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£900k grant fund opens to kickstart ideas using technology to improve adult skills for work

Written by Jane Holmes, Head of Grant Programmes, Ufi VocTech Trust
23 Jan 2023
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£900k grant fund opens to kickstart ideas using technology to improve adult skills for work

Ufi have opened their £900k Activate grant fund, supporting the development of new digital tools and approaches with the potential to transform how people gain skills for work. Have an idea for how tech can help people get the skills they need for work? With grants of between £30,000 and £60,000 now is the time to bring your idea to life. Applications are open now and will close at 5pm on the 8th of February 2023.

Ufi’s VocTech Activate grant fund is designed to support the development of early-stage digital tools and approaches with the potential to tackle vocational learning problems and transform how people gain skills for work. Grants of between £30,000 and £60,000 are available for projects lasting from three to 12 months.

Designed specifically to support projects at a relatively early-stage, VocTech Activate provides a supportive environment where the first spark of an idea can be scoped and tested, helping prototype ideas and work out the next steps necessary on the journey to long-term success. We are focused on supporting sectors, locations, skills levels and individuals who are less well served by existing training and tools.

Previously called VocTech Seed, recent recipients of the grant include a gaming application to develop the skills of prosthetic/orthotic support workers; a scenario-based simulator for trainee train drivers, and a VR platform helping carers gain insight into the experiences of people facing mental health problems. You can read more about previous grant recipients here.

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Take a minute to find out if your idea could be eligible

Wondering if your idea might be eligible for a VocTech Activate grant? Our eligibility checker can give you an indication in under two minutes. Our checker can't tell you if an application will be successful, but it will act as an early indicator of whether your project could be eligible for VocTech Activate grant funding.

www.ufi.co.uk/grant-funding/voctech-activate/eligibility-checker 

Join a pre-application workshop

To help prepare your application we run a series of workshops to introduce the fund and help ensure it is right for you. Applicants who attend one of our workshops are much more likely to be successful. Our workshops provide an opportunity to find out more about the scope of this grant call. You will be able to take part in small group discussions with members of the Ufi team to ask any questions you might have.

How to apply

Applications are open now and will close at 5pm on the 8th of February 2023.

To find out more about the grant fund and to secure your place on a pre-application workshop please visit www.ufi.co.uk/activate 

About Ufi VocTech Trust

Ufi champion the power of technology to improve skills for work and deliver better outcomes for all.
We deliver our work through four key workstreams: grant funding, direct investment, Strategic Partnerships and advocacy. We are a registered charity no: 1081028.

You can find out more about our work at www.ufi.co.uk

https://twitter.com/UfiTrust

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ufitrust

 

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