CfI: Earlier identification of UK children with SEN
UK Research and Innovation
What it funds
DescriptionUK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will invest up to £2.5 million from the UKRI R&D MAP Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity Mission in this Contracts for Innovation competition.This is subject to us receiving a sufficient number of high quality applications.The aim of this competition is to develop innovations that enable earlier, fairer, and more reliable identification of special educational needs (SEN) in contexts where existing market solutions underperform or do not operate.The
Who can apply
Who can applyYour projectProjects must:start by 1 October 2026end by 30 September 2027last up to 12 monthshave total costs of between £200,000 and £500,000, inclusive of VATProjects 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.If your project does not meet our criteria and you have not requested justification approval, your application will be made ineligible and it will not be sent for assessment.ApplicantTo lead a project, you can:be an organisation of any size, including those based in the EU, EEA or internationallywork 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)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, and most of the funding spent within the UK. Subcontr
How to apply
Before you startBy 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.When you start an application, you will be prompted to create an account as the lead applicant or sign in as a representative of your organisation. Using your account, you will be able to track your application progress.As the applicant you are responsible for:collecting the information for your applicationrepresenting your organisation in leading the project if your applic
Last checked against the official source: 3 Jul 2026. Scheme parameters are set by the funder and can change — verify before applying, or let us do it for you.
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