The TEDI Network Plus is offering funding of up to £100,000 to support projects that help people with dementia to live more independently.
We are looking for projects that align with one or more of our four technology domains: Inequity, Independence, Innovation, and Integration. You can find out more about TEDI’s guiding principles, and what each of these means in practice on our About page.
People with dementia are central to this fund — as applicants, as partners, and as reviewers.
We encourage anyone with lived experience of dementia, researchers, businesses, charities, or policy-makers to submit an Expression of Interest and take part in our project matchmaking – to help you join a team and submit an application.
This funding is part of a wider research investment supported by EPSRC, Alzheimer’s Society, and NIHR, designed to meaningfully impact the future of living with dementia through innovation.
Projects will be funded at 80% of Full Economic Cost (FEC), in line with UKRI guidance, and run over 12 months.
What sort of projects are we looking for?
- Projects which develop, or test, technologies that support the independence of people living with dementia. For example – but not limited to:
- Apps
- Mobility tools
- Digital education courses
- Community programms
- Data-sharing processes
- Digital education courses
- Remote monitoring technologies
- Projects which are meaningfully co-produced with people with lived experience of dementia.
- Achievable within 12 months and the funding available
- Aligned with one of our four core themes
We favour applications which:
- Address inequalities experienced by people living with dementia from under-served communities
- Enhance the lives of people living with dementia in the North East of England and North Cumbria
Who can apply?
We want to hear from anyone with an idea — whatever your background.
Whether you have lived experience of dementia, work in a community or voluntary organisation, run a business, work in policy, or are a researcher — your perspective matters and you are welcome to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI).
You don’t need to have a full team in place to get involved. Our matchmaking process is designed to connect people with complementary ideas and skills. Get in touch or submit an EOI, and we’ll help you find the right partners. We welcome expressions of interest from individuals, teams, and organisations. You do not need to be part of a research institution or already connected to a partner organisation to submit an idea — if you have a concept you’d like to develop, we want to hear from you.
There is no cost to apply, and no cost associated with submitting an expression of interest.
If you are living with dementia, or would like support completing your expression of interest for any reason, please get in touch with us directly. We are happy to talk through your idea with you and help you put it into words.
Who can a team include?
To submit a full application, your team may include:
- People with lived experience of dementia — as partners and co-designers, not just participants
- Researchers
- Community or voluntary sector partners
- Technology developers or innovators
- Research
- An academic lead who meets UKRI eligibility criteria (see below)
Collaborators from the NHS, industry, community organisations, or the third sector are welcome — even if they are not eligible for UKRI funding in their own right. Their costs can be included via subcontracting through the lead institution.
Academic lead eligibility
Every application must be led by an academic who is:
- An employee (lecturer or equivalent) at a UK higher education institution or eligible UK research organisation
- Resident in the UK
- Eligible to apply for EPSRC grant funding
Check if you are eligible on the UKRI website →
Application Stages
Attend in person or online: Kick-Off Talks are running now and can be booked over the coming months. Email us to request one. TEDI@northumbria.ac.uk
Can’t make a live session? A short online version will be made available to watch any time. It covers the same ground in around 15 minutes and is a good starting point before exploring our other resources.
You don’t have to submit one to apply — but we’d love to hear from you early. It only takes a few minutes, and it means we can connect you with others who are working on similar ideas through our matchmaking process.
We just need to know:
- Your name and contact details
- A sentence or two about your project idea
The easiest way: Complete the short form on this page ↓ scroll to form
Prefer to email? That works too — just send us the above information to TEDI@northumbria.ac.uk with the subject line: EOI & Your Name.
EOIs are open now and accepted until 29th May 2026.
Matchmaking is how we help people find the right collaborators.
After the EOI deadline, we’ll look at everyone who has submitted an idea and connect people who are working in similar areas. This might mean introducing you to a researcher, a community group, a policy maker, or a company — whoever might be the right fit for your project.
We’ll start with a simple email introduction. If it would help, we can also set up a meeting.
From there, you can choose to form a team and apply together.
This step is optional — but we think it’s especially valuable if you’ve never worked on a research project before. You don’t need to arrive with a ready-made team. That’s what matchmaking is for.
Our matchmaking service works in both directions. If you have an idea but don’t yet have the right partners to develop it, we can help connect you with researchers, designers, technology companies, or community organisations who share your interests.
But matchmaking also works the other way. If you are a researcher or company with a technology concept, we can help connect you with people who have lived experience of dementia — including carers, family members, and people living with dementia themselves — to make sure your idea is grounded in real need and developed with the people it is designed to serve.
To ask about matchmaking or request an introduction, email us at TEDI@northumbria.ac.uk.
- Kick Off webinar recording giving an overview of TEDI, the innovation fund, and the application process.
- Application Guidance covering each section of the application form including a worked example, showing what a strong application looks like
- Budget guidance, explaining project management approaches to support your project, and explaining what costs are eligible and how to calculate 80% FEC
- Co-Production, expaining collaborative approaches in person-centred design, and introducing workable methods for your team to embed person-centredness in your study design in line with TEDI’s mission.
[Application form not yet available]
The form covers:
- Your team and expertise
- Your aims and objectives
- How your project will be co-produced
- Your budget with justification
- A plain English case for support (maximum 2 pages)
- Your project timeline
- How your project connects to TEDI themes and guiding principles
Send your completed form to TEDI@northumbria.ac.uk by 7th August 2026, 5pm
Visit funding web page
(https://www.tedinetworkplus.org/innovation-fund)
