Innovate UK Grant Funding Opportunities
Innovate UK grants can fund feasibility studies, industrial research, and late-stage innovation across a wide range of sectors – from software and AI to life sciences, engineering, manufacturing, net zero and transport. This page pulls in live funding opportunities from UKRI so you can quickly spot relevant calls, check deadlines, and shortlist the best fit. If you’d like support, Innovation Tax can review eligibility, shape a compliant project plan, and strengthen your application narrative and costs, so you submit with confidence.
This page pulls a live feed of open UKRI opportunities, so you can quickly spot relevant calls by theme and sector, check opening and closing dates, and shortlist the best-fit competitions for your project.
Tip: Most calls are competitive. You’ll improve your odds by aligning your proposal to the scoring criteria, showing credible delivery, and building a clear impact story – not just describing the technology.
What Innovate UK assessors typically look for
While each competition differs, strong applications usually show a compelling case across a few core areas: a clear problem and market need (who feels the pain, how large the opportunity is, and why existing solutions fall short), credible innovation (what’s genuinely novel, what makes it technically or commercially difficult, and why it hasn’t been achieved already), and a realistic delivery plan (well-structured work packages, key dependencies, risks and mitigations, and appropriate resourcing). Where a consortium is required, they also demonstrate the right mix of partners with clear roles and balanced capability, alongside a strong impact story (economic, societal, and/or environmental) with a believable route to adoption. Finally, they include robust cost justification, aligned to eligible categories and supported by clear, defensible assumptions.
Innovate UK Grant Funding Opportunities (Live Feed)
Discover open grant opportunities from Innovate UK funding calls (updated automatically) and get expert support to assess fit, shape a winning bid, and submit with confidence.
- Expression of interest: Biomedical Catalyst Accelerator Provider Pool: early stage
UK registered organisations can apply to join an approved provider pool for the BMC Accelerator Programme. Providers may be called upon over a period of up to three years to support programme delivery, subject to specific themes and requirements.Innovate UK
- Full ADOPT grant: round six
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. This is an Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) grant.Innovate UK
- Robotics Adoption Programme skills development
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £2.5 million for projects to develop vocational robotics skills courses. This funding is from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.Innovate UK
- Knowledge Transfer Partnership: 2026 to 2027 round one
UK registered academic institutions, research and technology organisations or Catapults can apply for a share of up to £10 million to fund innovation projects with businesses.Innovate UK
- TechLocal AI Professional Degree and Traineeship Accelerator
UK academic institutions and education providers can apply for funding to develop initiatives that build industry ready AI professionals aligned to local skills demand. Funding of £7.8 million is provided by DSIT.Innovate UK
- TechLocal: Connecting Local Talent to Local Tech Jobs
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £7.6 million to enable career and growth opportunities in the tech sector. This funding is from DSIT.Innovate UK
- Advanced manufacturing supply chain innovation FS
UK registered businesses and research and technology organisations (RTOs) can apply for a share of up to £5 million for feasibility studies. These will make supply chains more resource efficient and resilient through addressing cross cutting challenges.Innovate UK
- Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund round five discovery C5
Organisations can apply for a share of up to £30 million exclusive of VAT, for collaborative Discovery Phase Projects that meet the Round 5 challenges. This funding is from the Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund.Innovate UK
- Cybersecurity academic startup accelerator programme Y10 phase one
UK registered academic institutions can apply for a share of up to £800,000 to join the cybersecurity academic startup accelerator programme.Innovate UK
- Energy catalyst round 11: late stage
Organisations can apply for a share of up to £7 million across the three strands of the competition. This is for energy access in ODA eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, the Indo Pacific region and Latin America.Innovate UK
- Energy catalyst round 11: early stage
Organisations can apply for a share of up to £7 million across the three strands of the competition. This is for energy access in Official Development Assistance-eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, the Indo-Pacific region and Latin America.Innovate UK
- DRIVE35 innovation fund: collaborate 2
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £33 million for late stage collaborative research and development projects. Your project will support the UK’s transition to zero emission vehicles and a pathway to a net zero automotive industry.Innovate UK
- Drive35 innovation fund: demonstrate 2
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £33 million for late stage demonstration research and development projects. Projects will support the UK’s transition to zero emission vehicles and a pathway to a net zero automotive industry.Innovate UK
- Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund (CKAF) spring
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).Innovate UK
- Energy Catalyst round 11, mid stage
Organisations can apply for a share of up to £7 million across the three strands of the competition. This is for energy access in official development assistance eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, the Indo Pacific region and Latin America.Innovate UK
- ADOPT Facilitator Support Grant: round six
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.Innovate UK
- Increasing EV charging capacity on the strategic road network
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £10 million. The funding is for the development and demonstration of solutions to increase public electric vehicle (EV) charging provision for longer journeys on the strategic road network.Innovate UK
- DRIVE35 Scale-up Fund
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £150 million to create scale up manufacturing facilities for zero emission vehicle technologies.Innovate UK
- Knowledge Transfer Partnership
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships help businesses to partner with an academic organisation, research organisation or a Catapult, to employ a graduate with the skills and knowledge that can help the business to innovate and grow.Innovate UK AHRC BBSRC ESRC EPSRC NERC STFC
Found a call that looks relevant? Send us the link and we’ll tell you if it’s worth pursuing.
Quick check: You’re more likely to be eligible if you can show (1) genuine innovation, (2) technical uncertainty, (3) a clear route to impact, and (4) realistic costs and delivery plan.
How Innovation Tax supports grant applications
Applying for Innovate UK funding is more than completing a form – you’re building a case that your project is innovative, deliverable, and high impact. We support businesses through the full lifecycle, including:
- Opportunity selection & fit assessment
What to apply for and what to avoid - Project shaping
Scope, objectives, work packages, deliverables, and milestones - Technical narrative & innovation rationale
State of the art, novelty, challenges, validation approach - Commercial story & impact
Market need, traction, adoption pathway, benefits - Finance & costs
Eligible costs, assumptions, value-for-money, matching funds - Writing & review
Clear, compliant responses aligned to scoring criteria - Risk, ethics & compliance
Data, IP, security, regulatory, EDI, sustainability requirements - Exploitation & IP strategy
Ownership, IP, protection and commercialisation plan
Want help choosing the right call or writing a stronger bid?
If you’ve found a funding opportunity that looks promising, we can help you validate eligibility, shape and refine the scope, and strengthen your application to improve your chances of success – from a rapid eligibility review and bid-writing support (or a critical review of what you’ve drafted), through to budget and work package structuring, finishing with a full submission-readiness check.
Find out if your project is eligible - fast.
A quick, no-obligation review to assess eligibility and potential value.
- Initial assessment in 24–48 hours
- Grant Funding Specialists
- Clear next steps & checklist