UK-Kenya Alternative Proteins Lead Customer ProgrammeCopy Link

Innovate UK, through the Global Alliance Africa project, are investing up to £120,000 for three innovation projects (£40,000 per project) that will support commercial technology development and deployment within the alternative proteins sector in Kenya and/or the UK.

The aim of this competition is to accelerate innovations needed to create new or improved alternative proteins innovation for the sector through UK-Kenya partnerships.

Your project must focus on one or more of the following three areas. Example project ideas are bullet-pointed, but you are not limited to these:

1. Insects for human consumption:

• Adapting nutritional profile of insects
• Monitoring insect health to improve production
• Innovating technologies for improved processing
• Improved packaging for insect products
• Creation of new products from insects
• Market analysis to improve commercial performance and/or consumer acceptance

2. Fermentation:

• Scaling up protein production by fermentation
• Formulating new/improved products from fermentation-derived proteins
• Introducing new/improved processing technologies to fermentation operations
• Advancing new/improved inputs for fermentation processes

3. Plant-based proteins, including seaweed and algae

• Innovations to boost production of high protein crops
• Increasing protein content of existing products
• Transfer of high protein products into new markets
• Creation of new high protein products

PLEASE ENSURE YOUR APPLICATION INCLUDES THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED: COMPLETED APPLICATION TEMPLATE, PROJECT PLAN & FINANCES TEMPLATE, AND LETTER OF SUPPORT (ADD THESE AS ATTACHMENTS)

INNOVATE UK AND GLOBAL ALLIANCE AFRICA

Innovate UK exists to connect innovators with new partners and new opportunities beyond their existing thinking – accelerating ambitious ideas into real world solutions. Innovate UK is delivering the 6-year (2019 - 2025) UK International Development funded, Global Alliance Africa project, which aims to build new and stronger UK-African partnerships to maximise the creation of inclusive market access, funding, and investment opportunities through innovation knowledge transfer between the UK, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya.

The project aligns with the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) objectives by building stronger local innovation ecosystems and enhanced UK-Africa collaborations that lead to self-sustaining economic growth in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, by harnessing the potential of innovation to meet current and future socio-economic challenges. The project is focused around three key pillars, one of which focuses on ‘Connected Innovation’ where Innovation Networks will be forged to facilitate UK, African and International networks to deliver collaborative research, innovation and funding solutions that address key global innovation challenges.

Diversifying sources of dietary protein is vital to address a number of economic, environmental and social challenges globally. Markets for alternative proteins are growing globally, presenting an opportunity for the UK and Kenya to gain competitive advantage whilst improving social and environmental outcomes. This Global Innovation Network seeks to use collaborative innovation to harness these opportunities and bring improved market access, nutrition and climate resilience to both countries.

UK-Kenya Innovation Lead Customer Programme Background

Through knowledge exchange and discussion with key stakeholders, we have narrowed down the focus areas of this Global Innovation Network to three specific opportunities within the alternative proteins space which present the best collaborative innovation opportunities: edible insects, fermentation, plant-based proteins. 

Insects for human consumption can contain very high levels of protein and can increase resource circularity by feeding them with waste products. However, issues remain around cost and consumer acceptance. By scaling up demand and supply, insects can provide a high-quality source of alternative proteins to address many challenges. 

Fermentation can produce protein in multiple ways, including biomass and precision fermentation. These technologies have huge potential, because they can run under controlled conditions indoors, making them less exposed to climate vulnerabilities. Innovating and scaling-up fermentation production can unlock significant amounts of protein to address malnutrition and dietary diversification. 

Both land and water-based crops like seaweed and algae can provide cheap and effective sources of protein. The UK and Kenya both grow a range of plants that would benefit from development. Developing innovations to enhance production and consumption of these will help diversity protein sources and improve general nutrition. 

This Lead Customer Programme aims to address these challenges in both countries through a partnership model, thus accelerating innovations needed to create new or improved water access technologies for the sector and contributing towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. 

