Design Council is calling for entries for its second Spark Innovation Fund and Fast Track Programme, dedicated to uncovering the UK's next great inventions. There are up to twelve places available on this round of the twenty-week fast-track product development programme, all of whom will receive an initial investment of £15,000 and a further chance to pitch for a share of £150,000 at the end of the programme.
Thirty will be selected from online applications and invited to a two-day intensive workshop, after which the Design Council Spark Investment Panel will select ten to twelve finalists. To qualify you must be a UK resident aged over eighteen and no previous design experience is required. Your idea must be a physical product that can be sold to businesses or consumers. It cannot be a service or software such as an app, although it can integrate digital technology.
Finalists will be provided with an expert mentor, have access to specialists in relevant fields and given £15,000 to accelerate their product development over twenty weeks. In return for this support, inventors will be asked for a 5% capped* donation of future sales revenue of their submitted product. All finalists are also provided with 6 months after-care where guidance is given for those next crucial steps as they get their product to market.
"This first wave of the Spark programme has been hugely successful for all involved and we are now very excited to open the call for applications for the second wave," commented John Mathers, Design Council Chief Executive. "I can't wait to see what brilliant inventions will come through our doors in the next few weeks."
The deadline for applications is November 23, 2015.