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Digital Catapult > Programmes > Digital Supply Chain Programme: Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub > Automotive Cluster Accelerator FAQs

Programme

Automotive Cluster Accelerator FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Digital Supply Chain Hub?

The Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub is a digital innovation ecosystem that empowers individuals and organisations to work together to make supply chains smarter.

The Hub transforms UK manufacturing by accelerating digital innovation – making supply chains more efficient, resilient and sustainable. We’re harnessing the power of UK manufacturing, bringing businesses and researchers together to develop new solutions, tackling sector specific and industry wide challenges, and building a powerful UK supply chain community.

You can sign up to the Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub here.

What are the key dates for this programme?

Below are the provisional dates of activity for this programme:

  • 2 September 2025: Applications for the Open Call open.
  • 28 September 2025: Applications for the Open Call close.
  • 10 October 2025: Notification of shortlisted applicants and invitation to interview.
  • w/c 20 October 2025: Interviews.
  • 24 October 2025: Notification of successful applicants.
  • 10 November 2025: Programme start date
  • w/c 7 November 2025: Kick Off Programme Event
  • March 2026: Programme end date
  • March 2026: Showcase event

All dates and activities can be subject to change. Digital Catapult will endeavour to provide as much notice as possible to applicants/participants should any changes arise.

What are the Programme obligations?

A complete list of programme obligations can be found in the Terms and Conditions. These include:

  • Attend the kick-off event hosted in November 2025.
  • Develop or refine a solution against the chosen challenge, which may be demonstrated to or trialled with the Programme Sponsor and/or the Programme Challenge Owner during the programme.
  • Showcase tech solution developed in the programme – Digital Catapult does not take ownership of your Intellectual Property developed on the Programme, however, we do require you to present your solution relating to your challenge at the final Showcase event in March 2026
  • Attend all of the workshops, webinars, and meetings as agreed from November 2025 – February 2026.
  • Participant agrees to be visibly (name and logo) associated with the Programme, whilst on the Programme and afterwards as a former participant and beneficiary. This includes marketing collateral, such as website, print and digital materials.
  • For a maximum period of five years following the Project end date, Participant shall use its reasonable endeavours to answer specific questions from Digital Catapult relating to its growth and progress to assist Catapult demonstrate the impact of its activities. This shall include: (i) participation in an annual telephone conversation of one hour, and (ii) participation in a two early survey issued by Digital Catapult.
What counts as co-investment for this programme?

Co-investment from technology providers is a requirement of the funding. There are various categories of co-investment which can be considered:

Category Eligible co-investment / guidance
Labour & Overheads Establish the day rate for staff contributing to DSCH. This is calculated by the number of working days per year less bank holidays and your organisation’s annual leave entitlement.

You can also contribute 20% of your labour costs as overhead. This includes both direct and indirect overhead.
Materials The costs of materials to be used directly on your project are eligible costs if they are purchased from third parties.

Software that will be used in the project you may only claim the additional costs incurred and paid between the start and end of your project.
Subcontracting You can contribute costs relating to work carried out by third‑party organisations that are not part of your project team.

The work must:

·       involve expertise that does not exist within the project team

·       involve skills that it is not practical to develop in‑house for your project

·       not exceed 30% of the allocated funds
Travel & Subsistence You can contribute reasonable travel and subsistence costs for those individuals identified in the labour tab. Costs must be necessary and incurred exclusively for the progression of your project. Travel costs must be at economy travel only.
Other Costs This category can be used for any direct project costs which are not covered in the other categories. Examples of other costs include:

·       Workshop or laboratory usage charge outs

·       Preparation of technical reports

·       Licensing in new technologies
Is the programme expected to be in-person, or remote?

The accelerator’s activities are planned to be delivered predominantly remotely/online. We expect to organise a small number of in-person events, such activities may include programme kick-off and showcase events.

Who will own the intellectual property of the solutions and/or services?

The participants will have full ownership of their intellectual property created. For full details, please refer to the programme terms and conditions.

Can I receive preliminary feedback on my application before submission and if unsuccessful?

Unfortunately not, to ensure a fair judging process and due to the high volume of applications we expect to receive, we are not able to work with you or feedback on applications prior to completion. Please refer to our selection criteria to understand what we expect to see from applications.

If your application is not successful for the programme, we cannot provide feedback to all our applicants, but we will let you know the outcome either way.

If you have taken part in the interview phase but your application is unsuccessful then yes. The companies which do not qualify for the prototype development but went through the interview selection process will receive relevant feedback from Digital Catapult on the scoring and technical requirements.

 

Can I apply to more than one challenge?

We strongly recommend that interested parties apply to only one challenge.

If you wish to submit an idea for more than one challenge, you must complete a separate application form for each. Please keep in mind that ultimately you will only be selected to develop one of these challenge concepts.

Will reasonable adjustments be considered during the application process?

We are committed to providing a fair application processes and acknowledge that for some disabilities, where possible, adjustments are required during the application process. Reasonable adjustments can be requested by emailing [email protected]

What are the programme’s minimum requirements?
  • Applicants must be eligible to receive £1o0,000 in State Assistance.
  • Applicants must be a UK-based registered company, or prove they are a company that has an establishment in the UK, and undertake all activity in the UK.
  • Applicants must not use more than 30% of the allocated funds for subcontracting.

 

 

Will the Digital Supply Chain Hub take any equity in the startups?

No. The Digital Supply Chain Hub Automotive Cluster Accelerator is equity-free and there are no fees associated with participation.

What if I am involved in another accelerator programme, or have been involved in a previous Digital Catapult programme?

Participating or having participated in accelerator or other technology adoption support programmes does not exclude you from taking part in the Automotive Cluster Accelerator, as long as the timings do not cause a conflict of interest and you are eligible to receive the state aid as outlined in the T&Cs.

If you have been part of any previous Digital Catapult programme you are welcome to join. For other programmes, your participation will be dependent on the terms of the programme itself and what you have agreed to in the terms and conditions.

What level of technical maturity are we looking for?

Startups and SMEs should ideally have an early-stage solution at the TRL 4-5 and be able to progress to the TRL 6-7 within the timeline of the programme.

If you feel your solution is not at TRL 4-5 yet, but believe it can progress to TRL 6-7 within the timeline of the programme, we still encourage you to apply.