A Lead Customer is a Kenyan and/or UK supplier, company or top-tier end-user that shows support or commitment to the proposed innovations by presenting demonstrable deployment routes. The Lead Customer must provide a Letter of Endorsement with your application.

Funding Type and Project Size:

Projects must be led by a UK or Kenyan business. Universities, RTOs and other organisation types may be involved in consortia but can claim a maximum of 25% of the total project costs.

Innovate UK will fund 70% of a total project value up to £40,000 per project. An in-kind contribution of 30% is required from the project partners. Higher in-kind contributions by project partners are encouraged to boost the scale of the projects, and will be viewed favourably in the selection process.

A project must involve at least one partner from the UK and one partner from Kenya.

• Technology Testing & Validation, 6-month project: Grant funding of pp to £40,000 for the UK/Kenya lead registered organisation per project (subject to T&C).
• Technology Demonstration & Scale-up, 6-month project: Grant funding of pp to £40,000 for the UK/Kenya lead registered organisation per project (subject to T&C).
• Access to international collaboration and innovation through UK-Kenya partnership.
• Support in facilitating industry engagement to seize future commercialisation opportunities and enhance market access.
• Sector expertise support from Innovate UK and Lead Country Partner (i.e. KENIA)

Before you start

• You must download the Application Template and Project Plan and Finances Template.
• Register on the application portal by clicking the Apply Now button below. 

Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to make sure:

• that all the information provided in the application is correct;
• your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria;
• all sections of the application are marked as complete; and
• that all partners have completed all assigned sections and accepted the terms and conditions (T&Cs).

PLEASE ENSURE YOUR APPLICATION INCLUDES THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED: COMPLETED APPLICATION TEMPLATE, PROJECT PLAN & FINANCES TEMPLATE, AND LETTER OF SUPPORT (ADD THESE AS ATTACHMENTS)

You can reopen your application once registered, up until you submit the application. You must submit the application before the competition deadline on GMT 17:00 Monday 12th August 2024. 

Your submission must include the following attachments:

• Completed Application Template
• Completed Project Plan and Finances Template
• Formal Letter of Endorsement from at least one top tier supplier or utility company in the water sector

What we ask you

The application is split into five sections:

1. Kenya Applicant details.
2. UK Applicant details.
3. Details of top tier customer.
4. Project Details.
5. Project Plan and Finances

Accessibility and inclusion

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes providing support, in the form of reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us. 

You must contact us as early as possible in the application process. We recommend contacting us at least 15 working days before the competition closing date to ensure we can provide you with the most suitable support possible.

You can contact us by emailing cameron.davies@iuk.ktn-uk.org

Finances

Each organisation in your project must complete their own project costs, organisation details and funding details in the application. UK Academic institutions must complete and upload a Je-S form.

For full details on what costs you can claim see our project costs guidance. You can also view our Application Finances video.

The aim of this competition is to create or deploy new or improved alternative protein innovations through collaboration between UK and Kenyan organisations. 

Your application must:

• Focus on the advancement of the alternative protein sector in Kenya and/or the UK, within the thematic areas of: 

a) Insects for human consumption, or 
b) Fermentation, or
c) Plant-based protein

• Be a collaboration with at least one UK partner and one Kenyan partner.
• Propose an innovative technology solution or business model that is feasible, reliable and with tested proof of concept.
• Present demonstrable deployment route(s) with support/commitment from a Kenyan and/or UK end-user or top tier future customer.  

• 10 Jul 2024 - Competition Launch 
• 12 Aug 2024, 17:00 BST - Deadline for applications
• Aug 2024 - Selection and due diligence of finalists
• Aug-Sept 2024 – Notification of funded finalists, projects launch

Your project must meet the following requirements: 

• The lead applicant must be a registered business.
• Universities, RTOs and other organisation types may be involved in consortia, but may claim a maximum of 25% of the total project costs.
• Your project must be a partnership between a registered Kenyan or UK organisation.
• Your application must involve at least one participating organisation per country.
• Your application must include an endorsement letter from a UK or Kenyan industry sponsor/top tier future customer (non-grant recipient), indicating the challenges your proposed project may solve and possibility of commercial route.Your technology must be between Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 4 and 8.
• Your project should last 6 months and finish before the end of February 2025.
• All project work either to be carried out either in the UK or in Kenya. 

