The project is applicable for businesses that operate in the UK!

'Supply chain innovation towards a circular economy'

is a new large-scale competition announced by the Technology Strategy Board.

Competition overview:

Award: Up to £5m

Open date: 04 Nov 2013

Registration closes: 11 Dec 2013

Closes: 18 Dec 2013


The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is offering guidance and application support for competition entrants. Details for this can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.

The Technology Strategy Board is to invest up to £5m in collaborative research and development that aims to preserve the value of products and/or materials at end-of-life and keeps them in productive use for longer. They are seeking proposals that make supply chains more circular, which reduce both dependence on materials with a supply risk and the environmental impact of material lifecycles. Proposals should aim to cut general waste stream losses in half – or more.

Background:

A major strategy for achieving more effective use of resources is to move towards a circular economy in which materials are used many times and where the quality and economic value of those materials are maintained at a high level. This transition would benefit companies with, for example, substantial opportunities for cost reduction and mitigation of supply risks.

The economic analysis undertaken by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in partnership with McKinsey & Company demonstrated that the value of this opportunity exceeds USD $680bn a year at EU level for the medium complex goods sector alone.

A major challenge facing manufacturers in moving towards a circular economy is getting materials back. This competition targets improving the recovery of valuable materials in supply chains to reduce the global impact of material leakage and lower dependence on virgin raw materials.

Competition guidelines:
Proposals must be collaborative and led by a business in a position to make a supply chain more circular. Applicants are encouraged to consider potential contributions from the design sector in their proposals.

Projects must be collaborative and business-led. Universities and research organisations, including research and technology organisations and Catapults, are eligible as partners but their portion of the project costs will be capped at 30% of the total. We are primarily seeking to fund industrial research with a business partner attracting 50% public funding for their project costs (60% for SMEs). The maximum value of projects is £1m and the maximum duration of projects is 24 months.

For detailed guidelines please visit the competition website. competition website

How we can help:
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is working with the Knowledge Transfer Networks to support your business in applying for this competition. So whether you're a CE100 member or an outside organisation, support can be tailored to suit your needs by offering:

· An initial conversation to discuss project and it’s fit within the competition scope

· Sign-posting to relevant resources

· Proposal review to increase your chances of success

From fundamental questions about the principles of the circular economy, to specific questions about the TSB’s application process, we can help.

Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.