SBRI: The Small Business Research Initiative

The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) uses agile, challenge-based procurement enabling any public sector organisation to work with innovative and creative SMEs and micro businesses, from across Northern Ireland and beyond, to develop innovative solutions and utilise the latest and emerging technologies to solve complex problems. The sbri team at the Strategic Investment Board can provide tailored advice and support including framing your challenge, engaging with the market, procuring solutions and supporting your research and development project at each stage through to deployment.

Current projects include:

• utilising new technologies to address violence against women and girls in public spaces and online;
• exploring how immersive technology can deliver engaging Belfast Stories;
• supporting the Lough Neagh Action Plan to develop solutions to predict, prevent and mitigate blue green algae;
• developing new ways of monitoring energy use and measuring carbon emissions across complex housing and education estates, delivering savings for residents, schools, the NIHE and EA;
• encouraging residents to increase the quantity and quality of household recycling; and
• optimising the capacity management of the sewer network and reducing the costs of sludge treatment.

The programme in numbers:

• £18 million funding allocated to 25 challenges;
• 90 per cent of funding allocated to micro and SMEs;
• more than 80 SMEs and micro businesses working on sbri projects in 2025;
• 54 companies working on proofs of concept; and
• highly competitive: >20 high quality bids for each challenge.

What the public sector gains:

• improved and more cost-effective services;
• opportunities to explore and test new technologies, at low risk, in real world settings; and
• increasing staff skills and knowledge.

“The challenge/competition aspect of the process enabled council to explore three very different solutions to the problem in a ‘risk secure’ environment and in a way that would not have been possible through normal VFM/procurement frameworks.”
Local authority

“Opex and Capex saving on pumping of unwanted water and opening up of constrained catchments to facilitate new building – if we continue developing on the outcomes delivered so far and go further with the innovation, we can fully deliver a smart wastewater network.”
NI Water

“The project has strengthened relationships with suppliers and developers, building skills in collaborative working, project scoping, and solution development in partnership with private sector innovators.”
Local authority

“The public sector and private sector working together at pace has been refreshing.”
DAERA

For more information: E: sbri@sibni.org • W: www.sibni.org/what-we-do/sbri