Cancer Research UK Childhood Cancer Therapeutic Catalyst

Solutions that strengthen public transport as the backbone of a resilient, sustainable, inclusive and multimodal mobility ecosystem, by improving its attractiveness and competitiveness – with the clear goal of attracting users away from private cars.New concepts, technologies and business models that enhance demandresponsive transport and integrate shared mobility services with public transit – aimed at improving first- and last-mile connectivity and expanding overall network coverage are encouraged.

This opportunity supports projects that improve how medicines are developed and manufactured using digital tools, automation, and robotics. The aim is to make processes faster, more efficient, and more scalable, helping bring new treatments to patients more quickly while reducing manual work and increasing productivity.‍

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This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing digital, AI, or automated solutions for pharma or biotech
✔️ Working on robotics or smart systems for manufacturing
✔️ Looking to improve speed, efficiency, or quality in production
✔️ Building tools that can be adopted across labs or manufacturing sites‍

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Should you apply?
If you are creating technology that can transform how medicines are developed or produced, and want to scale its use, improve efficiency, and support faster delivery of treatments to patients, this is a strong opportunity.

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The Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) funding, administered by Scottish Enterprise, is a discretionary grant aimed at encouraging capital investment and job creation in designated Assisted Areas of Scotland, classified as Tiers 2 and 3. The primary objective of RSA is to support projects that contribute to economic growth, job creation, and Scotland's transition to a greener economy.

This funding supports innovative solutions that encourage healthier, more sustainable urban mobility by making walking, cycling and other active transport safer, more convenient and more inclusive. Projects should help shift people away from private vehicle use while strengthening the European cycling ecosystem and improving public health through cleaner urban environments.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing technologies or services that encourage walking, cycling or other active transport
✔️ Creating innovative digital tools or public space solutions that improve active mobility
✔️ Improving the safety, accessibility or integration of active transport into urban mobility systems
✔️ Developing solutions that reduce, monitor or mitigate the health impacts of air or noise pollution
✔️ Working with cities or public authorities to support healthier, more sustainable transport systems

Projects should:

Deliver innovative, market-ready solutions rather than awareness or behaviour-change campaigns alone
Support a shift towards active modes of transport
Strengthen the European cycling industry and align with the European Declaration on Cycling
Demonstrate a disruptive approach with strong potential for adoption by public authorities where relevant
Improve urban health through cleaner transport, reduced pollution exposure or health-informed urban planning

The strongest proposals will demonstrate:

Clear commercial potential and scalability
Measurable health, environmental and mobility benefits
Strong potential for deployment across European cities
A practical route to adoption by municipalities, transport providers or other public sector stakeholders

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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.

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This opportunity supports agri-tech businesses looking to move their products closer to large scale manufacturing and real world use. The focus is on improving product performance, reliability, and production processes so innovations can be produced at scale and adopted by farmers and the wider agriculture sector.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing an agri-tech product ready for scaling
✔️ Looking to improve manufacturing, supply chains, or product reliability
✔️ Working on solutions that boost agricultural productivity or sustainability
✔️ Preparing your product for market adoption and commercial growth

Should you apply?
If you have an agri-tech solution that works and now need to scale production, improve reliability, and bring it to market so it can be widely adopted across the agriculture sector, this is a strong opportunity.

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This opportunity supports projects that aim to reduce harmful emissions from aircraft beyond just carbon dioxide. The focus is on developing technologies that tackle issues like fuel impact, onboard systems, and how aircraft are operated, helping make aviation cleaner while strengthening the UK aerospace sector.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing aerospace technologies that reduce environmental impact
✔️ Working on fuels, propulsion systems, or onboard aircraft components
✔️ Using data, modelling, or systems to improve aviation efficiency
✔️ Collaborating across industry and research to drive innovation

Should you apply?
If you are building a solution that can reduce aviation emissions and want to develop it further, prove its impact, and position your technology for adoption across the civil aerospace industry, this is a strong opportunity.

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Solutions (products, services and business models) that reduce the negative externalities of urban logistics – such as congestion, emissions and noise – while enhancing efficiency, resilience, sustainability and integration with the urban environment, especially in last-mile operations.Innovative concepts for logistics hubs and digitally enabled solutions that foster greater collaboration among logistics operators, cities and users are particularly encouraged.

PACE funds innovative, high-risk, early-stage drug discovery and diagnostic projects aimed at developing new therapeutics for bacterial infections with high unmet need. It supports Hit-to-Lead and Lead Optimisation projects targeting Gram-negative bacteria, especially those causing respiratory, bloodstream, and urinary tract infections, including priority pathogens such as A. baumannii, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and P. mirabilis. Eligible applicants include academic researchers and SMEs worldwide, with projects lasting up to two years. Late-stage, clinical, or vaccine-focused projects, as well as those not directly developing antimicrobials, are out of scope.

This competition funds large research programmes focused on improving how cancer is detected and diagnosed at an earlier stage. It supports long term, ambitious projects that bring together multiple research areas to solve a central challenge in early detection, with a clear path to real world healthcare impact. Projects should go beyond basic research and show how they could improve patient outcomes or healthcare systems.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ A researcher, clinician, or healthcare professional in a UK institution
✔️ Working on early cancer detection or diagnostic tools
✔️ Part of a collaborative research programme across multiple teams
✔️ An SME supporting with technology, data, or specialist expertise

Should you apply?
If you are involved in a large research programme aiming to improve how cancer is found and diagnosed earlier, and can show real impact on patients or healthcare systems, this is a strong opportunity.

