UK-registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £2 million for design projects focused around repairability or Design for Repair (DfR) principles including circular design, durability and extended lifecycles, from Innovate UK.

Proposals must fall within one or more of the following categories:

• Modularity and Accessibility: simplify the repair process and ensure that critical parts are not buried deep within the design
• Standardisation and Compatibility: compatibility in all aspects including, industry standards and interoperability with other systems
• Design for Durability: prioritise the use of high quality components and to ensure long-lasting value thorough testing
• Extended Lifecycles and Lifecycle Assessment: consider adaptability to changing and emerging technologies, and support for legacy systems, evaluate environmental and societal impact for informed design decisions
• Eco-Design and Circularity: promote sustainability, recyclability and reusability using design principles such as cradle-to-cradle (C2C) and biomimicry
• Design for Resilience: increase resilience to external shocks and unexpected challenges, for example economic downturns and supply chain disruptions

To be eligible, projects must:

• have total costs of between £40,000 and £80,000
• grant requests must match total project costs
• last between 3 months and 6 months
• carry out project work in the UK
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• start on 1 June 2024
• end by 30 November 2024

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 10 January 2024 at 11:00am.

FIND OUT MORE AND APPLY – Design Foundations: Repairability