The National Positioning, Navigation and Timing Office (NPNTO) and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) is utilising open innovation to develop novel precision timing components. 
 Selected solution providers will be eligible for a share of up to £3.5M to develop their Proof-of-Concept solution over a maximum 12-month period.  


The challenge holder is the National Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Office within BIST. The UK is home to leading expertise in areas including timing, telecommunications, sensing, navigation and quantum technologies, providing a strong foundation for the development of next-generation PNT solutions. As demand grows for more resilient and assured PNT capabilities across critical infrastructure, transport, telecommunications, defence and other sectors, there is an opportunity for UK innovators to develop products and services that address emerging user needs and compete in growing domestic and international markets.
Through this competition, BIST aims to support the development and demonstration of innovative PNT solutions with the potential for future commercial adoption. The programme is intended to help organisations mature promising technologies, engage with potential users, and explore pathways to market, while contributing to the growth of a vibrant and internationally competitive UK PNT ecosystem.

Challenge Holder 

Optical Time and Frequency Transfer systems enable highly stable timing and frequency references to be distributed over fibre networks while preserving the accuracy of the originating clock. ELSTAB-style technologies actively compensate for changes in fibre delay caused by effects such as temperature variation, chromatic dispersion, and physical disturbances, allowing timing signals derived from atomic clocks to be shared between geographically separated locations with exceptionally low uncertainty.
We are seeking innovative solutions capable of distributing ultra-stable time and frequency signals over optical fibre networks while compensating for transmission-induced errors. The capability should support the transfer of highly accurate timing references between locations separated by significant distances and maintain performance at picosecond-level accuracy. Solutions may support applications including national timing infrastructure, scientific facilities, telecommunications networks and other systems requiring resilient access to precise timing services.
Should your application be successful, the following outcomes will need to be demonstrated:
<ul>
<li>TRL 5/6 at the end of the Proof-of-Concept phase.</li>
<li>Proof-of-Concept phase should be no more than 12 months.</li>
<li>Post Proof-of-Concept, solutions should be deployable for field testing.</li>
</ul>
The solution provider will be eligible to apply for a share of up to &pound;3.5m to develop the proposed solution towards meeting this challenge. The funding will cover a 12-month project.

The Challenge 

Whilst it is recognised that applying into this iX, you may not meet the below criteria. It is expected that any successful applicant would be required to work towards the below.
<ul>
<li>The solution must be compliant with all relevant Safety Directives and Standard and shall be UKCA/ CE marked before being released to market.</li>
<li>All innovation partners must have Cyber Essentials and ISO 27001 certifications or develop plans to be on a road map to achieving.</li>
<li>All innovation partners must have ISO 9001 certification or develop plans to be on a road map to achieving.</li>
<li>The solution must be supported by Reliability and Maintainability data.</li>
<li>The solution should have a Life Expectancy of no less than 10 years in full-time operation.</li>
</ul>

Functional Requirement

Technical Requirements

The solution must not:
<ul>
<li>Have Bluetooth/ Wi-Fi capability or any other remote connectivity function.</li>
</ul>

Out of Scope

ROM Estimate initial annual demand range of 6 to 8 paired units.
Selected solution providers will be eligible for a share of up to &pound;3.5M to develop a minimum viable product over a period of no more than 12-months.

Cost Requirement

The immediate opportunity is to be eligible to bid into a pot of &pound;3.5 million Proof-of-Concept funding via Innovate UK Contract for Innovation. This competition will launch in November 2026. We envisage a subset of these proofs of concept will be taken through to the next stages which will be an initial trial and integration test into a final development / productization stage. Our intention is to purchase a number of these products directly in 2029/30.
Successful applicants will be given an opportunity to pitch to HMG and their government partners. The winning applicant, as selected by HMG, will then be eligible to apply for a share of up to &pound;3.5m funding to kickstart the development of the proposed solution through a 12-month project. Selected solutions will be trialled by HMG government partners with potential for further adoption if trials are successful.

