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Overview
The Solution Development for Advanced Connectivity Technologies competition is designed to accelerate the development and commercialisation of advanced communication systems across the UK. It forms part of the Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) programme, supporting innovations that improve network security, resilience and sustainability while strengthening the UK’s global competitiveness.
This competition is particularly focused on bridging the gap between innovation and real-world deployment, encouraging projects that demonstrate measurable performance improvements and clear routes to market.
Scope of the Competition
Projects must focus on developing and demonstrating next-generation connectivity technologies aligned with national priorities.
Your project must:
• Deliver measurable improvements in performance, efficiency or resilience
• Demonstrate integration into real-world networks or platforms
• Provide a clear pathway to commercialisation and market adoption
• Align with one of the ACT strategic challenge areas
Projects are expected to move beyond early-stage research and demonstrate strong commercial and deployment potential.
Key Focus Areas
Projects must address one of the following strategic areas:
• Secure and resilient networks, improving reliability, security and system robustness
• Sustainable networks, reducing energy consumption and improving efficiency
• Sovereign telecoms components and applications, strengthening UK capability in critical technologies
These areas aim to support the development of advanced telecom infrastructure, including integration of emerging technologies, improved spectrum efficiency and enhanced system performance.
Eligibility and Project Requirements
This competition is open to UK registered organisations, including businesses, research organisations and public sector bodies.
Key requirements include:
• Project costs between £200,000 and £5 million
• Individual partners can claim up to £3 million
• Project duration between 3 and 24 months
• Projects must start by 1 September 2026
• All project work must be carried out in the UK
Collaborative projects must include at least one SME and demonstrate a balanced distribution of work and funding across partners.
Key Dates and Funding
Project funding: Up to £3 million per partner
Opens: 1 April 2026
Closes: 13 May 2026 (11:00 am)
How Inventya can help
This competition is highly competitive and requires a strong combination of technical innovation, commercial strategy and alignment with national priorities.
Inventya can support your organisation by:
• Identifying how your innovation aligns with ACT challenge areas
• Strengthening your technical and commercial case for funding
• Developing a clear route to market and scalability strategy
• Supporting consortium development and collaboration planning
• Preparing a high-quality application that meets Innovate UK requirements
With extensive experience in advanced technologies and Innovate UK funding, Inventya can help position your project for success and maximise your chances of securing funding.
