The AT2030 Frontiers seed funding programme for inclusive innovation is part of a collaboration between the Royal Academy of Engineering and GDI Hub's AT2030 Programme. AT2030 is funded by UK International Development.
This call aims to seed ecosystems of belonging and interdependence that emphasise inclusive innovation as a transformational process. We invite collaborations established within the AT2030 Frontiers Symposium in Kathmandu to co-create solutions that address real-world challenges, aligning with the overarching AT2030 research question: “What works to improve access to AT for the people who need it around the world?”
Key information
- Award value: up to £20,000.
- Deadline: 28 October, 4.00pm (BST).
- Projects must start on 3 December 2025.
- Projects must be no longer than 12 months and finish on or before 3 December 2026.
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The lead applicant must provide a letter (declaration) from an organisation confirming that the application is acceptable in principle to the lead organisation/ research institution/ university and has received all internal authorisations. Please see the details and mandatory text in the application guidance on page 14.
- See the guidance notes in the grants system for details on eligibility.
The funding could support, but is not limited to, the following activities:
- Projects exploring agentic technologies, interdependence in AT design, or other inclusive innovation themes such as local manufacturing, voice technologies, and community-led approaches.
- Gaining preliminary data for a new project between two or more Frontiers symposium participants, or developing a further consortium or workshop.
- Participatory projects that involve people with disabilities in research, for example in the design of products and services, or to better understand barriers to adoption in specific settings
- Collaborations to develop new AT technologies or adapt existing technologies for new contexts or communities
- Research consortia that aim to present papers that contribute to AT2030 questions at relevant academic conferences or peer-reviewed conference presentations.
- Developing a prototype or exploring a new partnership between two or more symposium participants.
Eligibility criteria – who can apply for funding?
- The team must include at least two members (including the lead applicant) who attended the Symposium in October 2025.
- The lead applicant must be based in an AT2030 target country or another Low- or Middle-income country (LMIC) listed below. At least one team member must be based in an AT2030 country.
- Once the eligibility criteria above are met, the team may include people from other countries (including India). However, please note that staff costs cannot be covered for those based outside of AT2030 or eligible LMICs. Preference is given to teams with good representation of AT2030 priority countries.
- The lead applicant must be affiliated with an organisation in an AT2030 country or eligible LMIC that can administer the grant funding.
- The team should be a newly formed and must not have worked on the proposed project together before.
- The project must be interdisciplinary, pilot-stage and challenge-based.
- Projects must demonstrate how they will measure success beyond technical delivery, such as by fostering inclusion, belonging, interdependence, or community-led innovation.
- Projects must not harm, and should ideally promote, gender equality and equity for people with disabilities. Applicants must present a robust plan to ensure inclusion in project design, delivery, and evaluation.
The AT2030 priority countries are:
Africa: Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe.
Asia: Indonesia, South Asia (excluding India)
In addition, the following ODA-recipient LMIC countries are eligible:
Africa: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia
Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Iran, Jordan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Rest of the world: Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Haiti, Honduras, Kiribati, Micronesia, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uruguay, Ukraine, Vanuatu
Project budget
Projects may be awarded up to £20,000 per award. The total project budget may exceed the maximum funding participants can request under this scheme. Participating institutions or other sources must cover additional costs. If this is the case, the contribution of each institution/source should be stated.
Eligible expenses include the following:
- Staff costs for lead applicants, co-applicants and collaborators.
- Directly incurred staff costs for lead applicants, co-applicants and collaborators based in AT2030 countries or ODA-eligible LMICs, as listed above. (please note, team members based elsewhere can be involved, but their staff costs cannot be covered).
- Small stipends of up to 5% of the total grant, to enable the participation of local community groups, indigenous people, women, young people etc. This is not to cover costs for team members (to be covered in staff costs).
- Travel and subsistence for all team members at the normal rates applied at the host institution/s. All other costs should be the best value option.
- Consumables, including project-specific costs of small equipment, computer software licenses or publication costs.
- All equipment purchases must be itemised with a statement of how equipment will be used. If any equipment has an individual value of more than £2,000 you must include additional details and justification.
- ‘Other costs’, which include conferences and seminar fees.
- Necessary service provisions related to the project, such as translation or IT services.
- The host institution(s) can include up to 10% of the grant as a contribution to project management, administrative and other running costs. The award funds can be dispersed to different project partners as appropriate for the project activities.
The following costs are not eligible:
- Funding activities outside of the project objectives and scope.
- Funding activities outside of the project objectives, or that are contrary to the values and objectives of the Royal Academy of Engineering or AT2030.
- Loans, further grants or revolving funds.
- Infrastructure, buildings, large physical assets and vehicles over the value of £2,000 without proper justification. Facilities, such as air conditioning units, office buildings, furniture, etc.
- Staff costs for those based outside of the AT2030 countries or the ODA-eligible countries listed on pages 5 and 6.
- Indirect costs or overheads related to staff costs.