The Government innovation agency Innovate UK is providing up to £7.5 million funding in research and development projects and feasibility studies to develop data sets which can transform local services in towns and cities.

Businesses and academia will work together on a specific urban challenge in areas such as water, built environment, energy and  transport.

The aim is to improve existing services or to develop new ones, by combining environmental, social or economic data with other information.

Projects must be collaborative and business-led and include a likely end-user and a small business as consortium partners.

The competition opens for applications on 8 December 2014. It is being co-funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

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