MITIH Residency Grant Fund

Company/lead organisation

Companies can only lead on and receive funding for one project. The lead company must:

• Be a UK registered, limited or LLP business with evidence of a physical presence in Greater Manchester for the past 6 months or more,
• Have a request of up to £25,000 of support (cash and in-kind) to deliver a R&D project that is ambitious, innovative, collaborative, strategically aligned with MITIH and that will generate the required co-investment and outputs,
• Commit to the residency criteria set out below,
• Start their project on 1st October 2025 and end it by 31st January 2026,
• Carry out the majority of its project work in Greater Manchester,
• Intend to primarily exploit the results from or in the UK,
• Fall within Minimal Financial Assistance limit (see appendix 1) at the time of entering the Grant Funding Agreement (GFA) – a declaration will be required,
• Not be in financial difficulty and have enough cashflow or funding to cover at least 50% of the eligible project costs when the GFA is signed; the grant funding is paid in arrears (not paid up front), it has to be claimed once defrayed (incurred and paid) by the Applicant.
• Have all key project team members in place when the GFA is signed expected to be at latest by 30th September 2025.

Organisations that are publicly funded, not profit driven or do not have a commercial focus, including Community Interest Companies (CICs), charities, schools, colleges and academic institutions are not eligible to apply for funding in this competition. They can be part of a private sector led consortium led by a private sector company which also leverages other private sector collaboration and co-investment.

Funding

Grant funding and support requests must be no more than £25k per project – all requests must be supported with evidence of committed 2:1 (or more) private sector to public grant funding. Grant funding must be spent on/for Greater Manchester (GM) companies and/or people; co-investment can be from or spent outside GM.

All eligible project costs must be incurred between the agreed project start date (1st October 2025) and agreed project end date (31st January 2026) such that all grant funding can be claimed within the timeframe of the programme.

Claims are to be submitted in arrears every two months; only eligible expenditure defrayed (incurred and paid from the company bank account) by the end of that period can be included in the Claim for reimbursement. It is acceptable to include expenditure defrayed in previous periods in a claim, if they have not already been included in another claim. Costs incurred before the project start date cannot be claimed, except for any capital usage in line with Innovate UK funding rules.

Supporting evidence will be required with each claim – this evidence includes copies of invoices and bank statements that show payments for costs being claimed. A Statement of Expenditure, signed by a Director of the Applicant company, will be required with the final claim.

Project costs must

• Be compliant with Innovate UK funding rules with necessary supporting evidence, see , and “IUK Official – Project cost eligibility & Evidence Matrix”,
• Demonstrate value for money,
• Not include costs for content, game or experience creation and production unless specifically required for market or technology research and development or innovation,
• Not include VAT – costs must be net of VAT unless the Applicant is not registered for VAT, in which case they can include VAT incurred within their eligible costs. Grant funding lies entirely outside the scope of VAT – any claims must be net of VAT.

Subcontractors

• Subcontractors are allowed, however, grant applications cannot attribute more than 30% of eligible project costs to subcontractors outside of Greater Manchester.
• You can use subcontractors from overseas but must make the case in your application as to why you could not use suppliers from the UK. You must provide a detailed rationale, including evidence of the potential UK contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you.

Residency

The lead or key member of the team must commit to:

• Being physically present in the MITIH offices and MITIH Lab at HOST MediaCity for a minimum of two days (2 x 6 hours minimum) per week throughout the project to qualify for a funded residency,
• Taking part in: one half-day Kick off meeting in October 2025, three 1-hour mentoring sessions to support innovation and business growth, one half day Exploitation workshop and 2 monitoring meetings for the claims,
• Contributing to at least one MITIH community event during the residency period, including contributing to the design, content and delivery of an event such as a Jam, Lab or Hack.

Attendance will be monitored during the project and funding may be withdrawn if these conditions are not adhered to.

Monitoring

Companies will be required to take part in project monitoring and reporting on a regular basis, and report on metrics in line with Innovate UK requirements.

Number of applicants

• A Company can only lead on one application but can be included as a collaborator in other applications. A business that is not leading an application can collaborate on any number of applications.
• An academic institution, charity, not for profit, public sector organisation, community interest company (CIC), or research and technology organisation (RTO) can collaborate in any number of applications.

Sanctions

This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose MITIH and Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK, to UK Sanctions. For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.

Use of animals in research and innovation

Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.

Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both that in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation.

Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process. This information will be reviewed before an award is made.

MITIH Residency Fund 2025-26, funded by Innovate UK, will invest in collaborative innovation projects. The aim of this R&D competition is to advance the development of collaboration with innovators in the creative industries. We’re looking for products, services, workflows and tools across the creative supply chain which benefit and strengthen the Greater Manchester and UK creative economy.

We are looking to fund and support a diverse portfolio of innovative award holders.

Your project must:

• Support the growth of the UK creative industries,
• Demonstrate a clearly innovative and ambitious idea which addresses an industry challenge, and make a significant improvement on what is currently available,
• Have a demonstrable impact to your company’s growth plan,
• Create a new revenue stream, for example, new products, tools or intellectual property (IP),
• Be market ready (e.g. with a Minimum Viable Product) within 12 months after project completion,
• Demonstrate value for money.

This call will favour projects with a strong focus on the themes and technologies listed below and aligned to the current technologies and capabilities in the MITIH Lab and community tools/products, workflows, and techniques for creative content production.

Current technologies and capabilities in the MITIH Lab include: motion capture, tracking systems, games engines, 3D worlds, assets and content creation, virtual production with green screen and LED screen, interactive media and XR, projection mapping and screen technologies, and spatial audio.

Your project must be:

Ambitious and strategically aligned with MITIH including its:

• Purpose – Developing/enhancing distinct capability aligned to MITIH ecosystem vision,
• Themes – immersive experiences, Virtual Production, Gaming& Esports,
• Technologies – develop, enhance or leverage immersive technologies and tools, including Creative AI and spatial audio,
• Research categories: We will fund industrial research projects as defined in the guidance on categories of research: feasibility studies, industrial research, experimental development,
• Sectors – Creative Industries (advertising and marketing, animation, film, TV and video, games, music and radio…), GM Frontier sectors(Advanced Manufacturing, Health& Life Sciences, Net Zero, Digital & Tech), Built Environment, Industrial Processes, Retail and Education (private sector),
• Outcomes – working to build the MediaCity/GM innovation ecosystem,

Innovative

Innovative / driving innovation and novel, aligned to InnovateUK definitions of precommercial R&D and Innovation, for example:

• Have an innovation that clearly demonstrates benefit to MITIH’s target sectors and the wider UK economy,
• Enable major improvements in a particular sector, for example, innovative new products, services or solutions,
• Focus on a clear market opportunity and the proposed innovation which addresses it.

Collaborative

• Involving multiple private sector partners,
• May include academic input/collaboration, e.g. from University of Salford or other GM University partners but this is not mandatory.

Projects must deliver:

Co-investment

• Deliver private sector co-investment, including evidence of a minimum of 2:1 private investment to public funding by February 2026.

Outputs/Outcomes

• Demonstrate the impact that the funding and support will have to the growth of your business within the next 2 years, or
• Provide an impact/legacy in the Greater Manchester innovation ecosystem beyond the project, or
• Show potential for lasting benefits beyond the duration of the project with plans to scale up and spread best practice;
• Be written up in an impactful case study, contributing to MITIH knowledge transfer and/or skills building activities, e.g. via participation in Jams, Labs, Hacks, showcases, festivals or events.

Projects we will not fund

We are not funding projects that:

• are not led by a Greater Manchester-based SME
• are not innovative or classified as R&D
• commission content, for example, a new festival, game, film, or experience, that does not have an innovative edge to the way your company usually addresses new projects,
• commission business as usual (BAU) activities,
• create secondary funding, for example, grant programmes, accelerators, awards, competitions,
• include capital expenditure e.g. physical construction or infrastructure, for example, studio, workspace, hub, , or purchase of equipment,
• lack evidence that their proposed innovation is expected to lead to significant and positive economic impact, or that value for money will be achieved,
• companies that have failed to exploit a previously funded project with MITIH
• from companies with an overdue independent accountant’s report or have failed to comply with InnovateUK grant terms and conditions,
• have already been started,
• have already secured public funding for the same project. You can however apply for MITIH funding to develop another stage of development for a project you have secured other public funding for.

Subsidy control (and state aid where applicable)

This competition provides funding in line with the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Further information about the Subsidy requirements can be found within the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk).

MITIH is unable to award organisations that are considered to be in financial difficulty. We will conduct financial viability and eligibility tests to confirm this is not the case following the application stage.