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This opportunity supports early stage startups building solutions for urban mobility, helping them raise funding and scale across Europe. The focus is on high impact innovations that improve how people and goods move in cities, including areas like clean transport, shared mobility, and data driven systems.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ A startup with a mobility solution already in development
✔️ Working on transport, logistics, or city mobility challenges
✔️ Raising investment at pre seed, seed, or Series A stage
✔️ Building a product with clear potential to scale across cities

Should you apply?
If you are a startup looking to raise funding while scaling your mobility solution, and want support to grow faster, expand into new markets, and deliver real impact in cities across Europe, this is a strong opportunity.

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The Active Travel Innovation Fund by Active Travel England (ATE) offers grants to UK-registered small and medium-sized organisations to develop, deliver, or scale innovative projects that encourage walking, wheeling, and cycling across England. It focuses on behaviour change and engagement rather than infrastructure or product development, supporting ideas that make active travel safer and more accessible. The fund prioritises initiatives benefiting underrepresented groups such as women, ethnic minorities, children, disabled people, and those less physically active and aligns with wider government goals like reducing NHS pressure, creating safer streets, boosting the economy, and achieving net zero. Projects must be delivered within England over a 12-month period, followed by evaluation, with up to 10% of the grant allocated to monitoring, reporting, and impact assessment.

You can apply for funding from ESA for the Open Call for Proposals or through specific themed opportunities. Your project must delivered R&D related to the space industry

UK-registered organisations can apply for a share of £15.5 million to develop industrial digital technologies that improve resource or energy efficiency in SME manufacturers. Projects must be UK-based collaborations led by an SME technology developer, include at least two manufacturing SMEs, last 6–12 months, and deliver affordable, easy-to-use and scalable digital solutions aligned with specified resource or energy efficiency themes. Funding will not support projects that duplicate existing initiatives, lack meaningful innovation, fall outside manufacturing environments, or focus on activities such as warehousing, distribution, construction, off-site repair, or product design for manufacture.

This opportunity focuses on developing advanced electronic components that can be used in smart systems for automation and autonomy. The aim is to help businesses create components that are ready to be integrated into real platforms, such as robotics, drones, or industrial systems, and support how these systems sense, make decisions, and act.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing hardware or components for smart or autonomous systems
✔️ Working on AI, sensors, processing, or control technologies
✔️ Building solutions for industrial, robotics, or high performance environments
✔️ Looking to make your technology ready for integration and wider use

Should you apply?
If you are creating a component that can be used in next generation smart systems and want to make it ready for real world integration, adoption by other companies, and commercial use across multiple industries, this is a strong opportunity.

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This grant supports UK businesses in validating and demonstrating early-stage AI technologies that deliver frontier performance and are aligned with national sovereignty goals. It focuses on developing proof of concept demonstrators that showcase novel system architectures or subsystem components with the potential to scale. Applicants are expected to deliver technical validation of their AI capabilities, whether through simulation, synthetic data, or early prototype testing while clearly articulating their path to scalable data access and compute infrastructure. The competition underpins the UK government’s ambition to secure leadership in AI development and infrastructure, safeguarding future economic competitiveness, national security, and strategic independence.

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This opportunity supports organisations developing solutions that improve how wildfires are detected, monitored, and managed using space technology. The focus is on helping teams build and test services that can support real time response, improve decision making, and reduce the impact of wildfires in operational settings.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Using satellite data, positioning, or communications in your solution
✔️ Working on wildfire detection, monitoring, or prediction tools
✔️ Building systems for emergency response or environmental monitoring
✔️ Looking to develop or test a service with real world users

Should you apply?
If you are developing a solution that can improve wildfire response and want support to prove its value, test it in real conditions, and scale it with backing from ESA and industry partners, this is a strong opportunity.

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This award supports projects that help turn new cancer treatment ideas into real therapies. The focus is on generating the key data needed to prove a treatment could work, reduce early risk, and move it closer to further funding, partnerships, or commercial development.
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This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ A UK research organisation developing new cancer treatments
✔️ Working on drug discovery, biologics, or immunotherapy
✔️ Generating early proof that a treatment approach could work
✔️ An SME supporting with drug development, platforms, or specialist expertise
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Should you apply?
If you have a promising cancer treatment idea and need support to prove it works, reduce risk, and make it ready for further funding or commercial investment, this is a strong opportunity.

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This topic aims to develop open-source tools and integrated platforms for managing energy community assets, optimising local energy use, and enabling seamless interaction between households, prosumers, aggregators, and DSOs. Projects should implement real-time monitoring, forecasting, and autonomous control of energy systems, while ensuring secure, standards-based communication and interoperability across devices and networks. Solutions must be tested in at least three diverse European energy communities and involve stakeholders such as smart appliance manufacturers, home energy system developers, DSOs, and aggregators. The work should actively contribute to the BRIDGE initiative, foster replication potential, and integrate social sciences and humanities expertise to maximise societal impact.

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This competition is designed to accelerate the development of enabling technologies for commercial quantum networking, with a strong focus on building deployable components that can integrate into real-world systems.

