Innovate UK
The UK national innovation agency and the main public funder of business-led R&D. Runs Smart Grants, sector-specific competitions, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and the Eurostars route, with grant intervention rates set by company size and project type.
- Kind of funder
- Research council
- Where it funds
- UK-wide
- Indicative award size
- £25k – £10m
- Approx. annual research spend
- £1.1bn
- Who can apply
- SMEs, Large businesses, Universities, Research institutes
- Career stages
- Any stage
Smart Grants typically £100k–£2m. Match funding required — intervention rates usually 30–70%.
Research areas
Named schemes (34)
Frontier AI: SME Champions, Phase 1 ↗
UK registered SME’s can apply for a share of up to £3.1 million to deliver feasibility studies for frontier artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) technologies with a clear route to defensible scale-up.
Open11 Nov 2026£3.1m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-01ADOPT Facilitator Support Grant: Round 12 ↗
Farming, growing or forestry businesses based in England can apply for a grant of £2,500, to engage an external Project Facilitator to support the development of a Full ADOPT Grant application.
Open11 Nov 2026pulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-05NERC-Innovate UK ICURe Discover programme ↗
Apply for NERC’s ICURe Discover programme. Participants will build market awareness, deepen understanding of potential applications of their research and learn how to gauge customer opinion on their product. This programme is for participants looking to explore the potential of early-stage projects.
Upcoming12 Nov 2026up to £2.5k per awardpulled from UKRI 2026-10-02Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systems ↗
UK registered SME businesses can apply for a share of up to £1.66 million to deliver experimental validation of prototype AI systems for novel reusable components of efficient, structured and controllable learning systems.
Open18 Nov 2026£1.7m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-12MDI Programme Innovation and Scale-up Hub ↗
UK registered eligible organisations can apply for a share of up to £4 million for a Manufacturing Digitalisation Innovation and Scale-up Hub to improve the targeting, quality and commercial impact of grant funded activity.
Open18 Nov 2026£4m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-02Investor Partnerships – Battery Innovation Programme ↗
UK registered SMEs can apply for grant funding alongside private investment from selected investor partners.
Open25 Nov 2026pulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-05Battery Innovation Programme: investor partnerships ↗
UK registered small or medium sized businesses can apply for grant funding alongside private investment from selected investor partners.
Open25 Nov 2026£5m total fundpulled from UKRI 2026-10-08Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund (CKAF) Winter ↗
UK registered government research organisations can apply for grants from £50,000 up to £250,000 to move viable public sector knowledge assets towards commercial readiness. This funding is provided by the Government Office for Technology Transfer (GOTT).
Open1 Dec 2026pulled from Innovate UK 2026-09-19UK-Germany Bilateral Collaborative R&D: Round 5 ↗
UK registered SME’s can apply for a share of up to £2.4 million for the purpose of developing innovative proposals with Germany. You must collaborate with at least one German SME applying under the equivalent German ZIM programme.
Open1 Dec 2026£2.4m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-09-28Germany Bilateral Collaborative R&D: round 5 ↗
UK registered SME’s can apply for a share of up to £2.4 million for the purpose of developing innovative proposals with Germany. You must collaborate with at least one German SME applying under the equivalent German ZIM programme.
Open1 Dec 2026£2.4m total fundpulled from UKRI 2026-09-30Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation: CR&D Round 2 ↗
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to invest up to £7 million to support the development and adoption of sustainable technologies for the manufacturing of medicines.
Open2 Dec 2026pulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-05Battery Innovation: Feasibility Studies Rd 3 ↗
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £25 million to support innovation in battery grade material technologies for electrification. This funding is from The Battery Innovation Programme.
Open2 Dec 2026£25m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-09-12Battery Innovation: Concept Development Rd 3 ↗
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £25 million to support innovation in battery grade material technologies for electrification. This funding is from The Battery Innovation Programme.
Open2 Dec 2026£25m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-09-12Engineering Biology Investor Partnerships Round 1 ↗
UK registered SMEs can apply for a share of up to £8 million to develop engineering biology products and services with selected investor partners.
Open2 Dec 2026£8m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-01Full ADOPT Grant: Round 10 ↗
Farming, growing or forestry businesses based in England can apply for a share of up to £5 million for on-farm trial and demonstration projects, to improve adoption of new ideas or solutions in the agricultural sector.
Open2 Dec 2026£5m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-08Growth Cohorts: Next-gen low carbon concrete cohort entry Round 2 ↗
UK registered businesses can apply to join a cohort of ambitious businesses. These businesses will develop solutions to decarbonise concrete and access funding and sector specific support, to develop and deliver innovation and growth plans.
Open2 Dec 2026pulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-21Battery innovation: concept development round three ↗
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £25 million to support innovation in battery grade material technologies for electrification. This funding is from the battery innovation programme.
Open2 Dec 2026£25m total fundpulled from UKRI 2026-09-18Battery innovation: feasibility studies round three ↗
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £25 million to support innovation in battery grade material technologies for electrification. This funding is from the battery innovation programme.
Open2 Dec 2026£25m total fundpulled from UKRI 2026-09-18BridgeAI Deployment Catalyst: AI for Assurance and Compliance ↗
UK registered SMEs can apply for a share of up to £5 million to deploy Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning solutions that monitor, test, verify or evidence compliance with requirements, standards or controls. Funding is from Innovate UK.
Open8 Dec 2026£5m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-21BridgeAI Deployment Catalyst: AI for Decision Critical Systems ↗
UK registered SMEs can apply for a share of up to £5 million to deploy Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning solutions that support consequential judgements, recommendations or decisions. Funding is from Innovate UK.
Open8 Dec 2026£5m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-21BridgeAI Deployment Catalyst: AI for Operational Systems ↗
UK registered SMEs can apply for a share of up to £5 million to deploy Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning solutions that perform, control or coordinate operational activity. Funding is from Innovate UK.
Open8 Dec 2026£5m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-21UK-Singapore CRD 2026 ↗
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £3 million for the purpose of developing innovative proposals with Singapore. You must collaborate with at least one Singapore business applying under the equivalent Enterprise Singapore programme.
Open16 Dec 2026£3m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-09-12Testing and validating underground hydrogen storage components ↗
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £5 million for a collaborative programme to accelerate the development and validation of critical technologies needed for the safe, reliable and cost effective use of underground hydrogen storage.
Open13 Jan 2027£5m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-26Underground hydrogen storage demonstrator DEVEX support ↗
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £1.5 million for project development studies supporting underground hydrogen storage demonstrator facilities in the UK.
Open13 Jan 2027£1.5m total fundpulled from Innovate UK 2026-10-26Investor Partnerships - National Materials Innovation Programme 1 ↗
UK registered SMEs can apply for grant funding alongside private investment from selected investor partners.
Open19 Jan 2027pulled from Innovate UK 2026-11-02