new projects – we can’t fund projects that are already in progress.
You must provide a robust delivery plan, finance model and budget and demonstrate how this grant will positively impact not only our climate but also the growth and sustainability of your business.
Project Timeline:
Applications open: 10th June 2024
Applications close: 22nd July at 9am
Assessments and further follow ups: July/August 2024
Award Decisions: September 2024
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***Applications are now closed***
Any questions? Contact us at creative.catalyst@wearecreative.uk
Full Guidelines can be found here.
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FAQS
What type of ideas are we looking for?
We are looking for creative and commercial ideas that develop new technologies and processes for decarbonising and reducing waste.
Some examples of that could be:
- Developing/ prototyping new tech for reducing excess waste at music festivals
- Developing innovative new manufacturing processes for an everyday product within a creative industry
- Innovation in access to power – e.g. on a film set
What can the money be spent on?
Please note, this is not an exhaustive list.
- Equipment (hire or purchase)
- Wages – for PAYE personnel directly engaged on the project (including graduate and/or student placements)
- Travel, venue costs
- Payment for freelancers and consultants
- Marketing and publicity
What can’t the money be spent on?
Please note, this is not an exhaustive list.
- Anything you would have normally paid for without our grant support such as overheads – this includes legal and accountancy fees which would be classed as an ongoing expense of running a business, e.g. payroll administration
- Statutory costs, e.g. health and safety
- All staff who do not perform a role directly associated with the delivery of the project, that is those performing supporting roles such as reception, central finance, IT support and organisation management
- Any expenditure which is not related to the project or named in your final approved budget
- Recoverable VAT
- Dividends
- Cash withdrawals
- Penalties, e.g. late filing fees
- Payments in advance of need
- Retrospective payments, prior to project
- Spend on alcohol within refreshments, entertaining
- Non-standard UK travel, e.g. first-class travel
- International travel, unless agreed at outset
Previous Projects Supported By Creative Catalyst Challenge Fund
Heata: Heata repurposes the waste heat generated by cloud computing in the post-production industry to provide free hot water to homes. In their funded project, Heata partnered with a London VFX company to install a large, centralised rack system (a mini render farm) on a heat network in the UK, providing a community of social housing with free heating and hot water.
ZAP Concepts: Large-scale events often struggle to find reliable, emissions-free power solutions. ZAP Concepts addressed this challenge by designing the Show Power Grid, a battery-based grid that offers zero emissions and enhanced reliability compared to traditional diesel generators. Developed initially for Coldplay’s Music of The Spheres World Tour, the Show Power Grid has the potential to reduce emissions of large-scale events by 50-100%, positioning it as the first-choice sustainable Power-As-A-Service application for events worldwide.
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Creative Catalyst Challenge Fund is powered by Creative UK, funded by Innovate UK.
