Tier 1 – Core Incubation

Duration – 6 months from June 2020

Tier 1 represents the core support network of the SIMULATE programme, with successful entrants receiving a full 6-month incubation package tailored to their needs.  This will be delivered in partnership between Amey, CPC and Keele. Entrants are invited to relocate to the new Keele University Smart Innovation Hub during this period, however this is not essential for participation in the programme. During the first two months, entrants will be supported in developing their detailed pilot design in order to unlock funding and progress to Tier 2.

The programme will include:

• Investment readiness support
• Customer introductions
• Free office space within the Keele Smart Innovation Hub
• Opportunities for funded Academic collaboration alongside Keele University
• Personalised business/technical mentorship through Amey
• Local Government positioning and market entry pathfinding
• Local growth fund bid support
• Pilot planning and design support
• Bid Support for Tier 2
• SMART outcome/objective management and Demo Day
• Personalised technical support
• Academic support from Keele University

Tier 2 – Live Trialling

Duration – up to 14 months from July 2020

Participants can progress through Tier 2 level support through a successful application for funding through the SIMULATE programme.  The project team will be working closely alongside participants to design and develop pilot trials and will support in bidding for funding from the SMULATE seed fund.  Participants may also receive support in pursuing other innovation funding opportunities as part of Tier 2.

Participants who are successful in securing funding will receive project management and deployment support throughout the duration of their trial.  All trials/pilots must have started by November 2020 and have finished by November 2021.

Tier 3 - Partnership and Roadshow

Participants who progress through to Tier 3 support have demonstrated successful outcomes in their trials and are ready for further piloting elsewhere in the UK or commercial scale up.  A roadshow to meet prospective Local Government clients will be delivered alongside Amey.

Funding within SIMULATE

Each SME is eligible to bid for up to £100k from the SIMULATE programme. Here’s how it works:

1. In the initial submission form SMEs are required to submit as detailed cost profile as possible for trialling within SIMULATE. We understand that certain details may not be available to price a trial until further site investigation has taken place, or the solution requires some further support from the project team to generate a viable pilot design, however we are keen to understand the scope and ‘ball-park’ of the pilot at a minimum.
2. The SIMULATE panel selects successful candidates to enter the programme. Candidates may be offered all or ‘some’ of their initial funding bid – this will be made explicit in an ‘offer’ sent to successful candidates.
3. To secure the funding they have been allocated, SMEs who have entered the programme will submit a final detailed cost profile for a pilot within SIMULATE. This must be done within the first two months of the programme.  We understand that some SMEs may already feel they have reached this point and if so, then fantastic, however the project team will be supporting less developed ideas in costing and designing detailed proposals if required.

What do the tiers mean in terms of funding?

Each tier recognises a stage of development and support with SIMULATE. All successful candidates given an ‘offer’ can take advantage of the 6-month incubation and support programme within SIMULATE.  Submission and acceptance of the final detailed pilot design within the first two months signifies the move towards tier 2.  Tier 3 does not currently affect funding within the programme.

Things to note:

• SMEs who are successful in receiving an offer into the programme are not guaranteed funding, this is dependant of their ability to submit the final detailed pilot design.
• However, the SIMULATE programme wants you to succeed, so for those that need it, you will receive support in developing this pilot – all SMEs will be able to receive the amount offered to them at the beginning of the programme.
• SIMULATE will prioritise submissions which demonstrate a high ‘return’ for the funding provided, so showing a level of ‘match’ is preferable.
• Funding is delivered through completion milestones and evaluation of SMART objectives.

The SIMULATE programme is targeted at SMEs operating around the TRL-5 (Technology Readiness Level) mark.  We are on the look-out for technology that has been tested in controlled environments, but now requires further development within a live environment.  This being said for truly innovative solutions the TRL can be flexible.

The opportunity within SIMULATE is about more than just funding, we are looking for SMEs that can demonstrate that the programme can make a genuine difference to them.

As part of the selection process we will be evaluating SMEs on a number of factors; primarily, each SME will be evaluated on their ability to respond to the challenges within each document, referencing the material within each document in their submission. SMEs will also be judged on their ability to demonstrate the impact that the SIMULATE funding and support can have on their business.

SMEs will also be evaluated on the following factors:

• Technological feasibility
• Business case & customer awareness
• Scalability of solution
• Impact of funding and match
• Innovative nature of solution

The SIMULATE programme is open to SMEs from all over the world operating in Air Quality and Intelligent Mobility.