BAE Systems is looking to implement open innovation in the manufacturing of a graded material component with continuously varying composition from one end to the other using two or more materials. 
Successful applicants will be given an opportunity to outline their proposal to a team of experts from BAE Systems. Selected solutions will be trialled in pilot studies with the potential for further adoption if trials are successful. Potential funding for the trial period is approx. £25k. 

BAE Systems is a leading defence contractor with a presence in multiple countries worldwide. &nbsp; The company manufactures and maintains defence platforms for its UK and global customers. BAE Systems is aiming to improve platform safety, availability, capability, and reduce material waste, cost and schedule with the use of advanced functionally graded materials.&nbsp;
Traditionally, the current components are manufactured from wrought billets of Super Austenitic Stainless Steel and Low Carbon Steel that are welded together by tungsten inert gas welding. &nbsp; The welding requires preparation, post-processing and machining to manufacture the final components resulting in significant material waste, cost and schedule delays. The use of welded dissimilar metals also affects the in-service functional performance of the components. &nbsp;
BAE Systems is seeking TRL 6+ technologies used by adjacent sectors and industries to manufacture &nbsp;

Background 

Propose technologies to manufacture a functionally graded material with continuously changing chemical composition comprising at least two or more materials, such as Super Austenitic Stainless Steel and Low Carbon Steel. The solution will help to address the material wastage, manufacturing complexity and performance issues of the current design where the materials are welded together and then machined. The main purpose of the challenge is to improve the functional performance of safety critical components, and realise materials and manufacturing efficiencies. &nbsp;
The prospective technology must be able to seamlessly manufacture a graded composition material billet comprising at least two or more metals/alloys, with mechanical properties matching or exceeding the constituent materials. Technologies that may be of interest include &nbsp; cold metal spray, friction stir processing, laser powder directed energy deposition, hot isostatic pressing and other similar technologies and solutions.
Solutions should be TRL 6+ but newer technologies with TRL 3+ can be of interest. The technology shall be deployable for functional testing within 6 months of the competition, and commercially deployable within a year.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

The Challenge 

The solution must be able to manufacture a billet of size 400mm (L) x 50mm (W) x 50mm (D) &nbsp; with composition changing in the 'L' dimension. The material and mechanical properties of the graded material should match or exceed the properties of the constituent materials 'A' and 'B'. There should be no or minimal defects, porosity, flaws, oxides or inclusions present in any direction of the manufactured billet. Ideally, the billet shouldn't require any post-processing treatments, but exceptions may be considered if it results in a large improvement in the material and mechanical properties of the functionally graded billet. The materials that can be used for the manufacturing of the graded billet can be standard Super Austenitic Stainless Steels, High Strength Austenitic Stainless Steels, Inconel 625, Carbon Steels, and Low Alloy Steels.&nbsp;

Functional Requirements 

The solution must be able to achieve a composition variation of the order of 1 wt.% from material 'A' to 'B' in every 1mm to 5mm in the 'L' direction while maintaining the same composition in 'W' and 'D' directions at each step.
The UTS, yield, elongation, fatigue and impact energy of the functionally graded material shall be within 5% of the nominal values of the base materials.&nbsp;

Technical Requirements 

The graded material should be able to match or exceed the mechanical properties of the base materials when exposed to temperatures up to 300&deg;C.&nbsp; There may be additional requirements to qualify to ASME BPVC.&nbsp;

Operating Conditions 

Solutions that are unable to match or exceed the material and mechanical properties of the base constituent materials.&nbsp;

Out of Scope 

Lifetime cost should be broadly comparable or less than the cost of the current solution. &nbsp;

Cost Requirement 

Successful applicants will be given an opportunity to pitch to BAE Systems. Selected solutions will be trialled with potential for further adoption if trials are successful.&nbsp; The solution has the potential to be across business lines with 100s of components manufactured from the developed functionally graded material.
The benefits package for a successful applicant may also include: &nbsp;
<ul>
<li>&pound;25,000 seed funding</li>
<li>Support from Innovate UK Business Connect.</li>
<li>Support in the development of a prototype or pilot. &nbsp;</li>
<li>Technical support. &nbsp;</li>
<li>Invitation to attend or present at Innovate UK Business Connect events. &nbsp;</li>
<li>A potential business collaboration. &nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Rewards & Market Opportunity 

Successful applicants will be invited to a pitch day, giving them a chance to meet the BAE Systems SME panel and pitch their project plan, followed by a Q&amp;A. After the pitch day, a final funding decision will be made by the challenge holder. For unsuccessful applicants, feedback will be given in a timely manner.&nbsp;

