Guidelines and Selection Criteria

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The Low Carbon Technology Assessment (LCTA) indicates where we believe the Carbon Trust's intervention (funding, coordination and expertise) will have the greatest impact.

Projects that fall within the 'focus' and 'consider' areas of the diagram below comprise 80% of all our funding as they directly meet our strategic objectives of reducing carbon emissions. Individually excellent projects in the other areas will of course be considered however an exceptionally strong case will need to be presented.

For enabling technologies a case must be made based on the emissions reduction which they make possible, for instance if electrical energy storage enables additional generation from renewable energy sources.

Selection Criteria

Your Project Plan and Application should address the following issues:

Demonstrate the Potential for Substantial Greenhouse Gas Emission Savings
There must be a credible mechanism that shows how successfully undertaking your project will lead to direct or indirect reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. There also needs to be an estimate of the scale of the resulting reductions. You will need to provide technical evidence supporting the feasibility of the project that could include:
  • Study results or experimental data
  • Previous published research
  • Independent review by a recognised expert

Innovation
Either the technology being researched/developed or the application of a technology/process must be innovative. The proposal must therefore demonstrate how the work will build on an existing body of work and lead to:
  • Material advances when compared to the current 'state of play'
  • Technologies that can show advantages over existing/competing options

Progress on the Path to Commercialisation
The proposal must show how undertaking the work will directly contribute to the progress of the technology towards large scale deployment. This will require that the following need to be demonstrated:
  • That there is a clear need or demand for the outputs and as such the results will be acted upon
  • An awareness as to whom the results need to be communicated to, and how this will be achieved
  • A clear view as to the target market(s)
  • That Intellectual Property will be developed during the project and that this will need to be managed, protected and exploited
  • That undertaking the work will bring benefit to the UK

Project and Risk Management
The proposed programme of work needs to be well structured and thought through. Hence issues that must be considered include:
  • The project has to have access to the full range of skills and experience required to successfully undertake the work
  • The work must be well planned and show what tasks will be undertaken and by whom
  • How much each task costs
  • That the required match funding is in place
  • Relevant risks have been identified and their potential impact on the project understood.
  • How thoroughly these risks will be managed

Funding Eligibility

Any business, university, public sector or voluntary organisation may apply for a grant of up to £250k. The maximum proportion of project costs that the Carbon Trust will normally fund is 60%. The exact amount depends on the type of organisation undertaking the project and the nature of the project itself. See Funding Eligibility Guidelines for further information.

Project Duration

The maximum duration of a Carbon Trust Applied Research grant is 3 years.

Projects NOT Eligible for Funding

  • Duplicate activities - those that are already well supported by the Research Councils and other grant-giving organisations
  • Curiosity driven ‘Blue sky’ research
  • Demonstrable benefit is outside the EU
  • Retrospective - grants will not be payable on any works carried out prior to the date of the contract offer

Feedback

Unfortunately not every proposal is successful and not every idea can receive funding; we endeavour to provide an appropriate level of feedback for each stage of the process:
  • Rejection (initial application stage) – we aim to highlight the general areas where proposal can be improved. Where no credible case has been presented against two or more of the above criteria feedback will be minimal.
  • Rejection (full proposal stage) - before submitting a full proposal, you will be invited to The Carbon Trust to discuss your application; this should clarify any issues that you may have and improve your chance of success. However if you are not successful, more detailed feedback will be provided
  • Reapply - only if you have improved your proposal and are satisfied that you can make a strong case against all of the above criteria.

Contracts:

There is a single standard contract for all Applied Research Projects. Contracts need to be signed by all project partners and the terms of the contract are not negotiable. An example standard contract (168 KB pdf) is available for information.

Application form:

An example application form (79 KB pdf) is available for information.