Small Business Research Initiative

Executive Summary

The new SBRI programme aims to use government procurement to drive innovation - providing business opportunities for innovative companies while solving the needs of government departments.

Project Detail

What is SBRI?

It can be difficult and confusing for companies to access government departments and obtain simple contracts with them. Equally, government departments have no easy access to the innovative companies that might provide new solutions, services and products to help them run more smoothly.

The UK public sector spends around £160billion a year on goods and services. SBRI provides a way to enable departments to use some of this money to drive innovation. It allows the departments to procure new technologies faster, and with limited risk, and also provides vital funding for the critical stage of technology development.

Benefits to business

SBRI creates opportunities for businesses to engage with a specific department need and prove their technology or idea. Successful companies will gain a lead customer for development and will receive a contract for the full cost of demonstrating the feasibility of their technology, leading to subsequent prototype development. This provides a potential route to market and establishes credibility for further investment. It is particularly suitable for early stage companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Benefits to government

SBRI supports the public sector to procure the development of innovative solutions that address current significant departmental needs. It enables departments to appeal for a wide range of ideas and evaluate these through short-term, simplified contracts and a two-stage development cycle. This allows them to engage with a broad spectrum of industry and bring new technologies into market faster and with managed risk.

The Technology Strategy Board has been given the role of championing the SBRI programme and expanding SBRI to a wide range of government departments.

Details of all of the competitions will be listed on the Technology Strategy Board website, www.innovateuk.org, under ‘SBRI’.

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