Innovation competitions

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26 competitions


  • Battery 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.

    Eligibility

    This competition is open to collaborations only.

    To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size. The consortium must contain at least one UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME) claiming grant funding on this application.

    Opening soon

    Opens:
    11 September 2026
    Closes:
    2 December 2026

  • Engineering Biology Collaborative R&D: Round 3

    UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £8.5 million to develop and scale Engineering Biology platforms, products and services. This funding is part of UKRI’s Engineering Biology Programme.

    Eligibility

    This competition is open to collaborations only. To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size. The consortium must contain at least one UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME) claiming grant funding on this application.

    Open now

    Opened:
    8 September 2026
    Closes:
    3 November 2026

  • Medicines Manufacturing Data Institute: Phase 1

    UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £500,000 for a phase 1 project to establish the Medicines Manufacturing Data Institute (MMDI). This funding is from Innovate UK.

    Eligibility

    This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations.

    To work alone or lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered:

    • business of any size
    • academic institutions
    • research and technology organisations
    • charity
    • not for profit
    • public sector organisation

    Open now

    Opened:
    7 September 2026
    Closes:
    14 October 2026

  • Engineering Biology Access to Infrastructure Pilot

    UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £5 million for Engineering Biology pilot scale and validation projects. This funding is part of UKRI’s Engineering Biology Programme and funded by BIST.

    Eligibility

    This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations.
    To lead a collaborative project or work alone, your organisation must be a UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME).

    Open now

    Opened:
    7 September 2026
    Closes:
    21 October 2026

  • National Materials Innovation Programme: CR&D Rd1

    UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £12 million for collaborative industrial research to speed the translation of advanced materials innovations in three prioritised high growth themes and one strategic opportunity theme.

    Eligibility

    This competition is open to collaborations only.
    To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size. The consortium must contain at least one UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME) claiming grant funding on this application.

    Open now

    Opened:
    1 September 2026
    Closes:
    28 October 2026

  • Investor Partnerships – ACT and Semiconductors

    UK registered SMEs can apply for grant funding alongside private investment from selected investor partners.

    Eligibility

    This competition is open to single applicants only.

    To apply your organisation must:

    • be a UK registered micro, small or medium sized business (SME)
    • carry out its project work in the UK
    • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
    • have been invited to apply by an investor from our pool of selected investor partners

    Open now

    Opened:
    1 September 2026
    Closes:
    14 October 2026

  • Farming Innovation Programme: Small R&D Partnership Projects Rd 5

    UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £13 million for small R&D partnership projects. This funding is from the industry led R&D Partnerships Fund, a part of the Defra Farming Innovation Programme.

    Eligibility

    This competition is open to collaborations only.

    To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size. The consortium must contain at least one UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME) claiming grant funding on this application.

    Open now

    Opened:
    1 September 2026
    Closes:
    14 October 2026

  • CfI: Engineering Biology for Defra and FSA Phase 1

    Organisations can apply for a share up to £3 million inclusive of VAT, to develop and scale Engineering Biology platforms, products and services.

    Eligibility

    To lead a project, you can:

    • be a UK based organisation of any size
    • work alone or with other organisations as subcontractors

    Contracts will be awarded to a single legal entity only.

    Open now

    Opened:
    1 September 2026
    Closes:
    14 October 2026

  • Advancing innovation in accelerated cancer diagnosis

    Innovate UK, on behalf of the Office for Life Sciences’ (OLS) Cancer Healthcare Goals programme, will invest up to £25.4 million, to support the clinical validation and evaluation of early cancer diagnostic technologies and devices.

    Eligibility

    This competition is open to collaborations only.

    To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size, an academic institution or an NHS organisation. The consortium must contain at least one UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME) claiming grant funding on this application.

    Open now

    Opened:
    1 September 2026
    Closes:
    28 October 2026

  • Advanced Manufacturing: Measurement and Sensing Pilot

    UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £1 million as part of a pilot. This is to support high potential businesses developing a technology, product or service in measurement, instrumentation or sensing for UK manufacturing.

    Eligibility

    This pilot is open to single applicants only.

    To be eligible to join the pilot, your business must be a UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME).

    Open now

    Opened:
    26 August 2026
    Closes:
    7 October 2026

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