DCMS 5G Programme Industrial 5G Testbeds & Trials grant funding competition

The Industrial 5G Testbeds and Trials competition is making available UK Government investment to trial new 5G services and applications in the vertical industry sectors of manufacturing and logistics. The aim of these projects is to demonstrate the value of 5G, beyond enhanced mobile broadband, by targeting industrial uses that can help deliver efficiency, productivity, and other benefits in the UK economy, and help the UK lead the development of enterprise applications for 5G.

Digital Catapult has partnered with the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) to support the Industrial 5G competition – focused on the manufacturing and logistics sectors.

The Industrial 5G competition is now open, with up to £40m available for match-funded projects over the next two and a half years, representing a new opportunity for innovation across the manufacturing industries and its UK supply chain.

Industrial 5G use cases

These projects will explore 5G deployment and industrial use cases in the areas of manufacturing and logistics. DCMS is seeking involvement from a range of companies that have the potential to contribute to the testbeds and trials, such as manufacturing and logistics companies, system integrators, mobile and fixed network operators, and equipment suppliers. Public sector, Academic, and Research and Technology Organisations may also be involved

Leading a consortia

• This competition is aimed at consortia led by private sector companies and requires the participation of at least one small or medium sized enterprise (SME).
• The application should be submitted by the lead project partner.
• Leading a consortium will include development and leading the delivery of the project and proactively encouraging participation from small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The details of project roles and eligibility are provided in the Competition Guidance and supporting documents.

Support in leading a consortia

If your organisation is an industrial company interested in leading a bid for funding, Digital Catapult can provide and discuss opportunities with you in relation to consortium building, programme application and project support.

We encourage manufacturers and logistics companies/hubs to reach out to Digital Catapult at [email protected] if you would like to know more.