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Rural Connected Communities Project

Rural Connected Communities Project

£30m to spark rollout of next generation 5G in rural areas and help countryside capitalise on tech revolution

Full details via DCMS

Rural Connected Communities Project

February 20th 2020

Competition Winners Announced

Competition Summary

The Rural Connected Communities (RCC) competition will fund up to 10 5G research and development projects to run over the course of two years.

These projects will trial innovative use cases and technical solutions to build the business case for investment in rural connectivity and explore the capabilities of 5G to benefit rural communities. They will also help demonstrate demand from a variety of economic sectors and rural communities for 5G technologies.

Connectivity applications are expected to show a combination of societal and economic benefits that will together create a stronger case for investing in the deployment of 5G infrastructure for rural areas.

This​ ​competition​​ ​is​ ​open​ ​to​ applications from consortia​ ​from​ ​across​ ​the​ ​UK. Consortia are likely to consist of a mixture of organisations including the public, private and third sectors, and academia.

Q&A

DCMS has consolidated this Q&A document based on real-world enquiries related to the Rural Connected Communities funding competition. 

Application

If you’re interested in applying for the RCC competition, you can sign up to the UK5G RCC collaboration platform to connect with other organisations which are interested in forming a consortium. We will also be holding a Competition Briefing Event in Leeds on 12 September which will encourage networking and clarify the competition scope and application process.

Competition Timeline

Date Task
27 August 2019 Competition Opens
12 September 2019 Briefing Event
27 September 2019 Clarification Questions Receipt Deadline
Midday 25 October 2019 Competition Closes
14 November 2019 Shortlist Applicants Notified
25 November - 6 December 2019 Shortlisted Applicants Interviewed
December 2019 Successful Applicants Notified
From 1 January 2020 until 31 March 2022 Grant Claim Period

Funding


The 5GTT Programme is making available funding for this competition, subject to the outcome of the upcoming Government Spending Review. Funding will come from the National Productivity Investment Fund, via the £200 million allocated to the 5GTT Programme.

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