ACT-Semiconductor Investor Partnership Networking Hub

Innovate UK will be supporting the Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) and Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) who will be investing up to £15 million for innovation projects delivered through the Investor Partnerships programme across Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) and semiconductor solutions. The aim of this competition is to provide support for research and development and access to the capital investment needed to develop and commercialise innovation. 

This is subject to us receiving a sufficient number of high-quality applications. Funding will be in the form of a grant: you can apply for a minimum of £150,000 and up to £900,000.  

These are both frontier technologies in the Digital & Technologies Sector Plan of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy. For Semiconductor solutions, this competition also contributes to the new UK AI Hardware Plan, supporting the development of Semiconductor technologies that underpin AI. This joint call recognises each technology individually, as well as their convergence and shared criticality to the growth of the modern digital economy. Projects and solutions that consider either or both technology domains in innovative ways are within scope. 

Your project must focus on one of the following themes: 

1. Theme 1 – Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) 

2. Theme 2 – Semiconductors (including AI Hardware) 

3. Theme 3 – Convergence of ACT and Semiconductor technologies for use in connectivity networks

Investor Partnerships 

Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), has selected investor partners with aligned investment interests and capacity to lead investments. 

These investor partners have demonstrated that they have the credibility, capability, capacity and appetite to invest in innovative, technology-led businesses in areas that align with our strategic priority areas. 

The Investor Partnerships programme brings together: 

• Innovate UK’s expertise in identifying innovation and using grant funding to change the risk profile of businesses; and 

• investor partners’ aligned funding and expertise in identifying opportunities and teams that can best use additional investment finance

The aim of this competition is to provide innovative SMEs with support for research and development alongside access to the capital investment they need to develop, commercialise and scale their innovations.  

This competition targets SMEs with strong growth and scaling potential that have an innovative project aligned with the competition scope. 

Innovate UK also provides wider business support, including investment readiness and connections to relevant investors through Innovate UK Business Growth and Innovate UK Business Connect, Catapults and the UK Semiconductor Centre.

This platform will support networking, collaborations, and applications for this competition.

Collaborate with others and find partners: The platform offers a great opportunity to collaborate with others in your field or industry. Participants can meet potential partners, collaborators, or even competitors and share ideas and insights. 
 

Gain visibility for your organisation: Create an "organisation page" so that others in the community can see what you have to offer and can get in touch. 
 

Post on the marketplace: Share information about your project and what kind of investment you are looking for. 
 

Message individuals directly: Prefer one-to-one contact? Reach out to people directly to see if you’d be a good match to work together. 
 

Book a 20-minute session with a potential collaborator: These meetings are designed to help you quickly assess each other’s interests and expertise, identify common goals, and uncover synergies. 
 

We hope you make some great connections!

Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) and Semiconductor Investor Partnership Competition Details:

Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) and Semiconductor Investor Partnership briefing:

Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) and Semiconductor Investor Partnership matchmaking event:

Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) and Semiconductor Investor Partnership Competition page: