CAN DO Innovation Challenge Fund

Due to a potential change in approach, we are suspending the 5th Call for the Can Do Innovation Challenge Fund. The challenges will be reviewed to better match Scottish Government ambitions, such as climate change.

Further information and application details will be updated in due course. 

We're on the hunt for the current innovation challenges in Scotland's public sector.

An innovation challenge is a current problem faced by a Scottish public body, where there is no clear fix or current market solution.

We’re providing Scotland’s public bodies the opportunity to receive up to 100% of funding to support the development of innovative solutions.

We're inviting applications from across the public sector with the strongest challenges being selected for funding by the CAN DO Innovation Challenge Fund.

Benefits for getting involved include:

• The opportunity to explore creative solutions to operational challenges
• Improved service quality and reduced delivery costs from solutions customised to your needs
• Up to 100% funding to find and develop solutions with innovative businesses

The CAN DO Innovation Challenge Fund is a national fund which supports Scottish public sector organisations to find and develop innovative solutions to operational service and policy delivery challenges.

The fund is managed by a partnership of Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council.

The aims of the fund are to:

• Find solutions for societal and service delivery challenges faced by the public sector
• Improve public service quality and reduce delivery costs
• Boost Scotland’s innovation and economic development performance

Public sector organisations will be deemed to be those bodies in Scotland which are spending public sector money and are subject to EU procurement rules.

This includes universities or charities. However, all challenges must meet the aims of the fund – to solve and improve public services and boost Scotland’s economic development.

All challenges will be assessed against the same criteria.

R&D costs incurred by successful challenge solvers are eligible for funding support.

Internal staff costs, including any travel and subsistence are not eligible for reimbursement.

The challenge sponsor is required to resource a project manager for any challenge submitted.

Due to a potential change in approach, we are suspending the 5th Call for the Can Do Innovation Challenge Fund.

In line with Scottish Government ambitions, we are now exploring how our Calls can be better focussed to support innovation around Scotland’s priority challenges and opportunities. For example, future Calls may be focused on topics such as climate change and health and wellbeing.  

We are currently working to explore and define such potential Calls and their timelines.

If you think you may have a public sector challenge which might fit with our likely direction of travel, please contact the Can Do ICF team for an informal discussion.

Innovation challenges are problems that, if solved, present benefits to the public sector and commercial opportunities for the companies that develop solutions.

Challenges will be open to companies of any size.

Academic organisations and third sector organisations such as NGOs can also apply to become challenge solvers, as long as they show how they will commercialise any solution they develop.

See the current challenges faced by Scottish public sector organisations.