Gov seeks tech innovation to help protect against long-term economic fallout | IT PRO

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has announced a £20 million funding for technology and research-focused businesses to help boost the UK’s resilience to the long-term impact of coronavirus.

Businesses could receive grants of up to £50,000 to cover the development of new working strategies and help build resilience in industries heavily impacted by the pandemic, such as delivery services, food manufacturing, retail, and transport. 

The innovations could include but are not limited to education tools which improve e-learning, services which keep families digitally connected, or new technology allowing retailers to respond better to sudden spikes of consumer demand.

Businesses have until 17 April to submit their proposals, which will be reviewed as part of a competition launched by Innovate UK. The chosen proposals are supposed to start development by June 2020 and are anticipated to last up to to 6 months. The new products and services are expected to become available to the public towards the end of this year.

“The COVID-19 situation is not just a health emergency, but also one that affects the economy and society,” said Dr Ian Campbell, executive chair of Innovate UK. “With that in mind, Innovate UK has launched this rapid response competition today seeking smart ideas from innovators. The UK needs a great national effort and Innovate UK is helping by unleashing the power of innovation for people and businesses in need.”