The emphasis is on delivering practical prototypes that support secure, scalable quantum communications, while strengthening the UK’s position in next-generation networking infrastructure and sovereign technology capability.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing quantum networking components such as photonics, encryption, interfaces, or communication subsystems
✔️ Able to build a deployable prototype with a clear integration pathway into real-world platforms
✔️ Working on technologies that enable secure data transmission, distributed quantum systems, or hybrid quantum-classical networks
✔️ Focused on commercial applications with a defined market need and route to adoption

Should you apply?
If you have a prototype-stage innovation that can act as a critical building block for quantum networking, with clear technical differentiation, integration readiness, and a strong commercial pathway, this is a highly relevant opportunity to pursue.

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​The EIC Accelerator Challenges 2025 offer €250 million to support startups and SMEs developing breakthrough technologies in five key areas: advanced materials, low-emission food production, generative AI, in-space services, and future mobility. Each challenge has a dedicated budget of €50 million. These initiatives aim to drive innovation and address significant EU objectives. ​

Companies with mature healthcare innovations can access funding to accelerate product development, commercialisation and investment readiness across Europe.

The programme supports high-growth SMEs developing innovative solutions in biotech, medtech, digital health, AI, and biomarkers or diagnostics, helping them reach the next stage of commercial growth while addressing significant unmet clinical needs.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ An SME developing an innovative biotech, medtech, digital health, AI, or diagnostic solution
✔️ Have a mature product with demonstrated technical and commercial progress (IML 5–7+, depending on technology area)
✔️ Have raised at least €2 million in equity investment within the previous 36 months, including investment from at least one new investor
✔️ Looking to accelerate product development, strengthen your commercialisation strategy and prepare for your next fundraising round
✔️ Able to provide 50% co-funding alongside the EIT Health grant

Should you apply?

If you have a well-funded healthcare startup with a mature innovation, clear clinical value and strong commercial potential, this is a highly relevant opportunity. Successful applicants will demonstrate readiness to scale, a robust commercial strategy, and the ability to translate innovation into widespread healthcare adoption and future investment.

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This opportunity supports earlier stage clean energy projects that aim to improve access to affordable, reliable, and low carbon energy in developing countries. The focus is on building and testing innovative solutions that can lead to real world impact, especially in regions like Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.

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This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing clean energy solutions at an earlier stage
✔️ Working on technologies like solar, storage, or smart energy systems
✔️ Looking to test or demonstrate your solution in international markets
✔️ Have partners in developing countries

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Should you apply?
If you are developing a clean energy solution and want to test it in real world settings, build strong evidence of impact, and prepare it for future scale and commercial deployment in global markets, this is a strong opportunity.

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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.

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This topic focuses on assessing and optimising the value chains of advanced biofuels and renewable fuels of non-biological origin to strengthen EU energy security and industrial competitiveness. Projects should analyse current and future scenarios, identify integration challenges across stakeholders, and propose research, innovation, and standardisation actions to improve reliability, sustainability, and carbon removal potential. Multidisciplinary aspects—including sustainable farming, CO₂ valorisation, fuel standardisation, and land-use trade-offs—should be considered to develop win-win, integrated solutions across the entire value chain. All proposals must include a life-cycle-based sustainability assessment covering techno-economic, environmental, and social dimensions.

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This competition funds research projects focused on improving how cancer is detected earlier and diagnosed more effectively. It supports innovative ideas that could lead to better screening, earlier treatment, and improved patient outcomes. Projects should show clear potential to move into real healthcare settings and make a difference in how cancer is identified.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ A UK research organisation working on cancer detection or diagnosis
✔️ Developing new diagnostic tools, technologies, or biomarkers
✔️ Part of a collaborative project with hospitals, researchers, or industry
✔️ An SME contributing technology, expertise, or services to a research project

Should you apply?
If you are working on a new way to detect or diagnose cancer earlier, and can show clear potential to improve patient outcomes or healthcare systems, this is a strong opportunity.

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This topic aims to develop and pilot generative AI-powered tools to enhance the digitalisation, decarbonisation, and optimisation of the EU energy system across electricity, mobility, and buildings. Projects should demonstrate AI-driven energy services, system planning, and smart grid functionalities, integrating distributed assets, flexibility markets, and data exchange while ensuring interoperability across sectors and regions. Solutions must be tested across at least three EU Member States or Associated Countries, involving traditional and new energy stakeholders, including DSOs, aggregators, energy communities, and digital infrastructure providers. The work should build on existing open-source digital solutions, leverage AI Factories, adhere to relevant standards, and actively contribute to the BRIDGE initiative.

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This competition focuses on tackling the growing threat of unauthorised drones, supporting organisations to develop and validate counter-UAS technologies that can operate effectively across both civil and defence environments.

The emphasis is on building scalable, real-world solutions that can detect, track, identify and mitigate drone threats, while operating safely within regulatory constraints and protecting critical infrastructure and public spaces.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing counter-drone technologies such as detection, tracking, identification or mitigation systems
✔️ Working on dual-use solutions applicable to both civil and military environments
✔️ At TRL 5+ (or earlier stage for specific use cases like prisons) with a clear pathway to deployment
✔️ Focused on real-world use cases such as airports, prisons, critical infrastructure or public safety

Should you apply?
If you have a counter-UAS solution with strong technical capability, clear operational use, and a realistic pathway to safe, compliant deployment, this is a highly relevant opportunity to pursue.

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The Content Fund is a joint plan between Government and industry to drive growth, build talent and develop skills across the creative sectors.

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.

This fund aims to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across Wales.

