Advanced Manufacturing & Materials grants
Innovate UK and UKRI funding for process, production and materials innovation
Manufacturing and materials proposals win when they make a measurable difference to cost, yield, quality or carbon, not when they describe a better machine in isolation. Innovate UK Made Smarter, UKRI research councils and Horizon Europe's digital industry cluster all back manufacturing innovation, but each wants a different evidence base.
Funders funding advanced manufacturing & materials
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Programmes that fit advanced manufacturing & materials companies
Innovate UK CR&D competitions
Process innovation, digital manufacturing, advanced materials and robotics for UK SMEs.
Made Smarter Innovation
Digital adoption and industrial digital technology for manufacturers.
Horizon Europe Digital, Industry and Space
Advanced manufacturing, materials and digital industry research at EU scale.
What assessors actually score
- A quantified process improvement against today's baseline
- IP and know-how protection that fits a competitive manufacturing strategy
- Supply-chain and scale-up evidence, not just a prototype
Where we work in advanced manufacturing & materials
Advanced Manufacturing & Materials grants in our directory
Live programmes from the UK grant directory that suit advanced manufacturing & materials projects. Deadlines move between rounds, so each listing links through to the current detail.
Innovate UK
[IUK] Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systems
Expected to open. Innovate UK industrial research competition for novel reusable AI mechanisms that are efficient, structured and controllable. Projects start at TRL 1–3. Total eligible costs £50,000–£150,000.
Innovate UK
[IUK] MDI Programme Innovation and Scale-up Hub
Innovate UK Manufacturing Digitalisation Innovation (MDI) competition to establish an Innovation and Scale-up Hub for Frontier 5 manufacturing (advanced materials, aerospace, automotive, batteries, space). Grant £3.8m–£4m over 36 months from 1 April 2027.
Innovate UK
[IUK] Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation: CR&D Round 2
Collaborative CR&D to strengthen sustainable medicines manufacturing in the UK. Grant request £500,000–£1 million. UK business can lead; academics cannot. At least one funded UK SME must be in the consortium.
Horizon Europe
[Horizon - Artificial Intelligence and Robotics] Apply AI: Challenge-Driven AI Innovation Booster in Apply AI prioritised sectors…
Open to consortia (not single applicants) of legal entities established in EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, and specific associated countries (Canada, Israel, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, UK); user-industry companies from the targeted strategic sector (healthcare, advanced manufacturing, or autonomous driving) must be core consortium partners. The lead consortium organises a multi-stage competition and provides financial support to third parties (SMEs or small SME-led teams) who compete to develop AI solutions; each proposal must focus on exactly one of the three sectors.
Horizon Europe
[Horizon - Energy supply] Stage 1: Novel approaches towards next-generation battery concepts, leveraging the enabling role of inn…
What the Grant Supports This call supports the development of next-generation battery concepts and advanced materials that go beyond current state-of-the-art battery technologies. Projects can start at any TRL but are expected to achieve TRL 4-5 by project completion. Projects must focus on one of the following application areas: * Low-cost batteries for electric vehicles and stationary energy storage * High-performance batteries for aviation, maritime, and other demanding mobility applications * Advanced battery concepts for grid-scale and industrial energy storage Funding is available for:…
Horizon Europe
[Horizon - Energy supply] Stage 2: Novel approaches towards next-generation battery concepts, leveraging the enabling role of inn…
What the Grant Supports This call supports the development of next-generation battery concepts and advanced materials that go beyond current state-of-the-art battery technologies. Projects can start at any TRL but are expected to achieve TRL 4-5 by project completion. Projects must focus on one of the following application areas: * Low-cost batteries for electric vehicles and stationary energy storage * High-performance batteries for aviation, maritime, and other demanding mobility applications * Advanced battery concepts for grid-scale and industrial energy storage Funding is available for:…
Relevant client wins
Grants our team has won for companies solving comparable technical problems.
£452,654
For composite production leap
Mayku
Advanced manufacturing: composites
Read the case study
£699,030
For robotic polypill manufacturing
FASST
Life sciences: pharmaceutical manufacturing
Read the case studyFund your advanced manufacturing & materials R&D
Talk to us about your grant funding plans and we'll help you make it happen through effective, results-driven grant writing.