About

Innovate UK invites proposals to develop innovative solutions that enable earlier, fairer, and more reliable identification of special educational needs (SEN) among children and young people across the United Kingdom. The competition seeks projects that strengthen assessment quality, reduce inconsistencies across local authorities, and provide scalable approaches for integration into education systems. Priority areas include tools for frontline services, innovations that identify needs before formal schooling, and methods leveraging health data with clear links to educational outcomes. Projects may explore the predictive value of prematurity indicators, early speech and language assessments, or other promising approaches that can be refined and tested for large-scale adoption.

Phase 1 projects may request up to £500,000 (inclusive of VAT) for eligible costs, with a maximum duration of 12 months. Supported activities include developing, testing, and rolling out solutions that demonstrate credible pathways to real-world implementation and measurable impact on SEN identification and assessment practices.

Eligibility

Applicants may be organisations of any size based in the UK, EU, EEA, or internationally. Projects can be led independently or in collaboration with subcontracted expertise from businesses, research organisations, technology centres, or third-sector entities such as charities, social enterprises, and voluntary groups. Proposals will be assessed on their potential to deliver high-quality, scalable innovations that improve SEN identification and educational outcomes, with emphasis on feasibility, impact, and readiness for adoption.