Rewards and Market Opportunity

<ul>
<li>Challenge launch:Mon 10 Aug 2026</li>
<li>Deadline for applications:Fri 18 Sept 2026 at 1700hrs</li>
<li>Selection and notification of finalists:w/c 28 Sept 2026</li>
<li>Pitch Day:Wed 14 Oct 2026</li>
<li>Confirm selected solution provider:By Fri 23 Oct 2026</li>
<li>Submission to Innovation Funding Service (IFS):Wednesday 2nd December 2026</li>
<li>Project length:No longer than 12-months</li>
</ul>
If you have a question relating to this challenge, please email Hazel.biggs@iukbc.org.uk

Timescales 

Entrants to this competition must be:
<ul>
<li>Established businesses, academic institutions, start-ups, SMEs, RTOs or individual entrepreneurs.</li>
<li>you must be UK based.</li>
</ul>
Your project must:
<ul>
<li>Provide a rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost financial breakdown for expected development activities. Note: Project costings &ndash; only eligible costs will be funded, please read the Innovate UK Costs guidance for further information</li>
<li>Start on Monday 1st March 2027 and complete by Wednesday 1st March 2028.</li>
<li>Carry out all project work in the UK.</li>
<li>Intend to exploit the project outcomes from or within the UK.</li>
</ul>
Applications will be assessed on:
<ul>
<li>Relevance to the defined challenge</li>
<li>Benefit of implementation</li>
<li>Feasibility/economic viability</li>
<li>Innovative nature</li>
<li>Ability to launch in line with expected timescales</li>
<li>Credibility of applicant company/organisation</li>
<li>Coherence of the proposed business model</li>
<li>Development potential</li>
<li>Maturity of the solution</li>
<li>Suitability for the intended geographic market</li>
</ul>
If successful through this iX process, you will be invited to apply for a share of up to &pound;3.5M funding administered through the Innovate UK Innovation Funding Service (IFS). Applicants will need to upload the following documents to IFS once notified:
<ul>
<li>Project plan.</li>
<li>Project costing.</li>
</ul>

Eligibility and Assessment Criteria 

The competition is structured to encourage the development of commercially sustainable PNT capabilities, products and services. Under standard Innovate UK Contracts for Innovation terms, suppliers would retain ownership of foreground IP, enabling them to pursue wider commercial opportunities in UK and international markets, while government retains rights to use the outputs generated through the project. This model supports the growth of a resilient UK supplier base, incentivises private investment and market adoption, and provides a route for successful solutions to transition from R&amp;D into operational deployment across government and critical national infrastructure.

IP and Potential Commercial Route 

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:
<ul>
<li>Project plan including a rough order of magnitude (ROM) for development activities over a period of no longer than 12-months</li>
<li>Project costings &ndash; only eligible costs will be funded, please read the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ukri.org/councils/innovate-uk/guidance-for-applicants/costs-we-fund/">Innovate UK Costs </a>guidance for further information</li>
</ul>
Documents supported by the iX platform are Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
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.
Once you have clicked &lsquo;submit idea&rsquo; you will no longer be able to amend the application.

Application and Technical Guidance 

By submitting an application to this Innovation Exchange (iX) challenge, you acknowledge and agree that the information you provide will be shared with Innovate UK Business Connect and the challenge holder for the purposes of assessment and selection.Information provided by applicants will be shared with HMG, IUK and Technical experts at NPL.
All information submitted will be handled in confidence and shared only with those involved in the assessment and selection process under appropriate confidentiality expectations.
Please consider the level of detail you share in your submission to ensure it aligns with your own internal confidentiality or disclosure policies.
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 upon total consensus scores, a portfolio approach and capacity within the challenge holder&rsquo;s organisation to carry out the projects.
For more information on how Innovate UK Business Connect handles personal data, please refer to our&nbsp;<a href="https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/privacy-policy/" target="_new">Privacy Policy</a>.
Information provided by applicants will be shared with HMG, IUK and Technical experts at<a>NPL. See relevant Data Policy links below.</a>
<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-science-innovation-and-technology/about/personal-information-charter">Personal information charter - Department for Science, Innovation and Technology - GOV.UK</a>
<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence/about/personal-information-charter">Personal information charter - Ministry of Defence - GOV.UK</a>
<a href="https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&amp;&amp;p=c5cd5c8eb00419a3617334d9c327fca99610d8cfa0e29792a6e17ff6e7040faaJmltdHM9MTc4NTI4MzIwMA&amp;ptn=3&amp;ver=2&amp;hsh=4&amp;fclid=331c53b1-949f-6065-37a3-44109538610a&amp;psq=npl+privacy+policy&amp;u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnBsLmNvLnVrL3ByaXZhY3ktbm90aWNl">Privacy notice - NPL</a>

Distributing ultra-stable time and frequency over optical networks.

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This challenge is brought to you by:

Distributing ultra-stable time and frequency over optical networks.