Analysis for Innovators (A4I) is a programme that gives UK businesses, of any size, access to cutting-edge R&D expertise and facilities to help solve problems that they have been unable to tackle using standard technologies and techniques.

The aim is to help businesses grow by utilising innovation to improve their current products; to improve reliability and reduce rejection rates; to improve the manufacturing speed or reduce manufacturing costs; to expand markets by proving performance in new specifications.

In previous rounds, the programme has

• reduced the need to re-work and scrap turbine partsby improving the model used to ensure the blades meet specifications
• improved the quality testing of coconut yogurtby developing an automated method to test raw material rancidity, rather than a human taste test
• enabled mass production of a point-of-care diagnostics platformby examining and pinpointing problems in the printing of the electrodes in the devices
• revolutionised medical imagingby improving the consistency of x-ray emitters

In four previous rounds, it has supported over 400 companies – see www.A4I.info for further Case Studies and an overview of the programme.

Full competition details are available on the Innovate UK Competitions website at apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/399/overview  There is a blog by Lien Ngo at innovateuk.blog.gov.uk/2019/07/16/analysis-for-innovators

A4I Round 5 will open on 29 July with Phase 1 – Expression of Interest. The KTN is running a Competition Briefing in London on 31 July (book here).  There is also a webcast of the event for those unable to make it in person.

In order to help companies fully understand the opportunity of being part of the A4I programme, there are a series of roadshows

A4I Roadshow Events:

19 July, NPL, Teddington (book here)

22 July, Glasgow (book here)

23 July, Rutherford Appleton Labs, Oxford,  (book here)

24 July, STFC Daresbury, (book here)

30 July, Swansea, (book here)

8 August, Manchester (book here)