Ktn guide to tsb competitions tessa

Transport KTN’s Guide
to
Technology Strategy Board’s
Competition process
Tessa Darley
Transport KTN

Transport Knowledge Transfer Network
enquires@transportktn.org www.transportktn.org

Applicants’ Journey
Timeline of a Technology Strategy Board Competition

Competition EOI Full Competition Applicants
Opens Deadline Stage Closes informed

Expression of Review Project
Launch Period Full stage Assessment
Interest initiation

Minimum 4 weeks 6 weeks 2 weeks 7 weeks 4 weeks

19 weeks
Today’s Presentation


The Launch

Expression Review Project
of Interest initiation


14th Jan 2013
Transport KTN
information and
Consortia Building

• Technology Strategy Board formal announcement
• Competition Scope released
• Transport KTN Supporting activities
• Vessel efficiency interest group
• Think of projects – talk to existing contacts, network


Fast Track

• Single stage application
• Fast-Track to account for up to 10% of the budget
• Projects will last 6 to 12 months
• Total costs for each project will be between £200K to
£500K
• Each project to include a small or micro business
• Business led consortia of at least two partners
• Applicants submit a full-stage application form at EOI
stage


Collaborative R&D
• Two stage application
• Projects expected to last between 12 and 36 months
• Project costs typically range from £250K to £3m
• Business-led consortia of at least two partners
• Funding levels
– Small and micro business can expect to be 60% funded
– Large companies expected at 50%
– At least 70% of the total eligible project costs to be
commercial organisations, max 30% to research participants
– No one partner to receive more than 70% of the eligible costs
• Evidence of effective collaboration


The Expression of Interest



Register Information Optional
14th Jan 2013 your Day EOI review 27th Feb 2013 noon
interest deadline

• Short 6 week period
• Applicants need to register their interest by 20th Feb noon
– On the TSB competition page for this competition
– To enable the downloading of the application form
– To upload completed EOI form
– Download the full guidance to applicants – definitive guide
• Technology Strategy Board information day 22nd January
• Decide if fast track or full stage project submission – form to complete

The Review Period


Minimum 4 weeks 6 weeks 2 7 weeks 4 weeks
weeks

• Independent reviewers
– The Technology Strategy Board preserves reviewers
anonymity, and the Transport KTN do not know who the
reviews are.
• Reviewers sign confidentiality agreements
• Gateway Question - If the review panel consider that the
answer to this question is not adequate
– then your application will not pass the EOI stage.



Minimum 4 6 weeks 2 7 weeks 4 weeks
weeks weeks

EOI Review stage
• Submissions assessed by several reviewers
– The business proposition
– Project details
– Funding and added value
• Independent panel meeting held to
– Discuss all EOI applications
– Agree Ranked list for Fast Track and EOI submissions


EOI Decision
Competition EOI Full
Opens Deadline Stage
Fast Track
Expression Review
Launch Period Invitation to full stage
of Interest

Minimum 4 weeks 6 weeks 2 Unsuccessful
weeks

• Fast track
– The TSB will allocate their fast track funding to the highest
ranked project, then the next project, and so on.
– This process is continued until all of the funding is allocated to
projects.
– Once the funding is allocated, subsequent projects will not be
funded.


EOI Decision
Competition EOI Full
Opens Deadline Stage
Fast Tract

Expression Review
Launch Period Invitation to full stage
of Interest

Minimum 4 weeks 6 weeks 2 Unsuccessful
weeks

• Invitation to Full stage
– TSB will invite the highest ranking applications to submit a full
stage application, in strict order.
– Usually this would be in the region of 200% of the indicative
funding allocation.
• Unsuccessful applications
– Once indicative 200% is reached, subsequent projects will inform
the project that the submission has not been successful.
– Contact the Transport KTN

Full Stage



14th Jan 2013 1st May 2013
Register Compulsory
your information
interest Day

• Consortia invited back to submit a full submission
• TSB will run a compulsory briefing day, to which at least one delegate
from the consortia must attend
• Applications can only be on the forms provided online
• Annexes can be submitted & Illustrations and graphics can be included
• Submitted before the deadline, normally noon


Fundamentals
• Read the ‘Competition scope‟.
• Read the ‘Guidance for applicants‟.
• Read the questions and understand them!
• Answer the question!
– Each question has a purpose – providing the same information in response to
several questions does not help the assessor assess your proposal!
• Put yourself in the assessor‟s position.
• Each field has only a certain space allocated to it
– Use wisely, but as comprehensive as possible
• If the question has “Quantify” – the answer is a number.

