UK business grants directory
The most comprehensive UK business grant directory
276 live and upcoming grant competitions, tracked from the Innovation Funding Service, UKRI, Horizon Europe and regional funders every week. Filter by sector, stage, region and award size, then open any programme for the detail.
How UK business grant funding works
Innovate UK
The largest source of competitive innovation grants for UK businesses, run through the Innovation Funding Service. Most competitions fund a share of R&D costs, so companies co-invest the rest.
Horizon Europe and the EIC
UK companies can bid for Horizon Europe collaborative projects and the EIC Accelerator, which suit ambitious, high-risk innovations with international reach.
UKRI, ESA and sector funders
Research councils, the European Space Agency, defence and health funders run targeted programmes for specific technologies and missions, often with fewer applicants.
Regional and local funds
Devolved governments and local growth programmes offer smaller grants for capital, productivity and early-stage innovation, sometimes alongside national competitions.
Innovate UK grants for businesses
Innovate UK grants fund feasibility studies, industrial research and experimental development, for single companies or collaborative consortia. Each competition publishes its own scope, award range and funding rate, so this directory tracks every open and upcoming round alongside the specialist programmes listed above. Our Innovate UK grant writers can tell you which round fits your project.
Almost every competition expects match funding, a clear technical advance and a credible route to market. Use the filters below to shortlist programmes, then check your eligibility before you commit time to an application.
Building a funding strategy from this directory
Balance national and regional funds
Flagship Innovate UK and Horizon Europe competitions attract the most applicants. Pairing one national bid with a regional or sector fund, where the field is smaller, spreads risk and can bring in earlier wins while larger decisions are pending.
Sequence by deadline and effort
A strong application typically takes 100 or more hours of specialist work. Shortlist two or three competitions whose deadlines are at least six weeks apart, so each bid gets proper technical and financial preparation rather than a rushed submission.
Match the funder to your stage
Early feasibility work suits smaller, faster competitions; later-stage development and demonstration suit larger awards with match funding. Filtering by stage and award size above keeps your shortlist realistic for where your technology actually is.
Companies that treat grants as a rolling portfolio, rather than a single bet, win more consistently. If you are planning several applications over the year, our Unlimited retainer covers a pipeline of bids for one monthly fee, and our case studies show how funded clients structured theirs.
Planning more than one bid this year?
The Unlimited programme is a monthly retainer covering a rolling portfolio of applications from this directory, with no separate writing fee per bid. Suited to UK businesses with an active R&D roadmap and match funding in place.
Find your grant
Want to apply for more than one grant?
Our retainer clients get a dedicated grant pipeline: we track deadlines, match competitions to your roadmap, and manage multiple applications at once so nothing is missed.
Showing 1–12 of 276 programmes
- Closes in 6 days
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European Innovation Council
[EIC] EIC Pathfinder Open 2027 (you track Challenge only)
Expected to open. Consortium (min 3 / 3 countries); UK eligible
Max awardUp to EUR 4mDeadline14 Oct 2026Any sectorIndustrial R&DUK-wideView grant details - Closes in 6 days
European Innovation Council
EIC Pathfinder
Early-stage funding for collaborative research into breakthrough technologies of the future, including open and Challenge calls.
Max awardTypically up to €4mDeadline14 Oct 2026Any sectorFeasibilityInternationalView grant details - Closes in 8 days
Aerospace Technology Institute
[ATI] Stage 1: ATI: SME PROGRAMME
This call is for UK-registered small and medium-sized aerospace supply-chain companies (or consortia led by/including an SME) wanting non-dilutive grant funding for R&D that strengthens their position in civil aerospace. Applicants can apply solo or in collaboration with other businesses, academic institutions, RTOs or public sector bodies, but research organisations cannot lead the project. Projects must be carried out and exploited in the UK, align with the ATI's Engineering Growth technology strategy, and ensure at least 50% of eligible project costs go to MSMEs in the consortium. This sui…
Max award£1,500,000Deadline16 Oct 2026Clean energy & net zeroFeasibilityUK-wideView grant details - Closes in 8 days
Aerospace Technology Institute
[ATI] Stage 2: ATI: SME PROGRAMME
Open to UK-registered organisations developing civil aerospace technology; the lead must be a UK-registered SME, or a business of any size with at least one SME in its consortium, with project work carried out and results exploited in the UK. Applicants may apply alone or as part of a collaborative consortium (which can include businesses of any size, academic institutions, charities, public sector bodies, or RTOs), though research organisations cannot lead.
