Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) – Call 1

Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) – Call 1 is sponsored by Innovate UK. This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

CfI: Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) – Call 1 - GOV-UK Find a grant CfI: Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) – Call 1 UK registered organisations can apply for a share of £15 million, including VAT, to develop near term, testable solutions that advance the UK’s Secure & Resilient and Sustainable Network Grand Challenges through deployable prototypes on UK testbeds.

Opening date : 1 April 2026, 10:00am Closing date : 3 June 2026, 11:00am Get updates about this grant Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £15 million, inclusive of VAT, in this Contracts for Innovation competition. This competition is funded by Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and delivered via Innovate UK, UKRI. Funding is subject to Business Case approval.

This investment is subject to receiving a sufficient number of high-quality applications. This competition is part of the Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) R&D Programme, announced in the Digital and Technologies Sector Plan under the UK’s Industrial Strategy. Our ambition is for more technologies developed in the UK to be used in networks around the world.

It also aims grow a strong UK ACT ecosystem of UK and international companies that attract private investment. The ACT R&D Programme is a key part of delivering this ambition.

Delivered through UKRI, it will use a range of interventions to: support the UK’s world leading academic research base and keep the UK at the forefront of ACT research provide early stage, pre-commercial funding to help move ideas from research towards commercial viability support challenge focused solution development so government funding tackles real world needs, drawing on UK industry expertise and investment to develop ACT products and services support the growth and scale up of industrial solutions by helping UK SMEs attract private capital and expand the UK’s global ACT footprint This competition specifically focuses on challenge-focused solution development.

The aim of this competition is to develop near term, testable solutions that advance the UK capability in the two Grand Challenge areas of: Secure and Resilient Networks and Sustainable Networks. Projects will deliver deployable prototypes or demonstrators on UK testbeds and in real world environments. Solutions must show a credible path to adoption by UK network operators, vendors or public sector users.

They must also clearly evidence improvements in network performance, such as reliability, availability, recovery time, security, energy use, spectrum efficiency or lifecycle carbon. There may be future funding to support further development. If relevant, proposals should outline high level further development plans.

Any additional funding would need a separate application. While no decision has been taken on future phases, the Contracting Authority retains the right to launch further calls building on the outcomes of this competition. Where relevant it is recommended that projects will utilise the national labs and facilities that are available and relevant to the projects.

This includes, but is not limited to the Catapult Network and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded Future Connectivity Hubs and the Joint Open Infrastructure for Networks Research ( JOINER ) testbed. In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process.

This competition has a funding budget of up to £15 million, inclusive of VAT, so we may not be able to fund all the proposed projects. It may be the case that your project scores highly and receives positive comments from the assessors but we are still unable to fund it due to the portfolio approach we take.

Any adoption and implementation of a solution from this competition would be subject to a separate, possibly competitive, procurement exercise. This competition does not cover the purchase of any solution. We expect to receive a high volume of applications and will not be able to fund them all.

We expect to award a maximum of 20 contracts. We consider a range of factors when determining whether to provide funding to applicants. This includes an assessment of prior conduct, such as any outstanding payments owed to Innovate UK or UKRI.

Such factors may influence the funding decision, potentially resulting in a refusal of funding or an award subject to additional scrutiny. We also reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions. This may be in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations or broader government funding decisions.

This competition closes at 11am UK time on the deadline stated in this Innovate UK competition brief . We cannot guarantee other government or third party sites will always show the correct competition information. Projects can range in size up to total eligible costs of up to £2 million, inclusive of VAT.

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 making reasonable adjustments , for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us. You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this competition’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the competition deadline. You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357.

Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). Note that Innovate UK will be closed from 2 April to 7 April. start by 1 September 2026 last between 3 and 12 months have total costs of between £200,000 and £2 million, inclusive of VAT Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day.

You must not start your project until your Contract has been approved by Innovate UK. You must only include eligible project costs in your application. See our overview of eligible project costs .

For specific guidance, see the eligibility section in this competition.

