Industrial Net Zero Build UK India Brief

Applications are now closed - Industrial Net Zero Build UK India is an international collaboration bringing together the best of the UK and Indian manufacturing sectors to address the most pertinent topics of industrial net zero.

About Industrial Net Zero Build UK India

Alongside programme funding of £45,000 and support, a small cohort startups will collaborate closely with leading Indian manufacturing leaders seeking to help UK startups to tackle urgent net-zero challenges and share industry knowledge and insights on how to best work in the Indian market.

In collaboration with

The opportunity is delivered by Digital Catapult and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It is supported by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Science & Innovation Network (SIN). With industry challenges in collaboration with leading Indian manufacturers.

Johnson Matthey

Tata Steel

Tata Consultancy Services

Godrej Aerospace

UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)

UKRI

The challenge brief

Tackling industrial net zero on a global scale

Through this programme, we’re looking to support startups who address the following two challenges

Material resource optimisation

Optimising the outputs of an organisation or facility, without increasing input or sacrificing quality is crucial for the success of an industry both environmentally and economically. Across the industry, inefficient processes are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Sub-categories include:

  • Integration of new materials into more sustainable manufacturing processes – Using advanced digital technologies to manufacture more durable products
  • Ensuring consistent and high quality of products – Such as using augmented reality and machine vision to inspect and connect parts, reducing scrap
  • Reducing energy requirements for production – Using IoT and AI to optimise processes to reduce energy consumption in manufacturing processes
  • Improving line efficiency in a manufacturing shop by monitoring the flow rate through the workstations without requiring manual data inputs

Zero waste manufacturing:

Designing and utilising products for reuse, remanufacturing and recycling to enable a more sustainable circular economy. Closing the material loops by providing accurate information on the availability, location and condition of products. Digitalisation also enables more efficient processes in companies, helps minimise waste, promotes longer life for products and minimises the transaction costs. Sub-categories include:

  • Remanufacture, reuse and recycling of parts – Such as using DLT to store information on product lifetime performance to advise manufacturers on how materials can be used once a product reaches the end of its life
  • Closed-loop manufacturing – Using data to identify how scrap material can be utilised in new products
  • Monitor a high number of parameters in a forming or welding process, and using AI/ML techniques to make quick adjustments to avoid producing defect parts
  • Design and manufacture of new products for a circular economy – such as using AI to design more robust products or AR/VR so share design and manufacturing specifications between stakeholders in different locations

What’s involved

This programme is designed to create

A small cohort of UK advanced digital technology startups will receive £45,000 grant funding to explore applications of their existing products and services with established Indian corporate partners that hold aspirations in leveraging the digital technology to optimise resource usage and current processes.

Throughout the duration of the programme, the startup teams will receive expert innovation support from Digital Catapult in product training, design and preparing robust business cases for their new market as well as pitch training. Specialist Indian corporate partners will collaborate in the design and delivery of the programme, signalling the strong bilateral nature of Build UK India. Participants will build demonstrators and develop a strong business case, as well as being invited to attend relevant industry roundtables , networking sessions, and other relevant opportunities.

Who should apply

Early stage startups to tackle industrial challenges

  • This cohort will be formed from UK based startups that can tackle industrial net zero challenges by developing demonstrators in collaboration with Indian manufacturing leaders.

Digital technology applications

  • Future networks and advanced digital infrastructure (internet of things including low powered wide area networks, NB-IoT, LIFI etc. and includes sensors, edge devices, wearables etc.)
  • Immersive technologies – extended reality (virtual, augmented, mixed reality and haptics)
  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning (natural language processing, machine vision, deep learning)
  • Distributed ledger technologies (blockchain etc.)

Working within or can apply solutions to industrial settings. Companies developing solutions that can address one of the following challenges:

  • Material resource optimisation – optimising the outputs of an organisation or facility, without increasing input or sacrificing quality.
  • Zero waste manufacturing – designing and utilising products for reuse, remanufacturing and recycling to enable a more sustainable future

Industrial Net Zero Build UK India FAQs

Read our programme specific FAQs to understand more about this brief and requirements

  • Who is involved in Build UK India and how is it funded?

    The opportunity is delivered by Digital Catapult and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It is supported by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Science & Innovation Network (SIN).

  • What are the Industrial Net Zero Build UK India key dates?

    Please see below the programme key dates:

    • Applications open Monday 13 September 2021
    • Applications closing deadline is Sunday 10 October at 23:59 (BST)
    • Selection of technology companies takes place between 11 October 2021 and 24 October
      2021
    • Demonstrator building phase: November 2021 – March 2022
    • Showcase: March 2022
    • Programme ends: 30 March 2022
  • How is the funding distributed to the selected applicants for Industrial Net Zero Build UK India?

    Up to £45,000 worth of funding will be allocated to each successful onboarded applicant as follows:

    • 25% paid at the start, as long as applicants provide a business plan including distribution and exploitation plan, finance and budget plan, timeline, confirmation of final team, technical and creative information, confirmation of match funders and investors, granting terms, contracts or contracting terms.
    • 60% paid after a demonstration of work in progress displayed during a pre-arranged meeting with Digital Catapult.
    • 15% final payment of funding on the provision of an updated business plan detailing distribution and exploitation strategies (including the possible business models) and demonstration of the final experience to a public audience.

    For Digital Catapult to grant this funding we must issue and receive back a completed de minimis declaration from each company showing their culmination of de minimis awards over the last 3 fiscal years does not exceed £200,000.

  • What are the requirements for the Industrial Net Zero Build UK India programme?
    • You will need to illustrate technological expertise that can be applied to the industry challenges set in a way that has the potential to pivot these challenges forward
    • The solutions proposed will need to sit within our technology categories to be considered which are artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), Immersive and Distributed Systems
    • You must be a UK based registered company – or prove you have an establishment in the
    • UK and undertake the majority of your activity in the UK
    • You must have a UK business bank account
    • You must be able to develop a demonstrator for the industrial net zero sector, enabled by advanced digital technologies
    • You must be able to attend all the activities online and/or in-person (workshops, programme activities and final showcase) for the duration of the programme
    • Experience within the industrial net zero sector is not essential, however knowledge of how to apply this to industry and relevance to the challenge is required
    • The team has to have one or more team members with expertise with at least one of the
      advanced digital technology stack (AI, IoT, Immersive and Distributed Systems)
  • What UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) does this programme address?

    Build UK India links specifically to three of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

    • Goal 8 – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
    • Goal 9 – Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
    • Goal 12 – Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

    As a participant in the UN Global Compact, Digital Catapult is committed to the systemwide implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to advocacy and outreach activities relating to the SDGs.

Register your interest in future opportunities

Applications are now closed for our Industrial Net Zero Build UK India cohort, register your interest and visit our how to apply page for current and future opportunities.

Register your interest How to apply

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