Contracts for Innovation: DSbD Advancing CHERI RISC-V Devices

This is a Contracts for Innovation competition funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The aim of the competition is to fund activities in maturing and growing the availability of commercial off-the-shelf implementations of CHERI (Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions) enabled devices for embedded computing. This competition has a single phase, two-stage process. The decision to proceed to stage 2 depends on successful delivery of milestones in stage 1 and budget availability. The funding is up to £3 million for stage 1 and up to £7 million for stage 2, but not all projects may be funded. Any adoption of solutions from this competition will be subject to a separate procurement process; this competition does not cover purchasing solutions. Applicant Organisations Must: have an existing microcontroller or microprocessor system-on-chip device they want to modify to be a CHERI-enabled device, or be developing or have developed a CHERI-enabled device and want to broaden its market or accelerate its availability. A CHERI-enabled device is a system-on-chip silicon implementation using the RISC-V architecture with CHERI extensions as per the RISC-V Specification for CHERI Extensions. There is also a parallel competition for developing CHERI tools and software, with £12m funding, closing on 18 June. Project Leadership and Eligibility: Organisations of any size can lead a project. Applicants can work alone or with subcontractors who possess specialist skills. Subcontractors are limited to specialist tasks. Contracts will be awarded to a single legal entity. Most project work and key deliverables must be completed in the UK by the applicant. Multiple applications from the same organisation are allowed. Accessibility and Support: We encourage applications from diverse backgrounds and aim to make the process accessible, including reasonable adjustments for disabilities. Contact us at least 15 working days before the deadline for support. Contact details: email or call 0300 321 4357, Mon-Fri, 9am-12pm and 2pm-5pm UK time. Project Requirements: Start by 1 September 2025. End by 31 March 2028. Duration between 6 and 31 months. Stage 1 costs up to £1.5 million (VAT inclusive). Stage 2 costs between £500,000 and £3.5 million (VAT inclusive). Stage 1 must complete by 31 March 2026. No extensions are possible. All milestones for stage 2 must be completed before 31 March 2028. Applications must include measurable milestones and a minimum of 50% of the contract value attributed to R&D activities. Funding Details: Total funding allocated is up to £10 million (VAT inclusive), with £3 million for stage 1 and £7 million for stage 2. Projects will be selected based on relevance and scope, with a focus on projects relevant to CNI deployment. Funding Conditions and Risk Management: The continuation of funding is subject to a review in March 2026, with a 3-month notice period if funding is terminated. Projects that do not meet stage 1 milestones will receive a 30-day notice. Projects must be designed to deliver tangible results by March 2026 in case of funding termination. If milestones are met, projects may proceed to stage 2. Project Focus and Market Approach: The competition aims to accelerate the availability of off-the-shelf CHERI devices, supported by specific use cases and customer validation. Outputs should support broader adoption by industry and developers, with a credible route to market. Portfolio Approach and Prioritization: Funding will be awarded across diverse projects, with a focus on relevance to CNI deployment. Additional Resources: An online briefing event was held on 20 May. Slides are available for download. For assistance in finding partners, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Electronics and Computing team. Find out more and apply. #J-18808-Ljbffr