How the Challenge Fund Works
What is the Cardiff Capital Region Challenge Fund?
The £10m Challenge Fund provides a mechanism to engage public sector bodies, active in the Cardiff Capital Region, in the identification and development of challenges. It connects public sector bodies with organisations who can provide innovative solutions to those challenges, leading to better services, improved efficiency and effectiveness, and increased productivity.
The purpose of the funding is to help the public sector to obtain novel products and services to address challenges and, in doing so, provide a route to market for those solutions. Public sector bodies will propose challenges for support, and those successful in securing a funding award will act as ‘Challenge Owner’ organisations and will work closely with potential ‘Solution Providers’ in the development of solutions.
Challenge Owners should be able to demonstrate how they:
- Solve societal challenges and/or service delivery issues
- Create innovative solutions
- Deliver economic impact for the region
- Drive commercial scalable opportunities
- Build local wealth
Key Stages in the Process
Step 1
Define Societal or Service Delivery Issue
Public body discuss their issue with stakeholders, define their challenges and applies to the CCR Challenge Fund. It’s important when you are thinking about your challenge not to focus on the solution!
Step 2
Decisions & Next Steps…
Challenge Fund submissions are assessed, and successful applicants awarded funding. They then work with the Challenge Fund team to promote the challenge to the innovator community. Any information you share with us will be treated with sensitivity.
Step 3
Innovator Engagement
Challenge opportunities are refined and advertised to the innovator community, who then bid to co-develop innovative solutions to the challenge.
