TEDI INNOVATION FUND

Funding Big Ideas for Real Impact

We're funding projects that help people with dementia use technology to live more independently.

About TEDI Innovation Fund

We are offering funding of up to £100,000 to support projects that help people with dementia to live more independently.

We are looking for projects that align with one or more of our four technology domains: Inequity, Independence, Innovation, and Integration. You can find out more about TEDI’s guiding principles, and what each of these means in practice on our About page.

We encourage anyone with lived experience of dementia, researchers, businesses, charities, or policy-makers to submit an Expression of Interest and take part in our project matchmaking - to help you join a team and submit an application.

This funding is part of a wider research investment supported by EPSRC, Alzheimer's Society, and NIHR, designed to meaningfully impact the future of living with dementia through innovation.

Projects will be funded at 80% of Full Economic Cost (FEC), in line with UKRI guidance, and run over 12 months.

What sort of projects are we looking for?

  • Projects which develop, or test, technologies that support the independence of people living with dementia. For example - but not limited to:

    • Digital education courses

    • Apps

    • Data-sharing processes

    • Mobility tools

    • Community programmes

  • Projects which are meaningfully co-produced with people with lived experience of dementia.

  • Achievable within 12 months and the funding available

  • Aligned with one of our four core themes

We favour applications which:

  • Address inequalities experienced by people living with dementia from under-served communities

  • Enhance the lives of people living with dementia in the North East of England and North Cumbria

Who can apply?

We want to hear from anyone with an idea — whatever your background.

Whether you have lived experience of dementia, work in a community or voluntary organisation, run a business, work in policy, or are a researcher — your perspective matters and you are welcome to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI).

You don't need to have a full team in place to get involved. Our matchmaking process is designed to connect people with complementary ideas and skills. Get in touch or submit an EOI, and we'll help you find the right partners.

Who does a team need to include?

To submit a full application, your team should include:

  • People with lived experience of dementia — as partners and co-designers, not just participants

  • Community or voluntary sector partners

  • Technology developers or innovators

  • An academic lead who meets UKRI eligibility criteria (see below)

Collaborators from the NHS, industry, community organisations, or the third sector are welcome — even if they are not eligible for UKRI funding in their own right. Their costs can be included via subcontracting through the lead institution.

Academic lead eligibility

Every application must be led by an academic who is:

  • An employee (lecturer or equivalent) at a UK higher education institution or eligible UK research organisation

  • Resident in the UK

  • Eligible to apply for EPSRC grant funding

Check if you are eligible on the UKRI website →

Application Stages

  • These short talks give you an overview of the fund, help you think through your idea, and connect with others working on similar ideas or in similar areas.

    Attend in person or online: Kick-Off Talks are running now and can be booked over the coming months. Email us to request one. TEDI@northumbria.ac.uk

    Can't make a live session? A short online version will be made available to watch any time. It covers the same ground in around 15 minutes and is a good starting point before exploring our other resources.

  • An Expression of Interest — or EOI — is a quick, informal way to tell us about your idea before you submit a full application.

    You don't have to submit one to apply — but we'd love to hear from you early. It only takes a few minutes, and it means we can connect you with others who are working on similar ideas through our matchmaking process.

    We just need to know:

    • Your name and contact details

    • A sentence or two about your project idea

    The easiest way: Complete the short form on this page ↓ scroll to form

    Prefer to email? That works too — just send us the above information to TEDI@northumbria.ac.uk with the subject line: EOI & Your Name.

    EOIs are open now and accepted until 29th May 2026.

  • Matchmaking is how we help people find the right collaborators.

    After the EOI deadline, we'll look at everyone who has submitted an idea and connect people who are working in similar areas. This might mean introducing you to a researcher, a community group, a policy maker, or a company — whoever might be the right fit for your project.

    We'll start with a simple email introduction. If it would help, we can also set up a meeting.

    From there, you can choose to form a team and apply together.

    This step is optional — but we think it's especially valuable if you've never worked on a research project before. You don't need to arrive with a ready-made team. That's what matchmaking is for.

    To ask about matchmaking or request an introduction, email us at TEDI@northumbria.ac.uk.

  • To help you write the strongest application possible, we will make training materials available:

    • Kick Off webinar recording giving an overview of TEDI, the innovation fund, and the application process.

    • Application Guidance covering each section of the application form including a worked example, showing what a strong application looks like

    • Budget guidance, explaining project management approaches to support your project, and explaining what costs are eligible and how to calculate 80% FEC

    • Co-Production, expaining collaborative approaches in person-centred design, and introducing workable methods for your team to embed person-centredness in your study design in line with TEDI’s mission.

  • Download our application form, complete it in your own time, and email it to us when you are ready.

