Development Grants
Development grants help you develop a pre-production prototype involving a significant technological advance. These projects will involve the development of new or substantially improved devices, products, processes or services.
Development projects will shape the results of industrial research into a plan or design for a new, altered or improved product, process or service for commercial use, including creating an initial prototype which could not be used commercially. It does not include the routine or general changes made to products, production lines, manufacturing processes, existing services and other operations in progress, even if those changes may represent improvements.
Development Projects will aim to:
- create a pre-production prototype of the product or process (i.e. up to but not including industrial application and commercial exploitation, but including pilot and demonstration prototypes)
- define the operational, technical, design and manufacturing aspects of the final product or process
- consider the ownership or licensing of intellectual property arising from or needed by the Project
- determine the prospective benefits, including the potential outputs
- determine the longer term market effects and exploitation
- set objectives and target dates for subsequent exploitation
- define the economic, commercial and dissemination objectives for exploitation
Development grants are available to SMEs with less than 250 group employees and a turnover of not more than €50m or a balance sheet total of not more than €43m. Key aspects are:
- Minimum Grant £20,000
- Maximum Grant £250,000
- Maximum % of costs covered 40%
- Project duration 6 to 36 months