To lead a project, you must: be a UK registered registered organisation of any size carry out your project work in the UK and intend to exploit the project results from or in the UK work alone or with the subcontracted skills and expertise of others from business, research organisations, research and technology organisations, or the third sector (charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups) You must carry out your project work in the UK and intend to exploit the project results from or in the UK.

Subcontractors may be based in the UK or internationally, as long as their contribution is necessary, justified, and compliant with procurement and security requirements. Security requirements for your project: Vetting: You must ensure subcontractors are screened to the correct level for the data they will handle. Data Protection: All subcontractors (UK and international) must comply with UK data protection laws (UK GDPR).

Access Control: You must limit subcontractor access to only the systems and information necessary for their specific task. Risk Assessment: You must identify and manage any risks that arise from working with international partners. Contracts will be awarded to a single legal entity only.

The majority of the project work and key deliverables must be completed by the applicant and be carried out in the UK. Subcontractors can be used, but only for specialist skills. This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions .

For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups . Use of animals in research and innovation Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.

Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation . Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process.

This information will be reviewed before an award is made. Up to £15 million, inclusive of VAT, has been allocated to fund innovation projects to this Competition. Contracts will be between £200,000 and £2 million, inclusive of VAT, for each project for between 3 and 12 months.

This is subject to us receiving a sufficient number of high-quality applications. Funding will be in the form of a contract. We reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions under exceptional circumstances, for example, in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations, or broader government funding decisions.

The total funding available for the competition can change. The funders will implement a ‘ portfolio ’ approach to project selection. The contract is completed at the end of the competition, and the successful organisation is expected to pursue commercialisation of their solution.

You must select whether you are VAT registered before entering your eligible project costs. VAT is the responsibility of the invoicing business. We will not provide any further advice and suggest you seek independent advice from HMRC.

If you select you are VAT registered, you must enter your eligible project costs exclusive of VAT. As part of the application process VAT will be automatically calculated and added to your project cost total. Your total eligible project costs inclusive of VAT must not exceed £2 million.

If you select you are not VAT registered, you must enter your eligible project costs exclusive of VAT and no VAT will be added. You will not be able to increase total project costs to cover VAT later should you become VAT registered. Your total project costs must not exceed £2 million.

Research and development (R&D) Your application must have at least 50% of the contract value attributed directly and exclusively to R&D services, including solution exploration and design. R&D can also include prototyping and field-testing the product or service. This lets you incorporate the results of your exploration and design and demonstrate that you can produce in quantity to acceptable quality standards.

commercial development activities such as quantity production supply to establish commercial viability or to recover R&D costs integration, customisation or incremental adaptations and improvements to existing products or processes Innovate UK may revoke our decision to provide funding without notice if government commitment for this initiative is withdrawn.

Contracts for Innovation competitions involve procurement of R&D services and are not subject to subsidy control criteria. This competition is run by the Authority under the Procurement Act 2023 (R&D exemption). The aim of this competition is to develop near-term, testable solutions that advance UK capability in the 2 Grand Challenge areas of: Secure and Resilient Networks and Sustainable Networks.

Projects will deliver deployable prototypes or demonstrators on UK testbeds and in real-world environments. Grand Challenge 1: Secure and Resilient Networks We invite innovators to develop next generation technologies that strengthen the resilience, security, and autonomy of UK communications networks.

We are seeking solutions that leverage UK strengths in advanced Radio Frequency (RF), optical wireless, AI native network management, compound semiconductors, and secure by design architectures. Proposals should demonstrate achievable near term impact while supporting the long term evolution toward 6G‑class networks.

Theme 1: AI Enabled Network Resilience and Automation Theme 2: Seamless Integration of Terrestrial and Non‑Terrestrial Networks (NTN) Grand Challenge 2: Sustainable Networks We aim to support innovations that reduce the environmental impact of future communication networks while improving performance.

We are particularly interested in technologies that leverage UK leadership in compound semiconductors, photonics, energy efficient RF components, and advanced network automation to drive down operational and embodied energy across infrastructure.

