FOI release

FOI2022/00138: Smart Grant Award

This request was refused in full, so we didn't provide the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.

Case reference FOI2022/00138

Published 20 June 2022

Request

Request Received: 11 April 2022

I wish to know whether a specific company has been awarded a smart grant and if they have how much funding they have received. The project title, description and duration of project if awarded. I also wish to know which partners/subcontractors are involved in the project if any.

I understand they have applied for an Innovative UK Smart Grant: October 2021. Competition opened 7 October 2021 & closed 13 January 2022.

The company details are as follows:

[Redacted]

Response

Response Sent: 28 April 2022

I can neither confirm nor deny whether UK Research and Innovate (UKRI) holds the information you have requested.

Section 41(1) provides that information is exempt from disclosure if such disclosure would constitute an actionable breach of confidence. Section 41(2) provides an exclusion from the duty placed on a public authority such as UKRI to confirm or deny the existence of the information if the act of confirming or denying would itself result in an actionable breach of confidence. We believe that is the case in regard to your request.

To explain further, Innovate UK's (IUK) guidance states that if applications are successful that their information will be published. It is therefore implied that all organisations can confidently apply to IUK and information relating to their application will be kept confidential unless they are successful.

To confirm that an application has been received, but not funded, would be an actionable breach of this confidence. To confirm that an application has not been received would make it possible to determine if an unsuccessful application is submitted in the future.

The terms of the exemption in the FOIA mean that UKRI do not have to consider whether or not it would be in the public interest for us to reveal whether or not the information is held.

The fact section 41 of the FOIA has been cited should not be taken as an indication that the information you requested is or is not held by UKRI.

Documents

This is UK Research and Innovation's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.

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