This topic aims to develop and demonstrate smart building solutions that reduce energy demand, integrate renewable energy sources, and enhance grid flexibility while ensuring user comfort and satisfaction. Projects should upgrade existing building management systems, be user-friendly, and address societal needs, including the perspectives of diverse social groups. Proposals must include at least three pilot demonstrations covering different climatic zones, building types, and technical systems, and provide methods to measure energy savings, flexibility, and interoperability improvements. Societal Readiness should be embedded throughout, with SSH expertise supporting the socio-technological interface and ensuring the solutions are socially acceptable and replicable.

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Organisations developing technologies, products, services or business models that help consumers actively participate in a flexible energy system can access significant funding to accelerate commercialisation and support the UK's transition to a clean energy future.

The programme is designed to support innovations that enable consumer-led flexibility, helping households and businesses shift energy use, support grid resilience, and contribute to the UK's Clean Energy Superpower Mission. Projects are expected to deliver real-world impact by 2030 and demonstrate a credible route to deployment and adoption.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing solutions that encourage or enable consumer participation in energy flexibility markets
✔️ Able to demonstrate how your innovation can contribute to clean energy adoption, grid flexibility, or energy system optimisation by 2030
✔️ Bringing together energy sector expertise, end users, and commercial partners to accelerate impact
✔️ Looking to progress feasibility, industrial research, or experimental development activities towards commercialisation

Should you apply?

If your innovation can help unlock consumer participation in a more flexible energy system, has a clear route to UK deployment, and can demonstrate measurable impact on the transition to clean energy, this is a highly relevant opportunity. The competition supports projects ranging from early feasibility through to near-market development, with grants available up to £3 million depending on project stage.

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Companies developing breakthrough technologies with global market potential can access one of Europe's most prestigious innovation funding programmes to accelerate commercialisation and scale-up.

The EIC Accelerator is designed to support highly innovative startups and SMEs developing disruptive technologies that have the potential to create new markets or transform existing industries, particularly where private investment is difficult to secure due to technical or commercial risk.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ A startup or SME developing a breakthrough technology with strong intellectual property ownership
✔️ Operating in deep tech, AI, healthcare, sustainability, energy, advanced manufacturing, or another highly innovative sector
✔️ At TRL 6-8 with a technology approaching commercial readiness and requiring significant investment to scale
✔️ Targeting international growth and capable of delivering substantial economic impact

Should you apply?

If you have a highly differentiated innovation, strong commercial potential, and a credible route to market, the EIC Accelerator remains one of the most attractive funding opportunities available. UK companies can apply for grants of up to €2.5 million covering up to 70% of eligible project costs, while companies in other eligible countries may also access substantial equity investment through blended finance.

This competition funds long term research programmes that help mid career researchers build independence and lead their own work in cancer research. The aim is to support strong, connected research projects that explore key questions in cancer biology and generate knowledge that can lead to future breakthroughs or larger funding.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ A UK based researcher ready to lead your own cancer research programme
✔️ Working on core cancer biology or early stage scientific questions
✔️ Building a multi year research plan with several linked studies
✔️ An SME supporting with technology, data, or specialist expertise

Should you apply?
If you are ready to step into a leadership role and build a long term research programme in cancer, this is a strong opportunity.

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The competition supports collaborative industrial research projects that develop the next generation of quantum computing hardware and associated software needed to deliver scalable, programmable and fault-tolerant quantum computers. Projects should accelerate commercialisation while strengthening the UK's quantum computing supply chain and capability.

This is a strong fit if you are:

• ✔️ Developing device-level quantum computing hardware or enabling software
• ✔️ Undertaking industrial research
• ✔️ Building collaborative projects across industry and research
• ✔️ Developing technologies that improve scalability, programmability or runtime performance of universal fault-tolerant quantum computers

Projects should:

• Develop innovative quantum computing hardware and enabling software
• Address the scale, programmability and runtime requirements of universal fault-tolerant quantum computing
• Strengthen UK commercial capability and supply chains
• Demonstrate a credible route to commercialisation and UK economic impact

Application rules

• One lead application per organisation
• A lead organisation may collaborate on up to two additional applications
• Organisations not leading may collaborate on any number of applications
• Previous applications cannot be resubmitted to this competition.

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This programme supports large scale projects that develop and scale bio based solutions to replace fossil based materials and processes. The focus is on building more sustainable industries across areas like materials, chemicals, food, and manufacturing, while improving resource use and reducing environmental impact.

‍This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing bio based materials, chemicals, or products
✔️ Working on recycling, biodegradability, or circular solutions
✔️ Building technologies that use biomass or waste streams
✔️ Able to collaborate across industry, research, and supply chains

Should you apply?
If you are developing a sustainable solution that can replace fossil based products and want to scale it through strong European partnerships, demonstrate real environmental impact, and bring it closer to industrial use and market adoption, this is a strong opportunity.

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The Zenzic CAM Competition supports UK businesses developing products or services that advance Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) technology toward commercial use. Projects must mature CAM solutions to a stage where they can be demonstrated, validated, and ready for real-world deployment, helping UK companies strengthen their position in the global CAM supply chain. Eligible projects should focus on technologies enabling No-User-in-Charge (NUiC) platforms and achieve at least TRL 5–6 or MRL 4–5 by completion. Themes include on-vehicle innovations (such as sensors, control systems, and automated driving software) and off-vehicle innovations (such as connectivity, cybersecurity, data management, AI tools, and testing services). Projects can involve hardware and software development, testing, manufacturing pilots, and safety or regulatory assurance but cannot focus on trials, feasibility studies, or non-automotive applications. Only UK-registered, commercially focused businesses can lead projects, while partners may include academic, public, or non-profit organisations. All partners must pay a 3.5% industrial contribution on grants received to Zenzic, and outcomes must be showcased at a Cenex Expo event.

