Applications have now closed and the finalist teams will be announced this summer.
The UK track of the challenge is open to any person or organisation based in the United Kingdom. Consortia are eligible, and may include non-UK partners, though the lead applicant and recipient of funds must be based in the UK. All grant and prize money will be paid into UK bank accounts.
Ten teams will be selected in the finalist phase by our expert judging panel to participate in the UK track of the Aqualunar Challenge, receiving £30,000 each.
Three teams will share the grand prize – a first place winner (£150,000), second place runner up (£100,000) and third place runner up (£50,000).
The criteria here are for applications to the UK track of the Aqualunar Challenge.
Canadian applicants must apply to the Canadian track of the Challenge hosted by the CSA and Impact Canada.
THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
The Eligibility Criteria articulate who can enter the Challenge and conditions they will need to meet to be eligible, as well as what is required of them during the Challenge.
- The Challenge is open to individuals aged 18 years or over, academic groups, companies or non-profits, as well as partnerships between these.
- Teams may enter as a single lead organisation or as a consortium. Consortia must nominate a lead organisation, or lead person for teams of individuals.The lead organisation or individual in an applicant team must be UK-based. Applicants who are not UK-based may enter as part of a consortium, but they must be partnered with a UK-based organisation. The UK-based organisation must be the lead partner for the application. Grant and prize awards must be paid into a UK-based bank account in the name of the lead applicant.
- Successful applicants who applied as individuals must be willing to set up a legally incorporated organisation within the UK to receive the final first, second or third place prize. You will be able to use some of the stage 2 finalist funding towards reasonable expenses incurred through the incorporation process.
Applicants are required to comply with the Subsidy Control Act 2022, which exists to minimise the risk of distortion caused by public subsidy and increase the likelihood that subsides achieve positive outcomes. Funding in the Aqualunar Challenge is offered under the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Route, which offers applicants two options:
- Option A – for applicants who have received less than £315,000 in public funding over a rolling three-financial year period: you can apply under Minimum Financial Assistance (MFA) and do not need to provide any match funding. In the event you are successful in the Challenge Fund, any funding will count towards your £315,000 total allowance if you apply for other public funding.
- Option B – for applicants who have received over £315,000 in public funding over a rolling three financial year or do not wish to apply for MFA: you can apply under the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Route and need to provide the appropriate amount of match funding towards the project. Please consult the Subsidy Control appendix for advice on the amount of match funding required, which varies depending on the size and status of your organisation. Please include as an annex to your application a list of any grant subsidies you have received in the last three calendar years.
We anticipate the majority of applicants to the Aqualunar Challenge will apply under Option A.
You can download the applicant guide here, which includes all the information you’ll need to apply for the Challenge.
