The UK Government is inviting organisations to participate in an annual £150m competition with ideas and proposals related to aerospace design and manufacture.

Key priority areas of the competition include enhancing whole aircraft design and system integration, aerostructures, advanced systems and development of efficient propulsion technologies such as large turbofans.

The competition is part of the UK Aerospace Research and Technology (UKART) programme, which is designed to maintain and improve the country’s position in civil aerospace.

UKART represents a joint investment of £3.9bn by the government and industry to foster innovation in UK civil aerospace.

“Organisations participating in the event are required to sign up to the ATI framework agreement.”

The UK aerospace industry employs more than 360,000 people. Companies operating in the country include Boeing, Rolls-Royce and Airbus.

The competition offers an opportunity for UK-based business, academic organisations, and research and technology groups to assume the role of the project lead.

As part of the competition, organisations are required to submit expressions of interest from 3 to 22 May.

The government will then screen the projects and invite the organisations with the best proposals to apply for grant funding.

Through the competition, the government aims to secure the UK’s position in large, complex aviation structures, particularly wings, and future-proof smart, connected and electric aircraft.

The funding would be made available for industrial research or capital investment projects.

In accordance with regulations, businesses can obtain a maximum of 50% grant funding.

Organisations participating in the event are required to sign up to the ATI framework agreement.

UKART is coordinated and managed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Innovate UK and the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI).

The competition comprises four stages and the whole process is expected to take at least six months.