Theme 1: Reducing Energy Use in Critical Network Components Theme 2: Improving Spectrum Efficiency and Fair Access Projects should present innovations that include hardware as well as software, ideally full systems level solutions, to ensure technology readiness for real world deployment. Projects must clearly define use cases and outline the total addressable market (TAM) for the proposed innovation.

Proposals should also identify whether this funding will be used to further developed an existing product or service, and where customers for this innovation may exist. You must demonstrate a credible and practical route to market, so your application must include a plan to commercialise your results. Contracts will be given to successful applicants.

Your project can focus on one of the following: Grand Challenge 1: Secure and Resilient Networks Theme 1: AI‑Enabled Network Resilience and Automation This theme focuses on AI driven tools that improve the reliability of UK networks predicting faults, detecting anomalies, optimising performance, and orchestrating rapid recovery.

Approaches may incorporate intent based automation, semantic communications, digital twins, distributed edge AI compute, or integrated sensing and communications to enhance network awareness. Supporting technologies could include RF processors, optical switching or chiplet base accelerators for real time decision making.

Innovations that improve spectrum security by detecting and reducing harmful interference - such as spoofing and jamming would also be in scope. Theme 2: Seamless Integration of Terrestrial and Non‑Terrestrial Networks (NTN) This theme seeks innovations that deliver smooth, consistent connectivity across terrestrial, satellite and aerial networks.

Opportunities include terrestrial and non-terrestrial network convergence, advanced handover mechanisms, unified management or control layers, and multi‑domain resource orchestration. Relevant enabling technologies include steerable and metamaterial antennas, free space optical links, optical or photonic transceivers, inter‑satellite link technologies, and software defined, intent based network control.

Grand Challenge 2: Sustainable Networks Theme 1: Reducing Energy Use in Critical Network Components This theme targets substantial reductions in the energy consumption of base stations, transport networks, and edge infrastructure.

Solutions may include high efficiency compound semiconductor devices, such as Gallium Nitride (GaN), Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), Indium Phosphide (InP), photonic switching, to reduce optical losses, advanced packaging and thermal management. Approaches that cut per‑bit energy use and reduce active‑component duty cycles are encouraged.

Theme 2: Improving Spectrum Efficiency and Fair Access This theme focuses on technologies that increase spectral efficiency and improve access to finite spectrum resources. Potential approaches include dynamic sharing, interference resilient radios, advanced modulation or coding, RF processing innovations, and cell free or distributed Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) architectures.

Supporting technologies may include adaptive antennas, metamaterials, novel waveform design, or hybrid (RF and optical) systems that relieve congestion and enhance spectral reuse. Prototype development and evaluation This can include prototyping, demonstrating, piloting, testing and validation of new or improved products, processes or services in environments representative of real-life operating conditions.

The primary objective is to make further technical improvements on products, processes or services that are not substantially set.

Projects we will not fund We will not fund projects that: are not original in scope and duplicates someone else’s work are purely research focused with no realistic commercial opportunity are aimed at commercialising or exploiting the technology outside the UK would directly duplicate other UK government or EU funded initiatives you have already been funded to deliver are covered by existing commercial agreements to deliver the proposed solutions We cannot fund projects that are: dependent on export performance: giving a subsidy to an organisation on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of its products to another country dependent on domestic inputs usage: giving a subsidy to an organisation on the condition that it uses a set percentage of UK components in their product Online briefing event: watch the recording.

Briefing slides are now available to download from supporting information. By submitting an application, you agree to the terms of the draft contract which is available once you start your application. The terms of the contract are non-negotiable and are included in the draft contract.

We reserve the right to change the terms and conditions if necessary. The final contract will include any milestones you have agreed with the funding authority and will be sent to you if your application is successful. The contract is binding once it is returned by you and signed by both parties.

As the applicant you are responsible for: collecting the information for your application representing your organisation in leading the project if your application is successful You will be able to invite colleagues from your organisation to contribute to the application. A selected panel of assessors will review and score your application. You will be notified of the outcome and feedback will be provided.

Contracts for this competition will then be issued to all successful applicants. The application is split into four sections: You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.

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 You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.

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 making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us. You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this competition’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the competition deadline. You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357.

Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). Note that Innovate UK will be closed from 2 April to 7 April. This section provides background for your application and is not scored.

Give your project’s title, start date and duration. Who made you aware of the competition? Select a category to state who made you aware of the competition.

You cannot choose more than one. How long has your organisation been established for? Select a category to state how long has your organisation been established for.

You cannot choose more than one. What is your organisation’s primary focus area? Select a category to state your organisation’s primary focus area.

You cannot choose more than one. Project and scope summary Provide a short summary of your project. Describe your project briefly.

Be clear about what makes it innovative and how it relates to the scope of the competition. How does it tackle different aspects of the challenge and how will it provide an integrated solution? Give details of the lead organisation.

Before you submit, we expect you to have discussed your application within your organisation. Your answer for this section can be up to 800 words long. This section is not scored, but we will use it to decide whether the project fits the scope of the competition.

If it does not, it may be rejected. Provide a brief description of your project. If your application is successful, we will publish this description.

This can happen before you start your project. This question is mandatory, but we will not assess this content as part of your application. Describe your project in a way that you are happy to see published.

Do not include any commercially sensitive information. We have the right to amend the description before publication if necessary but will consult you about any changes. Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

You must state the name of your organisation along with your full registered address. You must also state the name and full registered address of any potential or confirmed subcontractors. We are collecting this information to understand the geographical location of all participants of a project.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long. The assessors will score all of your questions except questions 1 to 6 which are not scored. You will receive feedback for each scored question.

Find out more about how our assessors assess and how we select applications for funding . Your answer to each question can be up to 400 words long. Do not include any URLs in your answers unless we have explicitly requested a link to a video.

If you do, your application will be made ineligible. Question 1. Themes (not scored) Select one main theme from the specific themes list in the ‘Scope’ section of this competition.

You cannot choose more than one. Grand Challenge 1: Secure and Resilient Networks Theme 1: AI‑Enabled Network Resilience and Automation Theme 2: Seamless Integration of Terrestrial and Non‑Terrestrial Networks (NTN) Grand Challenge 2: Sustainable Networks Theme 1: Reducing Energy Use in Critical Network Components Theme 2: Improving Spectrum Efficiency and Fair Access Question 2.

Animal testing (not scored) Will your project involve any trials with animals or animal testing? You must select one option: We will only support innovation projects conducted to the highest standards of animal welfare. Further information for proposals involving animal testing is available at the UKRI Good Research Hub and NC3R’s animal welfare guidance .

Question 3. Permits and licences (not scored) Will you have the correct permits and licences in place to carry out your project? We are unable to fund projects which do not have the correct permits or licences in place by your project start date.

You must select one option: In the process of being applied for Question 4. International collaboration (not scored) Does your proposed work involve any international collaboration or engagement? You must provide details of any expected international collaboration or engagement.

You must include a list of the names and the countries, any international project co-leads, project partners, visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in. You must also include details of any subcontractors or service providers. If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration or engagement, your answer must confirm this.

Your answer to each question can be up to 100 words long. Question 5. Export licence (not scored) You must indicate whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance .

You must select one option: Question 6.

Trusted Research and Innovation (not scored) You must explain if your proposed project work relates to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) Principles , including: a list of any dual-use (both military and non-military) applications to your research a list of the areas where your project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance and the status of any applications a list of any items or substances on the UK Strategic Export Control List If your proposed work does not relate to UKRI’s TR&I Principles, your answer must confirm this.

We may ask you to provide additional TR&I information at a later date, in line with UKRI TR&I Principles and funding terms and conditions. Question 7. Proposed idea or technology How does the project meet the challenge described in the competition scope?

Provide a description of your proposed idea or technology. Include a description of the current state of development or readiness of the idea. You can submit a single appendix as a PDF containing images and diagrams to support your answer.

It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom. This question will be scored against this assessment criterion: ‘How well does the proposal meet the challenge?