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.

This opportunity supports UK organisations developing innovative technologies linked to the space sector, with a strong focus on sustainability and resilience. The aim is to help turn early stage ideas into commercially viable solutions, whether they use space data on Earth or improve how space systems operate.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing a solution that uses space data or technology
✔️ Working on sustainability, climate, or environmental challenges
✔️ Building products for the space sector or related industries
✔️ Looking to turn an early stage idea into a commercial opportunity

Should you apply?
If you have a space connected idea with strong commercial potential and want funding, expert support, and access to facilities to develop it into a real product or service with impact, this is a strong opportunity.

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The Future Leaders Fellowships: Round 10 competition, administered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), aims to support ambitious research and innovation projects across various sectors. It seeks to foster excellence in innovation, encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, and develop the next generation of research and innovation leaders.

The aim of this grant is to support organisations in validating resource efficiency solutions within the construction sector. It focuses on building upon existing research to deliver an impact validation report for demonstrated solutions, informed by a recent or concurrent demonstration in the construction value chain. Projects should contribute to decarbonising the UK construction industry and improving circularity, directly supporting the UK’s Net Zero and circular economy goals.

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The SMART: SCOTLAND grant, administered by Scottish Enterprise, aims to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in conducting feasibility studies for high-risk, highly ambitious research and development (R&D) projects. The grant focuses on projects that represent a significant technological advance for the UK industry or sector concerned and have a clear commercial endpoint.

This competition is focused on improving how we understand and treat serious wounds caused in conflict or battlefield environments. It supports projects that either build better models to study how these injuries happen and develop, or create new treatments that can be used quickly after injury in tough, resource-limited settings. The aim is to improve outcomes by enabling earlier, more effective care, even when specialist support is not available.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing medical or biological research tools
✔️ Working on wound care, infection control, or trauma treatment
✔️ Building solutions for use in remote or high pressure environments
✔️ Creating simple treatments that non specialists can use

Should you apply?‍

If you are working on new ways to understand or treat serious injuries in real world, high pressure situations, especially where early intervention is critical, this is a strong opportunity.

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The Contracts for Innovation: Net Zero Living Tech Trials, Phase 3 competition, funded by Innovate UK, aims to support the development of pre-commercial innovations that assist UK Local Authorities in achieving their net zero goals. The competition focuses on conducting extended field trials to evaluate and enhance emerging technological solutions, facilitating their progression toward commercial readiness.

This competition offers up to £7.8 million to support collaborative R&D projects (£1m–£3m eligible costs) that improve productivity, sustainability, and resilience in English agriculture, accelerate the transition to net zero, and deliver clear commercial benefits to farmers, growers, or foresters. Projects must be collaborative, include at least one SME, involve end users and the UK research community, last up to 30 months, and demonstrate strong knowledge exchange plans to drive sector-wide adoption.

This grant focuses on accelerating the shift to electric-powered maritime systems by funding large-scale projects that build, deploy and operate battery-electric vessels and supporting infrastructure in real-world conditions over multiple years.

The aim is to move beyond testing and into full operational use, proving that electric maritime solutions can work reliably at scale across ports, inland waterways and wider maritime environments.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing 100% battery electric vessels or electrification upgrades for existing fleets
✔️ Building charging infrastructure, shore power systems or port energy solutions that support vessel electrification
✔️ A UK business capable of leading a large consortium and delivering complex infrastructure and deployment projects
✔️ Ready to demonstrate your solution in a live operational environment for an extended period

Should you apply?
If you have an advanced clean maritime solution focused on electrification, with a clear plan to build, deploy and operate it at scale alongside strong commercial partners and end users, this is a highly relevant opportunity.

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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.

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This competition aims to strengthen collaborative research and development between the Netherlands and the UK to commercialise quantum technologies. It funds feasibility and industrial research projects focused on developing, prototyping, and testing commercial quantum solutions in areas such as entanglement-based quantum networking, quantum computing algorithms and software, and quantum sensing for applications like biosensing, public infrastructure, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT).

This competition focuses on advancing dual-use aviation technologies, helping organisations move innovative systems closer to real-world deployment across both civil and defence applications.

The emphasis is on progressing technologies beyond mid-stage development, improving integration and operational readiness, and demonstrating clear pathways to commercialisation at scale.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing aviation systems such as UAS, eVTOL, eCTOL, or autonomous/swarming technologies
✔️ Working on solutions that can be applied across both civil and military use cases
✔️ At TRL 5+ with a clear plan to progress towards operational deployment
✔️ Collaborating with a UK-based customer or operator to validate real-world use

Should you apply?
If you have a dual-use aviation innovation with strong commercial and defence relevance, a clear route to market, and the ability to demonstrate real-world application and scale, this is a highly relevant opportunity to pursue.

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Breakthrough 6 invites innovative ideas from appointed water companies in England and Wales to tackle major water sector challenges and deliver benefits for customers, communities, and the environment. Entries should request £150,000–£2 million in funding, with partners contributing at least 10% financially. Collaboration is strongly encouraged, particularly with SMEs and other sector organisations. Projects can run for less than a year or extend beyond 2031, with successful applicants notified by April 2026 following eligibility checks and panel review.