Max award£1,500,000Deadline16 Oct 2026Space & satelliteFeasibilityUK-wideView grant details - Closes in 20 days
Innovate UK
[IUK] CfI: Counter UAS Demonstrations in Prison Environments
Contracts for Innovation to demonstrate a high-TRL, low-cost counter-UAS system for UK prison estates. Projects last 2 months (1 Feb–31 Mar 2027). Costs £40,000–£80,000 inc VAT.
Max award£80,000Deadline28 Oct 2026Clean energy & net zeroFeasibilityUK-wideView grant details - Closes in 27 days
Innovate UK
[IUK] CfI: Battery innovation for dual use & defence Phase 1
Contracts for Innovation Phase 1 to adapt civil battery technologies for defence and dual-use challenges. Up to 3 months, costs £20,000–£50,000 inc VAT, all spend before 31 March 2027.
Max award£50,000Deadline4 Nov 2026Clean energy & net zeroFeasibilityUK-wideView grant details - Closes in 28 days
Innovate UK
[IUK] FOAK Builder: Programme Entry Expression of Interest
Innovate UK Climate Tech FOAK Builder programme-entry EOI. UK SMEs apply as a single applicant for in-kind support of up to £315,000. This is not the same competition as Contracts for Innovation: FOAK26.
Max award£315,000Deadline5 Nov 2026Clean energy & net zeroFeasibilityUK-wideView grant details - Closes in 34 days
Innovate UK
[IUK] Small medium enterprise champions: Frontier AI – phase 1
The Frontier AI SME Champions competition aims to advance state-of-the-art AI and machine learning in the UK by supporting SMEs to validate ambitious innovations that could deliver step-change capabilities and enable new products, services or platforms.
Max award£150Deadline11 Nov 2026AI & softwareIndustrial R&DUK-wideView grant details - Closes in 40 days
Horizon Europe
[HORIZON - CLIMATE] Africa-EU CO-FUND action on climate HORIZON-CL5-2027-01-D1-11
At least 30% of the beneficiaries must be legal entities established in the African Union member states[[ "African Union member states" includes countries whose membership has been temporarily suspended.]]. The following additional eligibility criteria apply: At least 30% of the beneficiaries must be legal entities established in the Africa Union member states[["African Union member states" excludes countries whose membership has been temporarily suspended.]].
Max award€15,000,000.00Deadline17 Nov 2026Clean energy & net zeroIndustrial R&DUK-wideView grant details - Closes in 41 days
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.
Max award£150,000Deadline18 Nov 2026AI & softwareFeasibilityUK-wideView grant details - Closes in 41 days
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.
Max award£4,000,000Deadline18 Nov 2026Clean energy & net zeroLate stage & scale-upUK-wideView grant details - Closes in 48 days
Innovate UK
[IUK] Investor Partnerships - Battery Innovation Programme
Innovate UK Investor Partnerships competition for battery innovation. UK SMEs apply as a single applicant for grant funding alongside aligned private investment. Project size depends on research category, up to £2 million for experimental development.
Max award£2,000,000Deadline25 Nov 2026Clean energy & net zeroIndustrial R&DUK-wideView grant details
Unsure where to start?
Tell us what you are building and we will point you to the competitions where you are genuinely competitive, before you spend time on an application.
Deadline tracker
What is open right now, and how long you have left
Funder dates move, and the best applications are the ones started early. These are the UK and EU windows we are actively writing toward, with how much is on the table and a live clock to the cut-off.
