Current grant opportunities
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DASA Delivering Future Advantage Through Testing and Evaluation (Phase 1)
This competition seeks innovative solutions that enhance deployable Test and Evaluation (T&E) capabilities and introduce new technological or regulatory approaches to speed up military assurance processes. Challenge 1 focuses on mobile, high-fidelity testing systems that can operate in austere or deployed environments, reducing reliance on traditional test ranges and enabling real-time performance insights. Challenge 2 aims to accelerate assurance across the capability lifecycle through new technologies or processes, supporting continuous testing, rapid revalidation, and safe experimentation beyond standard regulated ranges. Projects must be genuinely innovative, fall within an 11-month delivery window ending at TRL 6, and avoid consultancy, off-the-shelf demonstrations, resubmissions, or work with no clear long-term defence value.
IUK: Eureka GlobalStars Japan 2026
This competition funds business-led collaborative research and development projects focused on industrial research between the UK, Japan, and other Eureka participating countries, with Innovate UK supporting the UK partners only. Projects must demonstrate strong market potential and aim to develop innovative products, technology-based applications, or services that involve technological risk and represent a substantial advancement beyond incremental improvements. Funding will not be provided for projects involving non-civilian technologies, work in the nuclear or drug discovery sectors, or those lacking at least one UK-registered business and one eligible Japanese partner.
NIHR: Early action and prevention within Health and Social Care Services Phase 1
We are interested in funding high quality applied health and social care research to increase and improve the evidence base about early action and prevention with health and social care services. Innovation that could facilitate a marked change in how we deal with complex health issues.
We are looking to fund research which has the potential to inform prevention services at a national level, and therefore local or regional evaluations are unlikely to be fundable. Similarly, evaluations focused on emerging technologies will require evidence of readiness for research on large-scale service delivery, including the published evidence base. All research should consider health and/or social care inequalities, or research focusing on how reducing inequalities can be integrated into prevention services. Alongside this, increasing access to neighbourhood health and social care services, moving care from hospitals into the community, and/or avoiding hospital admissions in the context of prevention are of particular interest to HSDR.
DASA Autonomous Sensor Management and Sensor Counter Deception – Phase 2
This competition is seeking innovations in autonomous sensor management and data fusion that can detect and counter attempts to deceive Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance operations. Proposals should show strong commercialisation potential, clear evidence of technical capability, and active collaboration across all partners involved. Phase 2 integrates the previous phase’s separate challenges into a single focus on autonomous techniques that counter deception, with solutions expected to demonstrate performance in a relevant environment at TRL 6. Projects must run for at least 18 months, with up to two collaborative projects expected to be funded, and Phase 1 participation is not required.
EU EIC Advance Innovation Challenges
This pilot aims to accelerate high-risk deep tech innovation by supporting breakthrough solutions in areas where commercial uptake is limited, while testing whether stage-gated funding and early involvement of end-users improve market adoption. It focuses on two major challenges: Physical AI for next-generation robotics, and New Approach Methodologies that can replace or reduce animal testing in biomedical research and product safety. Eligible applicants include start-ups, SMEs, and research organisations, with funding delivered across two stages to develop, validate, and test solutions in real-world settings. Successful projects can receive up to €300,000 in Stage 1 and up to €2.5 million in Stage 2, alongside access to partners, experts, and a wider innovation ecosystem.
IUK Investor partnership: Innovate UK Growth Catalyst December 2025
Innovate UK Growth Catalyst is a program that supports high-potential UK startups and scaleups by combining grant funding of up to £900k per company with aligned private investment and structured growth support. It targets late-stage innovation across key sectors—including advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, defence and security, digital technologies, life sciences and foundation industries—and requires applicants to have confirmed backing from an approved Innovate UK Investor Partner. Projects may involve feasibility studies, industrial research or experimental development, each with specific funding and match-investment requirements, with awards made competitively to those best aligned with Innovate UK’s strategic objectives.
NIHR: Decarbonising the health and social care system: Round 2
The NIHR Decarbonising the Health and Social Care System fund supports UK research that reduces carbon emissions and promotes sustainability in health and social care. With £25 million available over five years, it backs projects developing or evaluating innovations, service models, or care pathways that advance net zero goals and can inform policy and practice. Open to UK-based researchers and organisations, the programme encourages collaboration with SMEs, charities, and local authorities to deliver practical, scalable solutions.
IUK Increasing EV charging capacity on the strategic road network
This competition aims to test novel whole-system solutions that tackle grid, power, and operational barriers to delivering ultra-rapid EV charging at challenging sites along England’s Strategic Road Network. Projects must demonstrate technologies that enable at least 12 cars or vans to charge at 150 kW or more, while showing clear potential for replication and wider rollout across APTR cold spots and motorway service areas. Only proposals that directly address future grid constraints up to 2030 and support real-world deployment by March 2028 are eligible, with required collaboration between an SRN site operator and a charge point operator. Funding of £500,000 to £3 million is available for UK-led consortia able to safely operate the solution for at least three years after deployment.
NIHR: Early action and prevention within Health and Social Care Services Phase 2
This funding opportunity supports high-quality applied health and social care research focused on early action, prevention, and reducing inequalities at a national level. It aims to generate evidence that improves prevention services, enhances access to community-based care, and reduces hospital admissions. Research should address preventative strategies, early diagnosis, and interventions for those at risk of long-term conditions, demonstrating clear national impact and relevance to the NHS and social care. Areas of interest include improving prevention pathways, integrating preventative approaches, using data to deliver proactive support, and evaluating innovative service models or technologies. There are no specific eligibility restrictions for applicants.
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.