• If in doubt, contact the competition hotline.


Consider
• The importance of the gateway question

Need to show that a clear majority of the project‟s objectives and activities are
aligned with the specific competition.

– If the review panel consider that the answer is not adequate then your
application will not pass the EOI stage.

• What is innovative about your project ?
– both commercially and scientifically?

• Commercialisation and exploitation at the end of the grant.


The business proposition

• Clearly state from the outset "WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO DO!”
• Don't think the idea is so commercially confidential that the idea
can't be discussed in detail.
• Market is clearly understood and the ROI is clearly stated,
quantified and realistic.
• Evidence and quantification – solid data sources.
• Sufficient resolution to be relevant to the project.
• Route to market & the funding gap to commercialisation
explained.
• Be clear on what is being delivered.
• Arguably „route to market‟ is the most important aspect of all the
questions – without one how will the innovation bear fruit.


Important questions - Risk

• All questions are important because they all present an
opportunity for you to distinguish your proposals from the rest.
However, thinking of the risk question:
• Innovation is about risk – not the avoidance of risk.
• Projects need to understand the risks and how they will be
mitigated. Strong risk management strategies need to be
shown.
• This understanding of risk needs to be conveyed to the
assessor through your proposal.
• Technical, Commercial, Environmental, Managerial – make
sure all are addressed.


Important questions - Impact

However, thinking of the impact question (environmental, social
and economic):
• Usually the worst answered.
• Possibly why some borderline projects missed funding – a
more detailed response would have lifted them into the
funding zone.
• Simple things like cradle to grave impacts, end of life/reuse,
direct and indirect job creation, security of supply, social
impact on third world economies.
• In other words – show that at least some time has been spent
thinking about the wider, longer term consequences of the
technology development.

Important questions - Funding

However, on the subject of funding and added value:
• Demonstrate that the project costs are entirely appropriate.
• Demonstrate that the project will significantly increase the
industrial partners‟ R&D spend during the project and
afterwards.
• Accuracy is important.


Language

• Most industries use their own jargon which is impenetrable to
those from outside it.
• There will be multiple assessors for each proposal – mainly from
within the sector but also from outside it.
• Don‟t assume prior detailed knowledge for the assessor and avoid
industry specific ACRONYMS, especially where there is significant
innovation.
• If you must use them, define ACRONYMS – it‟s very difficult to
read and understand sentences where the majority of the words
are not words!


Get the TRL right!

• Vessel Efficiency is looking
for a range of projects
focusing on TRL 4 to 6, but
extending TRL 3 to 7 if
justified.
• Your proposal needs to sit
within the right range for
this competition.


Attention to Detail

• The assessors need to understand what the consortium is doing.
• The only way they can do that is through the answers you give to
the questions.
• Be clear in your answers.
• Bad grammar and spelling does not present a professional image
and diverts the assessor‟s attention away from your key
messages.
• Check your submission thoroughly. Once complete – get
somebody else to read it...preferably somebody outside the
business and listen to their comments.
• Make sure the correct document is uploaded...in the past
someone submitted a mother‟s letter to the school excusing her
daughter‟s absence!


Other pointers on content

• Number your answers so the assessors can see where one
questions ends and the next begins.
• Use all of the main sheet, don‟t leave big blank spaces – the
impression is that you don‟t know too much about the subject.
• Use diagrams, pictures and charts in the annexes – lots of plain
text is depressing; make it clear, easy to read and interesting.
• Reference the annexes at the appropriate point in the main
application document – don‟t leave the assessor to search for info
in the attachments.
• Reference sources including the publishing date.


Submission of application
• Submitted before the deadline, normally noon
– 12:01 submission will automatically be rejected without exception
– We strongly advise to submit your EOI before the EOI deadline
• At Expression of Interest stage
– A missing consortia partner – still submit an EOI !


Finally

• Attending events like these will help.
• Check out the official group on _Connect.
• Even if consortia didn‟t get funding though AIR, it got their
innovation on the radar and, in some cases, doors were opened.


In conclusion...
• Read the question & the supporting information
available.
• Your answers to the questions are the only way of
distinguishing your proposal from the rest of the
field.
• Attention to detail.
• Participate – it‟s get your innovation on the radar.
• Address specific requirements of the competition


Transport KTN – here to assist

http://bit.ly/VesselEfficiency link


Ktn guide to tsb competitions tessa

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