Lead organisation 

To lead a project your organisation must: 

• Be a registered business.
• be one of the collaboration partners that is a UK registered organisation or a Kenya registered organisation.
• register to apply on the application platform.
• manage the project execution plan and its deliverables.

More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules.  

Project team 

Your consortium must include:

• at least one technology lead from both the UK and Kenya.

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK or Kenya registered: 

• business of any size
• research and technology organisation (RTO) and universities as secondary partners in business-led consortia.  

Lead Customer

The Lead Customer can be any organisation type (academic institution, government body or commercial entity etc) that will be a credible end – user of the solution developed in the project. Credibility, name – recognition and organisation size will be considered during the selection process. 

Non-funded partners 

Your project can include partners that do not receive any of this competition’s funding, for example non-UK or non-Kenya businesses. 

Subcontractors 

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition. 

Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK or Kenya and you must select them through your usual procurement process.  

You can use subcontractors from other countries but must make the case in your application as to why you could not use suppliers from the UK or Kenya.  

You must provide a detailed rationale, evidence of the potential UK contractors or Kenyan contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you. We will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use another country as a supplier subcontractor. 

All subcontractor costs must be justified and appropriate to the total project costs.  

Number of applications  

A business or research and technology organisation (RTO) can only lead on one application but can be included as a collaborator in a further two applications. 

If an RTO is not leading any application, it can collaborate in any number of applications.

An industry sponsor can collaborate on any number of applications.

Subsidy Control 

All funding supplied by Innovate UK is in line with the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Further information about the Subsidy requirements can be found within the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk) 

Innovate UK is unable to award organisations that are considered to be in financial difficulty. We will conduct financial viability and eligibility tests to confirm this is not the case following the application stage. 

EU State aid rules now only apply in limited circumstances. Please see our general guidance to check if these rules apply to your organisation.

Further Information

If you are unsure about your obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 or the State aid rules, you should take independent legal advice. We are unable to advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations.

You must always make sure that the funding awarded to you is compliant with all current Subsidy Control legislation applicable in the United Kingdom.

This aims to regulate any advantage granted by a public sector body which threatens to, or actually distorts competition in the United Kingdom or any other country or countries.

We are not funding projects that:  

• Are below Technology Readiness Level 4 
• Have no interest from an end-user or top tier future customer.
• Do not have at least one UK participant and one Kenyan participant within the LCP Consortium.

We cannot fund projects that are: 

• Dependent on export performance, for example giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of bread to another country. 
• Dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it uses 50% UK flour in their product. 

This competition is jointly operated by Innovate UK and the KENIA.

Any relevant information submitted and?produced during the application process concerning your application can be shared by one agency with the other, for its individual storage, processing and use.? 

This means that any information given to or generated by Innovate UK in respect of your application may be passed on to KENIA and vice versa. This would include, but is not restricted to:  

• the information stated on the application, including the personal details of all applicants  
• scoring and feedback on the application 
• information received during the management and administration of the grant, such as Monitoring Officer reports and Independent Accountant Reports 

Innovate UK and KENIA are directly accountable to you for their holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. Data is held in accordance with their own policies.  Accordingly, Innovate UK, and KENIA will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application. Innovate UK’s Privacy Policy is accessible here.  

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of GDPR, and is committed to upholding the data protection principles, and protecting your information.? The Information Commissioner’s 

PLEASE ENSURE YOUR APPLICATION INCLUDES THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED: COMPLETED APPLICATION TEMPLATE, PROJECT PLAN & FINANCES TEMPLATE, AND LETTER OF SUPPORT (ADD THESE AS ATTACHMENTS)