Invitation to pitch 

Launch of the Competition: 12th August&nbsp; Deadline for applications: 12th September&nbsp; Selection and notification of finalists: 7th October&nbsp; Date of Pitch Day: 18th October (online)&nbsp; Pitch outcome communicated: 23rd October&nbsp; Populate project into Innovation Funding Service (IFS): by 11 am on 6th November&nbsp; Project start date: 1st Feb 2025&nbsp; Project end date: 30th April 2025&nbsp;

Timescales 

The application form for this challenge will require applicants to provide company information and answer 3 questions - Idea Summary, Technology Readiness and Intellectual Property &ndash; each with a limit of 300 words.
Additionally, the following documents must be attached for your application to be considered: &nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Project plan &nbsp;</li>
<li>Project costings</li>
</ul>
Optionally, supporting documents can be attached to the application. We recommend that supporting documents are limited to those which are directly relevant to the application. Please note that applications with no supporting document will not receive any penalty in assessment. &nbsp; Supporting documents which the Assessment Panel deems to be superfluous may be disregarded. Examples of useful additional documents include product images or short specification sheets, slide decks detailing the solution and/or company background, or solution case studies.
We recommend that you complete the application form in Google Chrome as other browsers may have compatibility issues. The application form does not need to be completed in one session and can be saved for future edits. Please ensure that you toggle &ldquo;Stage Complete&rdquo; for each section before submission. Note that you will no longer be able to edit your application once you have clicked &ldquo;Submit Idea&rdquo; at the bottom of the Summary page.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Application & Technical Guidance 

Entrants to this competition must be: &nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)</li>
</ul>
Your project must:
<ul>
<li>Have a grant funding request up to &pound;25,000</li>
<li>Last up to 3 months</li>
<li>Carry out its project work in the UK</li>
<li>Intend to exploit the results from or in the UK</li>
</ul>
Applications will be assessed on: &nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Relevance to the defined challenge</li>
<li>Benefit of implementation &nbsp;</li>
<li>Feasibility/economic viability &nbsp;</li>
<li>Innovative nature</li>
<li>Ability to launch in line with expected timescales</li>
<li>Credibility of applicant company</li>
<li>Coherence of the proposed business model &nbsp;</li>
<li>Development potential &nbsp;</li>
<li>Maturity of the solution &nbsp;</li>
<li>Suitability for the intended geographic market</li>
<li>Project plan &nbsp;</li>
<li>Project costs</li>
</ul>
Minimal Financial Assistance:&nbsp; Grant funding in this competition is awarded as Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA). This allows public bodies to award up to &pound;315,000 to an enterprise in a 3-year rolling financial period. If your application is successful and you are invited to apply for grant funding you will be asked to declare previous funding received by you. This will form part of the financial checks ahead of Innovate UK making a formal grant offer.&nbsp;

Eligibility & Assessment Criteria 

Appropriate IP terms will be agreed between the solution provider(s) and the challenge holder.&nbsp;
Any commercial deployment of a transferred solution or newly developed solution, whether through licensing, joint venture, partnership, or direct investment, will be subject to the commercial agreement between the solution provider(s) and challenge holder.&nbsp;
Where necessary, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) may be signed to uphold confidentiality in the engagement between the solution provider(s) and challenge holder. This is likely to be after final company selection. All entries are treated as confidential and only shared with &nbsp; Innovate UK and the challenge holder, however, if the innovator is concerned about sharing IP, it is suggested that details of IP are not disclosed. Instead, focus on the outcomes of the technology proposed at this application stage. &nbsp;
Innovate UK and Innovate UK Business Connect do not take any share of IP ownership or enter commercial ventures through the iX programme.&nbsp;

IP & Potential Commercial Route 

A selected panel of assessors will review and score your application. The panel of assessors will meet and agree a consensus score. Successful solutions will be selected by the Challenge holder. Success will be based on total consensus scores, a portfolio approach and the capacity of the challenge holders to carry out the projects. &nbsp;
The successful applicant will be invited to complete their project details within Innovate UK&rsquo;s Innovation Funding Service within a specified timeframe in order to progress to the Grant Offer Letter. Grants will be subject to Innovate UK&rsquo;s terms and conditions which can be found <a href="https://www.ukri.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IUK-15022023-Terms-and-conditions-of-an-Innovate-UK-Grant-Award-Jan-2023-FINAL-with-Header.pdf">here</a>.
Successful applicants will need to be in a position to upload the following documents to IFS once &nbsp;notified.&nbsp; Project plan&nbsp; Project costing&nbsp; Minimal Financial Assistance (and de minimis where applicable) declaration (details can be found <a href="https://www.ukri.org/councils/innovate-uk/guidance-for-applicants/general-guidance/funding-rules/">here</a>)&nbsp;

Terms & Conditions 

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Innovation in Functionally Graded Materials

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Opportunity

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Background

This challenge is brought to you by:

Innovation in Functionally Graded Materials