What is the Business Support?
The ATI SME Programme offers funding for research and technology development in the UK to maintain and grow the UK’s competitive position in civil aerospace.
The ATI Strategic Programme received £685 million from the government for the financial years 2022 to 2023 through to 2024 to 2025, an increase of £235 million on the previous 3 year period. Industry will provide co-funding, taking the total to more than £1 billion. Funding for the ATI SME Programme will come from this budget.
This competition is designed to maximise benefits to SMEs and support and encourage industrial investment into the aerospace sector and its supply chain, through the funding of innovative and high impact projects.
Research categories
The ATI SME Programme will only fund industrial research projects (as defined in the categories of research and development section of the IUK general guidance).
Restrictions
Eligibility guidance in any current competition brief takes precedence over guidance here, for the purposes of entering that competition.
To lead a project your organisation must:
- be a UK registered SME. Business other than SMEs can lead but must include at least one SME in the consortium
- carry out your aerospace research project work in the UK
- intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
- address the specific requirements of the UK’s Aerospace Technology Strategy – Destination Zero
- sign up to the ATI framework agreement
- claim funding
Both collaborative and single applicant led projects are accepted but encourage collaboration.
The programme does not fund projects that:
- do not have a primary exploitation in the civil aerospace sector
- are defined as fundamental research, feasibility studies or experimental development
Who runs it?
This programme is coordinated and managed by:
- Department for Business and Trade (DBT)
- Innovate UK (IUK)
- Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)
All 3 organisations work in partnership. Together they deliver a portfolio of projects to meet the objectives and priorities of the UK Aerospace Technology Strategy.
DBT is accountable for the programme budget and decides which projects will be funded with government resources. DBT carries out a value for money and policy assessment on each eligible application.
IUK is the funding and contracting authority for the programme. IUK provides independent assessment and evaluation of application submissions, monitors live projects, and manages the distribution of grant funding.
The ATI creates the technology strategy for the UK aerospace sector. The ATI reviews applications for strategic alignment.
How to find out more?
To see the full information for the programme or to apply, please click here.
Contact information:
Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-apply-for-civil-aerospace-funding-as-an-sme