CivTech is a unique opportunity to accelerate your business while getting paid to build a much-needed new product
The Scottish Government and wider public sector are hungry for solutions to real problems they’re facing right now — to provide better services, be more efficient, and make sure everyone benefits from new technologies.
At CivTech, we root out these problems, help turn them into Open Challenges, then fund anyone with a brilliant idea to build a solution.
If you’re looking for a genuine problem to solve, this is a fantastic opportunity build a new product quickly, hand-in-hand with a real, world-class customer. You’ll keep your intellectual property to commercialise more widely, and we don’t take any equity.
🎬 Watch James, who took part in CivTech in 2024, talk about his motivation and experiences.
How it works
1.
Browse our Challenges during the open call period. Find one you think you can solve, fill out a simple application form describing your idea, and submit it before the deadline.
5.
One or more applicants are selected to join a fifteen-week Accelerator, where you’ll be paid £40,000 +VAT to build a Minimum Viable Product and develop a robust commercial model.
2.
We assess all the written proposals, and invite the best for an online interview with a panel of experts, who’ll decide which are worth taking forward.
6.
Pitch your MVP and plans to a public audience at Demo Day.
3.
Three applicants per Challenge are invited to join a three-week Exploration Stage, where you’ll be paid £5,000 +VAT and get help to develop your idea.
7.
If you and your Challenge Sponsor want to develop the solution into a fully-fledged product, you can apply for further CivTech funding, which could be between £350k and £1.3m.
4.
At the end of the Exploration Stage, we’ll ask you to pitch your refined proposal back to us at a second online interview.