’. Question 8. Technical project summary What are the main technical challenges you are addressing?

how you will address the challenge the main technical deliverables the research and development that will prove the scientific, environmental and commercial merit of the project what might be achieved by deploying the innovation to address the selected challenge This question will be scored against this assessment criterion: ‘How valid is the technical approach? ’. Question 9.

Current state of the art and intellectual property Are similar products currently available in the market? How is your proposed project differentiated from them?

You must include details of: any existing intellectual property (IP) its significance to your freedom to operate novel concepts you develop or employ new approaches or technologies you use new tools or technologies You must explain how you would handle any intellectual property (IP) issues which might arise during the project.

If you are working with subcontractors (specialist skills only), include details of how you will maintain freedom to operate and fulfil the IP requirements detailed in the contract.

This question will be scored against these assessment criteria: how innovative is this project how much does the project develop or employ novel concepts, approaches, methodologies, tools or technologies for this area how well does the project demonstrate understanding of relevant IP and its significance on freedom to operate Question 10. Project plan and methodology Describe your project plan and identify the main milestones.

Provide evidence that the technology works, can be made into a viable product and can achieve the proposed benefits.

describe resources that will be needed to deliver the project describe what the main success criteria will be identify the project management processes that will ensure you achieve the milestones provide a clear plan for establishing technical and commercial feasibility describe the main technical, commercial and environmental risks and what you will do to mitigate them provide a clear plan for development of a working prototype You must upload a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix in PDF format.

It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

be defined using SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) criteria be associated with the appropriate deliverables and payments indicate your payment schedule by month This question will be assessed against these assessment criteria: does the proposal show a clear plan for establishing technical and commercial feasibility is there a clear management plan what are the main technical, commercial, and environmental risks to the project’s success how will these be effectively managed are the milestones and evaluation procedures appropriate Note, information from the finances section will be used to support the assessment of this question.

Proposed milestones and associated payments stated in this section must match those entered in the finance summary on your application. Question 11. Technical team and expertise Who is in the technical team?

What expertise do they offer? Provide a brief description of your technical team, including any subcontractors. how each organisation has the skills, capabilities, and experience to deliver the intended benefits how much of their time will be spent on the project This question will be scored against this assessment criterion: Does the applicant have the skills, capabilities and experience to deliver the intended benefits?

Question 12. Costs and value for money How much will the project cost ? How does it represent value for money for the team and the taxpayer?

the total costs inclusive of VAT (if applicable) you are requesting in terms of the project goals how this project represents value for money for you and the taxpayer Proposed costs stated in this section must match those entered in the finance summary. All costs quoted must reflect actual costs at a ‘fair market value’ and not include profit. You can submit a single appendix as a spreadsheet in PDF format.

It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom. Note that all payments are made monthly in arrears on submission of an invoice.

The invoice must be submitted within 30 days of the end of each monitoring period for all completed milestones. Full Economic Cost (FEC) calculations are not relevant for Contracts for Innovation competitions. Contracts for Innovation is a competitive process and applications will come from a variety of organisations.

Whatever calculation you use to arrive at your total eligible project costs your application will be assessed against applications from other organisations. Bear this in mind when calculating your total eligible project costs. You can include overheads but remember that this is a competitive process.

The assessors are required to judge the application finances in terms of value for money. They will score your finances against this assessment criterion: ‘Are the budget and costs realistic, justified and appropriate for the aims and methods? Note, the information from the finances section will be used to support the assessment of this question.

Question 13. Commercial potential What is the commercial potential of your project? You must focus on your proposed customer’s needs.

projects commercial potential for a marketable product, process or service Describe the competitive advantage that your project has over existing or alternative technologies that meet market needs. Describe any existing commercial relationships relevant to the project. With the focus on your proposed customer’s needs, you can also mention the future commercial potential across the public or private sector and international markets.

This question will be scored against these assessment criteria: is there a clear commercial potential for a marketable product, process or service is there a clear plan to deliver that and a clear route to market how significant is the competitive advantage of this technology over the nearest currently available solutions to the challenge identified. Enter your project costs, organisation details and funding details.

You must select whether you are VAT registered before entering your eligible project costs. We advise you answer the VAT registered question first before entering your