    [Application form not yet available]

    The form covers:

    • Your team and expertise

    • Your aims and objectives

    • How your project will be co-produced

    • Your budget with justification

    • A plain English case for support (maximum 2 pages)

    • Your project timeline

    • How your project connects to TEDI themes and guiding principles

    Send your completed form to TEDI@northumbria.ac.uk by 7th August 2026, 5pm

Expression of Interest (EOI)

Share your idea

Have a project in mind? Tell us about it. Submitting an expression of interest is free, takes just a few minutes, and helps us connect you with the right people through our matchmaking process.

EOI submissions will close on 29th May.

What makes a strong application?

Our assessment panels will score each application across five areas:

Study Design, Feasibility and Value for Money (30%)

Clarity and relevance of aims, aligned with an identified need. Appropriateness and rigour of methods. Feasibility within proposed timeframe and resources. Clear evaluation plan. Budget is justified, proportionate, and aligned with project activities. Evidence of access to required populations, settings, or data. Identification and mitigation of key risks.

Co-production and TEDI Alignment (25%)

Meaningful integration of lived experience across all stages of the project. Clear roles, equitable collaboration, and realistic co-production plans. Alignment with TEDI mission to support independence at home. Strong justification for relevance to TEDI priorities.

Equity and Inclusion (20%)

Consideration of diverse and under-served populations, particularly those relevant to North East and Cumbria. Evidence of an intersectional approach (e.g., socioeconomic status, geography, digital access). Strategies to address accessibility and digital exclusion. Plans to ensure inclusivity in design, recruitment, and implementation.

Impact and Translation (15%)

Clear pathway to impact for people living with dementia. Potential for real-world implementation or scalability. Consideration of sustainability and future development. Potential for follow-on funding or integration into care pathways.

Team Capability (10%)

Appropriateness of team expertise and roles.

Key dates

29th May Expression of Interest deadline

April - May Application development resources available online

12th June Matchmaking notification made to teams

7th August Application deadline

8th September Review panel

14th September Lived experience panel

25th September Decisions communicated to applicants

January 2027 Projects begin

December 2027 Projects end

Get in touch

If you have a question about the fund, are looking for collaborators, or want to find out more before applying, please get in touch.

TEDI@northumbria.ac.uk

  • Absolutely — and we want to hear from you. You do not need to be a researcher or have a project idea to submit an expression of interest. If you want to get involved in shaping a project, tell us a little about yourself and we will do our best to connect you with a team.

  • No. You can submit an expression of interest on your own and use our matchmaking process to find collaborators. The earlier you get in touch, the more time we have to help connect you with the right people.

  • Community organisations, charities, and voluntary sector partners are warmly encouraged to get involved — but the lead applicant must be an academic employee at an eligible UK institution. If you are from a community organisation and want to find a research partner to lead an application, get in touch and we can help make introductions.

  • No — the fund is open to projects from across the UK. However, we will give special consideration to projects that benefit people living with dementia in the North East of England and North Cumbria.

  • Co-production means that people with lived experience of dementia are genuine partners in shaping the project — not just consulted or recruited as participants. This includes being involved in the design, delivery, and evaluation of the work. It is one of our most important assessment criteria. We will be sharing resources to help you think through what this means in practice. [Link to Person-Centred practice resource → coming soon]

  • We are open to a wide range of digital technologies — from apps and wearables to smart home devices, assistive tools, and data platforms. The key question is whether it has the potential to support independence for people living with dementia in their own homes.

  • Yes. The £100,000 figure is a maximum. We welcome applications for smaller amounts, and your budget should be proportionate to what you are actually doing.

  • FEC stands for Full Economic Cost — a standard way of calculating the true cost of a research project, including staff time, overheads, and other expenses. UKRI funds projects at 80% of FEC, which means your institution contributes the remaining 20%. Our budget guidance explains this in more detail. [Link to UKRI explaination of FEC]

  • Yes, but each application must be for a distinct project with its own team and aims.

  • All applications go through a two-stage review process designed to bring together expert knowledge and the perspectives of people living with dementia.

    In the first stage, a review panel of experts will independently score every application against our five assessment criteria before the panel meets. The panel brings together expertise spanning primary care, digital technology, social science, design, community and voluntary sector practice, and dementia research. Panel members will declare any conflicts of interest and will not score applications where a conflict exists.

    In the second stage, a shortlist of the strongest applications will be reviewed by a lived experience panel — a small group of people living with dementia, recruited from community groups across the North East and North Cumbria. This is a closely facilitated half-day session, and the lived experience panel will have the final say in which projects are funded. Their feedback is mapped directly to the assessment criteria.

  • We aim to communicate decisions to all applicants by 25th September 2026. All applicants will feedback on their application regardless of outcome.