EU State aid rules now only apply in limited circumstances. Please see the Windsor Framework to check if these rules apply to your organisation.

If you are unsure about your obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 or the State aid rules, you should take independent legal advice. We are unable to advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations. You must always make sure that the funding awarded to you is compliant with all current Subsidy Control legislation applicable in the United Kingdom. This aims to regulate any advantage granted by a public sector body which threatens to, or actually distorts competition in the United Kingdom or any other country or countries.

This award will form part of your Minimal Financial Assistance or De Minimis allowance.

Coaching sessions will be provided throughout the programme at agreed dates.

If you are successful with this application, you will be asked to complete and return our project finance workbook and some evidence including proof of funds within 5 working days.

Sign The Grant Framework Agreement (GFA)

Once all required evidence, the completed workbook, and due diligence checks have been reviewed, and if your application is successful, you will receive a Grant Funding Agreement. This contract must be signed and returned to us to execute by 30th September 2025.

Once executed we will send you an email with permission to start your project .

You must not start your project before the date stated on your email and GFA. Any costs incurred before your agreed start date cannot be claimed as part of your grant.

Please note that your company will not be set up on Innovate UK’s own IFS. However, as per the GFA, this grant must comply with all the Innovate UK terms and conditions and procedures.

Your funding offer may be withdrawn if the Grant Funding Agreement is not completed within this or an alternative timeframe as advised by the MITIH Team

Beneficiary set up

In order for your beneficiary account to be set up, you will need to provide the following within 1 month:

• the name and contact details of your project manager and project finance lead
• a copy of your bank details

In order for us to process your claims, you must make sure you have a valid UK business bank account. It can take several weeks for a new account to be created if required. We recommend starting this process as early as possible to avoid any delays to your project start date.

The bank account which grant is to be paid into must:

• be a business account in the same name as the organisation named in your GFA
• be from a UK bank regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA),
• have a cheque and credit clearing facility.

Finance checks

All contract awards are subject to financial checks.

We will carry out them to make sure you are an established company with access to the funds necessary to complete the project.

Please check your inbox regularly and respond to any requests we have sent for additional information to avoid any delays. All checks must be approved and completed before you will be offered the Grant Funding Agreement.

Failure to complete project setup may result in your grant offer being withdrawn.

During our financial due diligence checks you must provide evidence of how you will finance your project costs for the duration of your project and prove that you have enough funds to cover 50% of the project costs before starting the project on 1st October 2025.

Grant claims

Grant claims are submitted as part of the monitoring meetings covering 2 months costs in arrears. Claims have to be supported with the required evidence, and have to be checked and approved by the MITIH team and our external assurance advisor. Claims will be paid within 30 days of a valid invoice being received for the approved claim amount.

If you application is unsuccessful

If you are unsuccessful with your application this time, you can request feedback from the assessors. These will be provided within 1 month.

Sometimes your application will have scored well, and you will receive positive comments from the assessors. You may be unsuccessful as your project has not been selected under the portfolio approach applied for this competition.

Find a project partner

If you want help to find a project partner, contact the MITIH Team at mitih2526@salford.gov.uk.

Protecting your innovation

A Secure Innovation campaign has been developed to help founders and leaders of innovative startups protect their technology, competitive advantage, and reputation.

This was developed by UK’s National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Data sharing

This competition is operated by The Landing at MediaCityUK Ltd with Innovate UK, the University of Salford and their advisors (each an ‘agency’).

Any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process concerning your application can be shared by one agency with the other, for its individual storage, processing and use.

This means that any information given to or generated by The Landing at MediaCityUK Ltd in respect of your application may be passed on to other agencies and vice versa. This would include, but is not restricted to:

• the information stated on the application, including the personal details of all applicants,
• scoring and feedback on the application,
• information received during the management and administration of the grant, such as Monitoring Service Provider (MSP) reports and Independent Accountant Reports.

The Landing at MediaCityUK Ltd are directly accountable to you for their holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. Data is held in accordance with their own policies. Accordingly, The Landing at MediaCityUK Ltd will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.

The Landing at MediaCityUK Ltd’s Privacy Policy

The Landing at MediaCityUK Ltd with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles.

The Information Commissioner’s Office also has a useful guide for organisations, which outlines the data protection principles.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact the MIITH team at mitih2526@salford.gov.uk.