CivTech is a unique opportunity to accelerate your business while getting paid to build a much-needed new product
The Scottish Government and broader 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 current Challenges, find one you think you can solve, fill out a simple application form describing your idea, and submit it.
5.
One or more applicants are selected to join a fifteen-week Accelerator, where you’ll be paid £40,000 to build a Minimum Viable Product and helped to 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 to take 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 and get help to refine your proposal.
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 updated proposal back to us at a second online interview.
Our process lets you join forces with the people who live and breath the problem, and build the perfect solution in a truly collaborative way.
🎬 Watch Andrzej and Hannah talk about they worked closely together to fix nursery and school admissions in West Lothian