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This opportunity supports bold, early stage ideas that could lead to major breakthroughs in science and technology. The focus is on high risk, high reward projects that explore new directions, challenge current thinking, and have the potential to open up entirely new fields or capabilities.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Exploring a novel or unconventional research idea
✔️ Working on early stage science or breakthrough technologies
✔️ Challenging existing approaches or assumptions
✔️ An individual, startup, SME, or research team with a bold concept

Should you apply?
If you have a high risk idea that would not typically get funded elsewhere and want support to explore it, prove its potential, and turn it into a future breakthrough or larger programme, this is a strong opportunity.

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The Full ADOPT Grant: Round 2 aims to support farming, growing, or forestry businesses in England to conduct on-farm trials and demonstration projects. The goal is to test innovative ideas or solutions that address significant on-farm or immediate post-farmgate challenges or opportunities, thereby improving productivity, resilience, sustainability, and progression towards net-zero farming.

Companies undertaking ambitious R&D projects in Scotland can access grant funding to develop innovative products, processes or services that strengthen competitiveness and deliver significant economic impact.

The programme supports businesses carrying out substantial research and development projects aligned with Scotland's economic transformation priorities, helping companies accelerate innovation that might otherwise be delayed or not proceed.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ A business based in, or planning to locate in, the Scottish Enterprise region
✔️ Developing a significant new product, process or service, or a major improvement to an existing one
✔️ Delivering a large-scale R&D project with at least £1 million of company investment
✔️ Able to demonstrate strong commercial potential, clear economic benefits for Scotland, and the need for grant funding to enable the project
✔️ Working in one of Scotland's priority growth areas, including clean energy, life sciences, quantum, FinTech, space, advanced manufacturing or other high-growth industries

Should you apply?

If you have a commercially ambitious R&D project that will strengthen your business while creating high-value economic impact in Scotland, this is a highly relevant opportunity. Successful applicants will demonstrate genuine innovation, strong commercial prospects, experienced project delivery capability, and a compelling case that grant funding is essential to unlock the project's full potential.

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This opportunity supports very early stage AI ideas, helping teams move from rough concepts to tested solutions. There are two entry points depending on how developed your idea is, either exploring the idea at a very early stage or testing whether it can actually work in practice. The goal is to help shape strong AI innovations and prepare them for further development and larger funding.

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This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Exploring a new AI idea that is still being shaped
✔️ Testing whether an AI concept is technically possible
✔️ Building early proof that your solution can work
✔️ Looking to move from idea stage into structured development

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Should you apply?
If you have an early stage AI idea and want funding to explore it, test feasibility, and build a clear path towards a more developed and scalable solution ready for future funding stages, this is a strong opportunity.

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​The European Space Agency (ESA) invites proposals for feasibility studies and demonstration projects that leverage space-based services and applications to enhance smart cities. This initiative addresses challenges arising from rapid urban population growth and climate change, focusing on areas such as urban development, emissions, air pollution, digital communication, transport, and urban overheating.

This competition funds large, long term research programmes focused on understanding cancer at a deeper level. The aim is to support ambitious projects that explore how cancer works, helping generate new knowledge that could lead to future breakthroughs in treatment or prevention.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ A UK based researcher leading a major cancer research programme
✔️ Working on core cancer biology or discovery research
✔️ Building a long term, multi study research plan
✔️ An SME supporting with technology, data, or specialist expertise

Should you apply?
If you are leading an ambitious research programme that aims to unlock new understanding of cancer and drive future breakthroughs, this is a strong opportunity.

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This opportunity supports organisations developing space enabled solutions to improve water systems and resilience. The focus is on tackling challenges like water quality, leakage, flooding, and infrastructure issues by using satellite data and technologies to build smarter, more efficient water management systems.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Using satellite data, sensors, or connected systems in your solution
✔️ Working on water management, utilities, or environmental monitoring
✔️ Looking to develop or test a new service or product
✔️ Building solutions for infrastructure, climate resilience, or resource efficiency

Should you apply?
If you are developing a solution that can improve how water is managed and want support to prove it works, test it with real users, and move towards commercial deployment using space technology, this is a strong opportunity.

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The NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme invites stage 1 applications for research addressing health service practices with potential to improve patient and NHS user wellbeing. As a researcher-led initiative, it welcomes diverse proposals tackling health service challenges. The programme funds high-quality quantitative and qualitative research with clear patient benefit, emphasizing public and patient involvement and co-development with service users.

Rail suppliers with mature technologies now have an opportunity to prove their solutions in live railway environments and accelerate adoption across the UK rail network.

The programme focuses on high-maturity demonstrations that help organisations validate integration, gather operational evidence, de-risk implementation, and demonstrate measurable benefits for the rail industry.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing a TRL 5+ solution ready for real-world railway trials
✔️ Able to work with rail operators, infrastructure owners, or integration partners
✔️ Looking to demonstrate operational, safety, customer experience, infrastructure, or environmental benefits
✔️ Seeking to accelerate commercial adoption through live testing and evaluation

Should you apply?

If your technology is ready for demonstration in a railway environment and you can clearly show how it integrates into rail operations while delivering measurable outcomes, this is a highly relevant opportunity to pursue.

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This opportunity supports projects testing clean maritime technologies before they are deployed in real world conditions. The focus is on developing and trialling solutions on land, such as in factories or dry docks, to reduce emissions in the maritime sector. Projects should show clear potential to cut carbon and prepare technologies for future use on vessels or within port infrastructure.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing clean maritime or shipping technologies
✔️ Working on low or zero emission fuels, energy systems, or vessel upgrades
✔️ Building smart shipping or digital solutions that improve efficiency
✔️ Already have partners including end users like ports or vessel operators

Should you apply?
If you have a maritime innovation that needs real world testing before deployment, and want to prove its impact on reducing emissions while preparing for future commercial use across vessels or ports, this is a strong opportunity.

