Current grant opportunities
EIT Manufacturing Accelerate
Programme
Closes
Award
This Accelerator programme supports and grants financing to startups and scale-ups with innovative solutions and technologies, that address critical challenges in the manufacturing sector, and are helping the European manufacturing sector to become more efficient, resilient, green, and globally competitive.
*This Competition has multiple cut off dates, see link for more information.
Eureka collaborative R&D: Eurostars 3 Call 7
Innovate UK innovation loans future economy: Round 16
Programme
Closes
Award
Accessible and affordable tests to advance early detection of heritable cancers
Programme
Closes
Award
Scaling up logistics innovations supporting freight transport decarbonisation
Programme
Closes
Award
Innovative conversion of biogenic gaseous carbon
Programme
Closes
Award
Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants
Programme
Closes
Award
UK-Singapore Collaborative R&D 2024
Programme
Closes
Award
Funding innovation projects in partnership with Enterprise Singapore. It is required organisations must collaborate with at least one Singapore non-linked registered business applying under the equivalent Enterprise Singapore programme to be eligible for this funding.
Eureka Disaster Resilience Programme Collaborative R&D 2024
Programme
Closes
Award
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £1 million to fund CR&D projects focused on industrial research with the aim to support international collaboration on R&D projects that create innovative products, processes or services for commercialisation. This programme will fund projects in the field of Disaster Resilience, Response and Recovery.
King's Award for Enterprise
Programme
Closes
Award
The King’s Awards for Enterprise are for outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the categories of, innovation international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility. Winners of this award have reported worldwide recognition, increased commercial value and greater press coverage.
Europe Quantum Technology CR&D 2024
Programme
Closes
Award
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £3 million to facilitate collaboration between the UK and international organisations, and in particular entities in the EU, in order to accelerate research and innovation in quantum technologies and remove technological and market barriers to their successful commercialisation and adoption in the UK and internationally.
Challenge Awards round 15
Programme
Closes
Award
NIHR i4i Challenge Awards support the real-world evaluation of medical devices, in vitro diagnostic devices and high-impact patient-focused digital health technologies for us in the NHS or social care system. The i4i Challenge Awards provide funding for collaborative projects with a focus on implementation research on technologies which have demonstrated safety and efficacy, and have a clear pathway towards adoption and commercialisation.
Product Development Awards (PDA) round 26
Programme
Closes
Award
The NIHR i4i Product Development Awards (PDA) supports collaborative research and development of medical devices, in vitro diagnostic devices and high-impact patient-focused digital health technologies for use in the NHS or social care system. The expected focus of a PDA is product development required to enable a technology for clinical use or use in social care and/or the clinical development of a laboratory-validated technology or intervention. The research proposals may address any area of unmet need. Projects must have a clear pathway towards adoption and commercialisation.
SMART: SCOTLAND grants
Biomedical Catalyst
Programme
Closes
Award
The Biomedical Catalyst programme provides funding to help businesses test and develop innovative health and care projects.
The Industry-led research and development (R&D) stream of the Biomedical Catalyst programme supports pre-market R&D projects.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate existing evidence of commercial and technical feasibility.
Smart Grant
Programme
Closes
Award
Want to learn more about grants?
How much time is needed to submit a quality grant application?
Grant applications are submitted to highly competitive opportunities with limited funding available which means that only the highest scoring applications are successful. In order to create a high-scoring application we suggest starting it a minimum of 3 weeks before the competition deadline. In our experience, the best grant applications are crafted over 6 weeks or more.
How is a government grant typically paid?
Grant funding is typically paid in arrears after a project has started. It is normally paid quarterly or at key project milestones. For example, Innovate UK typically pays grant funding after a project report has been submitted and approved at the end of each project quarter. Funding bodies typically hold payment of a portion of the final project costs until after the project has been fully ended.
What are the chances of being successfully awarded grant funding?
Success is dependent on many factors such as eligibility, fund size and competition from others. Success rates therefore vary significantly between competitions. Competitions with specialist themes are usually less competitive than "open call" competitions. Statistics about funding competitions are usually reported by funding bodies or released in freedom of information requests.
Can start-up companies apply for grant funding?
Yes, start-up companies are normally eligible for grant funding. It is important to carefully check eligibility criteria for competitions as this can vary.
Are the grant writing fees negotiable?
Yes, the fees for our grant writing services can be negotiated. Our grant writing services are priced competitively and can be reduced if a customer can help reduce our writing costs (e.g. by saving time) without impacting the quality of the resulting grant application.
What is seen as an innovative project that is suitable for grant funding?
Innovation is commonly defined as a new technology in an existing market or an existing technology in a new market. Innovative projects clearly build on existing state-of-the-art technology and as they are novel they are typically technically challenging and risky endeavours.
How much does my company need to contribute to the grant-funded project?
The company contribution varies depending on the specific funding body and/or funding competition. It is typically between 0% and 50% of the total project costs. Smaller companies (SMEs) are usually required to contribute less funding than large established companies.
What time and work goes into a typical grant application?
Writing a grant application is not too dissimilar to writing a short novel. The story must successfully guide the audience from beginning to end, keeping them engaged throughout with the right content. A high quality grant application will have a well-defined scope and will provide all the right information at the right time in each of the questions that is answered.
A typical grant application requires multiple days of information gathering, fact-finding, writing, referencing, refining, checking, assessing, reflecting, visualising, and submitting. It is a team effort and we normally allow a minimum of three weeks to complete an application.
How can I include an academic partner in my project?
If one or more work packages in your project are suitable for a university to deliver then you should liaise with your academic partner who will be able to help. If you are seeking an academic partner for your project we can also help you. Please note that some innovation funding opportunities may not be suitable for academic partners or their budget allocation my be capped.
Can I use the Grant Funding Canvas™ for my own projects?
Yes! Please use the Canvas for your own projects and feel free to share it with your friends and colleagues.
Can I apply for my own grant application alone?
Yes! You can apply on your own and still be successful. However, working with us means that you will benefit from our skills and experience in writing successful grant applications - as well as lots of time saved.
What does the process look like once I submit an application?
Your application will be reviewed by assessors and it will be scored. You will receive a notification that provides your score and whether your application was successful or not. If you are successful, you will then be required to complete some additional tasks to evidence your financial position to show that you can deliver the project.
Where can I find the latest grant funding opportunities?
Grant funding opportunities are available from multiple sources and competitions open and close frequently. To stay up-to-date on the latest news you can follow funding bodies such as Innovate UK. You can sign up to our Grant Opportunities Newsletter to receive the latest funding opportunities.