Updated automatically from our live grant directory
| Programme | Funding available | Deadline | Time left | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EIC PathfinderEuropean Innovation CouncilOfficial page | Typically up to €4mPer successful application | 14 Oct 2026Expected date, based on the published cycle | Closes in 6 daysEvery day counts, speak to us today. | Early-stage funding for collaborative research into breakthrough technologies of the future, including open and Challenge calls. |
| [EIC] EIC Pathfinder Open 2027 (you track Challenge only)European Innovation CouncilOfficial page | Up to EUR 4mPer successful application | 14 Oct 2026Expected date, based on the published cycle | Closes in 6 daysEvery day counts, speak to us today. | Expected to open. Consortium (min 3 / 3 countries); UK eligible |
| [ATI] Stage 2: ATI: SME PROGRAMMEAerospace Technology InstituteOfficial page | up to £1.5MPer successful application | 16 Oct 2026 | Closes in 8 daysEvery day counts, speak to us today. | Open to UK-registered organisations developing civil aerospace technology; the lead must be a UK-registered SME, or a business of any size with at least one SME in its consortium, with project work carried out and results exploited in the UK. Applicants may apply alone or as part of a collaborative consortium (which can include businesses of any size, academic institutions, charities, public sector bodies, or RTOs), though research organisations cannot lead. |
| [ATI] Stage 1: ATI: SME PROGRAMMEAerospace Technology InstituteOfficial page | up to £1.5MPer successful application | 16 Oct 2026 | Closes in 8 daysEvery day counts, speak to us today. | This call is for UK-registered small and medium-sized aerospace supply-chain companies (or consortia led by/including an SME) wanting non-dilutive grant funding for R&D that strengthens their position in civil aerospace. Applicants can apply solo or in collaboration with other businesses, academic institutions, RTOs or public sector bodies, but research organisations cannot lead the project. Projects must be carried out and exploited in the UK, align with the ATI's Engineering Growth technology strategy, and ensure at least 50% of eligible project costs go to MSMEs in the consortium. This sui… |
| [IUK] CfI: Counter UAS Demonstrations in Prison EnvironmentsInnovate UKOfficial page | Total eligible project costs £40,000–£80,000, inclusive of VAT.Per successful application | 28 Oct 2026 | Closes in 20 daysEvery day counts, speak to us today. | Contracts for Innovation to demonstrate a high-TRL, low-cost counter-UAS system for UK prison estates. Projects last 2 months (1 Feb–31 Mar 2027). Costs £40,000–£80,000 inc VAT. |
| [IUK] CfI: Battery innovation for dual use & defence Phase 1Innovate UKOfficial page | Phase 1 total eligible costs £20,000–£50,000, inclusive of VAT.Per successful application | 4 Nov 2026 | Closes in 27 daysEvery day counts, speak to us today. | Contracts for Innovation Phase 1 to adapt civil battery technologies for defence and dual-use challenges. Up to 3 months, costs £20,000–£50,000 inc VAT, all spend before 31 March 2027. |
| [IUK] FOAK Builder: Programme Entry Expression of InterestInnovate UKOfficial page | If a FOAK Support plan is agreed, in-kind support can be up to £315,000. Successful EOIs may be invited to Phase 2 grant.Per successful application | 5 Nov 2026 | Closes in 28 daysEvery day counts, speak to us today. | Innovate UK Climate Tech FOAK Builder programme-entry EOI. UK SMEs apply as a single applicant for in-kind support of up to £315,000. This is not the same competition as Contracts for Innovation: FOAK26. |
| [IUK] Small medium enterprise champions: Frontier AI – phase 1Innovate UKOfficial page | Individual award £150-250KPer successful application | 11 Nov 2026 | Closes in 34 daysEvery day counts, speak to us today. | The Frontier AI SME Champions competition aims to advance state-of-the-art AI and machine learning in the UK by supporting SMEs to validate ambitious innovations that could deliver step-change capabilities and enable new products, services or platforms. |
Always confirm dates on the funder page before you plan around them. Competitions are amended and cycles shift.
Not sure which of these fits you?
Picking the wrong programme costs months. Our specialist team maps your technology, stage and timeline against live competitions and tells you honestly where you are competitive, and where you are not.
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