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This opportunity supports organisations developing space enabled services or applications, helping them move from idea to real world use. It funds both early stage work to prove a concept and later stage projects that test solutions with real users, with the goal of reducing risk and preparing for commercial launch.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing a service that uses space data or technology
✔️ Looking to validate an idea or build a minimum viable product
✔️ Ready to test your solution with real customers or users
✔️ Working across sectors where space data can add value

Should you apply?
If you have a space enabled solution and want support to prove it works, test it in real world conditions, and move towards commercial deployment with customers and partners, this is a strong opportunity.

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Companies developing highly innovative, late-stage products, services or processes can access flexible loan funding to accelerate commercialisation while retaining equity.

The programme supports UK SMEs undertaking close-to-market experimental development projects with strong commercial potential, providing repayable finance for businesses that can demonstrate both innovation and the ability to repay the loan.

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This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ A UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise developing a highly innovative product, process, service or business model
✔️ Working on a late-stage R&D project with a clear route to commercialisation and significant economic impact
✔️ Operating within one of the six Industrial Strategy sectors: Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Creative Industries, Defence, Digital and Technologies, or Life Sciences
✔️ Able to demonstrate that public funding is needed, while having the financial capability to meet interest payments and repay the loan
✔️ Looking for flexible funding to support both experimental development and eligible pre-commercialisation activities without giving up equity

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Should you apply?

If your innovation is close to market, has a compelling commercial opportunity, and your business has a strong financial plan with the ability to repay the loan, this is a highly relevant opportunity. Successful applicants will combine strong technical innovation with a credible commercial strategy, clear market demand and the potential to deliver lasting economic and societal benefits for the UK.

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This programme supports SMEs developing innovative technologies for the aerospace sector, helping move ideas closer to real world use. The focus is on advancing solutions that can contribute to cleaner, more efficient aviation, while also supporting growth across the wider aerospace supply chain.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing technology for the civil aerospace sector
✔️ An SME looking to scale innovation with industry impact
✔️ Working on solutions that improve efficiency, sustainability, or performance
✔️ Able to collaborate or build a strong project with other partners

Should you apply?
If you are building an aerospace innovation with strong commercial potential and want to develop it further, gain industry traction, and position your solution for adoption across the aerospace supply chain, this is a strong opportunity.

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Organisations developing innovative solutions for identifying Special Educational Needs (SEN) can access funding to create, validate, and prepare tools for widespread adoption across education and health settings.

The programme focuses on improving the early, fair, and consistent identification of children with SEN, helping ensure they receive appropriate support sooner while reducing variation in assessment across the UK.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing innovative assessment tools, digital platforms, frameworks, or services that improve the early identification of SEN
✔️ Creating solutions that support frontline professionals, schools, health services, or early years providers to identify children's strengths and support needs more accurately
✔️ Using technologies such as AI, data analytics, speech and language assessment, or health data with a clear educational application
✔️ Working with schools, healthcare providers, local authorities, or family support organisations to pilot and validate your solution
✔️ Able to demonstrate a clear route to commercialisation or adoption within existing education or health systems

Should you apply?

If you have an innovative solution that can improve the speed, consistency, and accuracy of SEN identification, and can demonstrate real-world testing, user co-design, safeguarding, and a credible pathway to adoption and scale, this is a strong opportunity. Successful projects will deliver practical tools that improve outcomes for children while supporting future integration into education and healthcare services.

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The MRC-NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme invites applications to assess novel non-pharmacological approaches for diagnosing, treating, or managing ADHD in children and adults. Proposals should target core symptoms or related conditions and provide strong clinical rationale and proof of concept. Evaluations must focus on interventions or technologies with convincing human evidence of efficacy, including diagnostic tools with promising sensitivity, specificity, or predictive value.

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This opportunity supports the development of healthcare technologies that can be used in the NHS or social care. It focuses on helping teams move proven ideas closer to real world use by funding product development, testing, and real world validation. The aim is to reduce risk and make innovations more attractive to buyers, investors, and healthcare providers.
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This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing a medical device, diagnostic, or digital health solution
✔️ Working on a product that already has proof it can work
✔️ Looking to test, validate, or scale a healthcare innovation
✔️ Able to collaborate with at least one other organisation
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Should you apply?
If you have a healthcare solution that already shows promise and need funding to develop it further, prove its value in real settings, and move towards NHS adoption and commercial success, this is a strong opportunity.

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Companies developing breakthrough technologies for critical raw materials can access funding to accelerate the commercialisation and scale-up of innovations that strengthen Europe's supply chains and reduce reliance on imported strategic materials.

The programme supports deep tech solutions across the critical raw materials value chain, from exploration and extraction through to processing, refining, and recycling, while improving sustainability and supporting Europe's industrial resilience.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ An SME or startup developing deep tech innovations for critical or strategic raw materials
✔️ Working on technologies for exploration, mining, processing, refining, metallurgy, or recycling of critical raw materials
✔️ Using advanced technologies such as AI, robotics, remote sensing, autonomous systems, bioleaching, hydrometallurgy, nanofiltration, or urban mining
✔️ Developing solutions that improve sustainability, resource efficiency, circularity, and reduce environmental impact across the raw materials value chain
✔️ Able to demonstrate a strong commercial case, clear market opportunity, and contribution to Europe's strategic raw materials security

Should you apply?

