Funding, eligibility and frequently asked questions

Who can benefit from SYIP support?

The programme is available to organisations of all sizes and across all sectors (including charities, social enterprises etc. but excluding public sector organisations), that are based in South Yorkshire. SYIP will seek to engage with businesses who are currently classified as 'innovation inactive' to help embed a culture of innovation for our region, with a target that these ‘innovation inactive’ businesses should make up at least 25% of all business engagement.

There is no limit to the number of projects a business may work on through the programme, and with each provider. For example, a business may wish to attend an event or workshop with BMBC and access academic consultancy at both universities. However, as funding is limited, there will need to be a strong business case for multiple interventions with the same organisation.

As a general principle, SYIP does not provide pre-start/pre-trading support. In most cases, SYIP will make referrals to colleagues in our regional support system who can provide the relevant support wherever possible. However, an exception can be made for actives that:

Involve the development of innovative products and/or services
Demonstrate a clear and justified need for research and development (R&D) where there is no other viable means of supporting the R&D from funding sources and/ or suppliers external to SYIP, and
Show clear alignment to South Yorkshire strategies/priorities.

In such cases SYIP may offer support to help accelerate their progress toward trading and growth.

How much does SYIP contribute to project costs?

The intervention rates have been aligned with Innovate UK company size definitions as follows and apply primarily to project staff/labour costs:

Micro < 10FTE – 90% funded
Small < 50FTE – 80% funded
Medium <250 FTE – 70% funded
Large >250 FTE – 60% funded

3rd Sector organisations (e.g. charities, social enterprises, CIC’s etc) will be funded at 90% irrespective of their size.

Access to partner facilities/equipment (if normally chargeable), project materials and consumables are a flat rate for all clients of 50%.

As a principle, workshop and event attendance will be charged at 50%, but this may be subject to change on a case-by-case basis.

Is SYIP open to organisations from all sectors?

SYIP is open to organisations from all industry sectors, the only exception being the public sector. However, SYIP may not be the most appropriate route for some proposals. The SYIP Team can work with your organisation to find the most appropriate support.

Can pre-start/pre-trading clients benefit from SYIP?

As a general principle, SYIP does not provide pre-start/pre-trading support. In most cases, SYIP will make referrals to colleagues in our regional support system who can provide the relevant support wherever possible. However, an exception can be made for actives that: ·

Involve the development of innovative products and/or services
Demonstrate a clear and justified need for research and development (R&D) where there is no other viable means of supporting the R&D from funding sources and/ or suppliers external to SYIP
Show clear alignment to South Yorkshire strategies/priorities.

In such cases SYIP may offer support to help accelerate their progress toward trading and growth.

An assessment of the level of innovation, the need for R&D support and alignment to regional strategies/priorities will be made by the SYIP team, drawing in relevant experts to validate the assessment as may be required. Further information may be requested by the SYIP team to assist with their assessment. Once the assessment has been made, full details are shared with the Delivery Group who have up to three working days to respond with any questions, comments or concerns that they may have. Only once all issues flagged have been addressed to the satisfaction of the Delivery Group can the final decision of the recommendation be shared with the applicant. This decision is final and cannot be contested. The SYIP team will only consider revisiting an assessment if there is a substantive material change to the circumstances/details relating to the opportunity. In such cases, a revised assessment can be made and put to the Delivery Group for discussion and/ or approval.

My organisation received support through the Sheffield Innovation Programme (SIP), are we eligible?

SIP was available to organisations in the old Sheffield City Region boundaries, this included South Yorkshire, Bassetlaw, North East Derbyshire and Derbyshire Dales.

SYIP is funded by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, so only organisations based or registered in South Yorkshire will be eligible to receive support.

South Yorkshire organisations which previously accessed SIP are not precluded from accessing SYIP.

Please ask innovation@shu.ac.uk for further information or register for the Programme via this link.

How are project costs calculated?

For academic projects, the total project cost will include the Full Economic Cost (FEC) of staff time working on the project, as well as any machine and equipment costs and consumables costs that may also be required. A full breakdown of costs is shared once the project has been scoped out with the project lead. For non-academic (‘Deploy’) projects, the total costs will be based on the total value of the chosen supplier’s quote (excluding VAT). The full breakdown of eligible costs will be confirmed before a project proposal is approved.

How and when is a financial contribution made by the client?

Financial Contributions made by the client depend on the type of project and the level of contribution.

Academic projects: ·

Contributions under £2k can be made at the conclusion of the project
Contributions over £2k will require a payment at the beginning of the project 50% and the remaining 50% upon conclusion
Longer term projects or projects with a large financial contribution (over £8k) may require payments at regular intervals throughout the project

Deploy Grant projects:

Clients engaging in a Deploy Grant project do not pay a financial contribution to SYIP directly. The client will need to pay their chosen supplier in full and then be reimbursed for the grant amount by SYIP. The costs not covered by SYIP will count as the client’s ‘private sector match’ and client contribution.

Events and workshops:

Where events or workshops require a financial contribution, the contribution will be covered by a price of admission.

What consideration is given to contributions in-kind?

‘Contributions in kind’ cannot be considered under SYIP and a financial contribution is required for each engagement. The full payment details will be provided to clients prior to any project work taking place and will need to be agreed by the clients with a signature.

How does this affect subsidy control?

Support through SYIP will be counted as a Minimum Financial Assistance (MFA) subsidy under the Subsidy Control Act (2022).

Before making the payment/providing the assistance, we require written confirmation that receipt of the payment/assistance will not exceed your MFA threshold of £315,000 cumulated over this and the previous two financial years, as specified in section 36(1) of the Subsidy Control Act (2022).

What happens if my application is unsuccessful?

If unsuccessful, we will look at alternative schemes that you may be eligible to apply for through funding bodies such as Innovate UK. Our SYIP Innovation Advisers will work with you to find the most appropriate support or take another look at your application.

How many times can I access SYIP?

Clients can undertake multiple different projects across the Programme Partners however multiple engagements may require approval by the SYIP Delivery Group. This is to ensure that organisations across South Yorkshire can participate in SYIP and have equal access to funding.

If you have any questions that are not detailed here, please email us.