If you have a breakthrough deep tech innovation that strengthens Europe's critical raw materials supply chain and has the potential to scale internationally, this is a highly relevant opportunity. Successful applicants will combine technical innovation with a clear route to commercialisation, measurable sustainability benefits, and a compelling contribution to Europe's strategic autonomy and industrial competitiveness.

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The aim of the Scale up Fund is to support manufacturing facility and process development at pilot scale or demonstration scale. These projects will enable businesses to validate manufacturing capability and commercial viability, achieving market entry at the targeted production volume from the project outcomes.

The UK Battery Innovation Competition funds projects that advance battery technology and strengthen the UK supply chain. It supports innovations in materials, manufacturing, testing, and recycling to reduce costs, boost performance and safety, and cut environmental impact. Priority areas include production process optimisation, battery reuse and recycling, and building a resilient, sustainable UK supply chain. Projects may trial new technologies, adapt existing methods, or commercialise scientific advances for sectors such as automotive, aerospace, energy storage, and defence. Grants range from £70,000 to £500,000 for projects lasting 6–18 months, led by a UK-registered business with at least one SME partner. Collaborators can include other businesses, universities, RTOs, or charities. Projects focusing on system integration or non-rechargeable batteries are not eligible.

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This topic supports the demonstration of innovative thermal energy storage solutions for concentrated solar power and solar thermal applications, aiming to improve performance, cost-effectiveness, and lifespan compared with current technologies. Projects should deliver a clear go/no-go milestone before demonstration, including detailed engineering plans, techno-economic assessments, and all necessary permits. Expected outcomes include reduced levelised costs of heat or energy, improved bankability for technology providers, and enhanced grid reliability for variable-output renewables. Proposals must address environmental and socio-economic sustainability, align with Safe and Sustainable by Design principles, and include robust exploitation and dissemination plans with commercialisation and scalability strategies.

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The Advanced Battery Innovation Competition funds UK projects that speed up the development and commercialisation of battery technologies, strengthen the supply chain, and boost global competitiveness. Projects must show market demand and address technical, financial, and environmental challenges in areas such as materials, cell design, manufacturing, quality control, or digital tools. They should deliver benefits like reduced cost, improved performance, or lower environmental impact. Priority areas include scalable UK manufacturing, battery recycling and recovery, and local, sustainable supply chains. Projects can support concept development or validation for sectors such as automotive, aerospace, energy storage, rail, and defence. Grants range from £500,000 to £4 million for 1–3 years, led by a UK-registered business with at least one SME partner, and collaboration open to academic, public, or non-profit organisations.

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This opportunity supports early stage ideas focused on improving access to clean, affordable, and reliable energy in developing countries. The aim is to help teams explore feasibility, test concepts, and build early evidence that a solution could work and deliver real social and environmental impact.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Exploring a new clean energy idea or concept
✔️ Working on early stage solutions like solar, storage, or clean transport
✔️ Looking to test feasibility before full development
✔️ Interested in delivering impact in developing countries

Should you apply?
If you have an early stage clean energy idea and want to test whether it works, build initial evidence, and understand its real world potential before moving into larger development or scale projects, this is a strong opportunity.

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This topic aims to develop and validate planning methods and procedures that accelerate the uptake of innovative building solutions, enhancing whole life carbon performance, sustainability, circularity, climate resilience, and safety across the built environment. Projects should demonstrate these methods in at least three countries with diverse climates and building stock, including at least two renovation contexts, and assess their effectiveness compared to a “business as usual” scenario. Proposals must actively involve public and private stakeholders, including municipalities, citizens, civil society, and the construction sector, while integrating social sciences and humanities expertise to maximise societal impact. The work should contribute to the Built4People partnership and its network of innovation clusters, supporting monitoring of relevant KPIs.

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Women founders building deep tech startups can access equity-free funding and tailored business support to accelerate technology development, strengthen investment readiness, and prepare for future scale-up funding opportunities.

The programme is specifically designed to help women-led deep tech companies bridge the gap between technical validation and commercial growth while increasing female representation within Europe's innovation ecosystem.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ A woman founder or co-founder in a senior leadership role (CEO, CTO, CSO, or equivalent) within a deep tech startup
✔️ Developing a proprietary technology in areas such as AI, advanced materials, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, energy, robotics, quantum, space, connectivity, or advanced sensing
✔️ Operating at TRL 4-6 and looking to accelerate commercialisation and market validation
✔️ An SME less than five years old that has raised under €1 million in equity funding
✔️ Seeking investor readiness support, mentoring, and access to European innovation and investment networks


Should you apply?

If you are leading an early-stage deep tech company with a strong technological innovation and clear commercial potential, this is an excellent opportunity to secure non-dilutive funding while building the foundations for future investment. Successful applicants typically combine a novel technology, ambitious growth plans, and a clear pathway towards commercialisation, scale-up, and future programmes such as the EIC Accelerator.

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The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched the "Space for Intermodal Transport" funding opportunity to support European teams in developing sustainable, space-based services and applications that enhance intermodal transport for both freight and passengers. This initiative aims to improve the efficiency, flexibility, and environmental sustainability of transportation systems by integrating multiple modes of transport through innovative solutions utilizing satellite data and space-based technologies. ​

Arts Council National Lottery are offering funding to people in England who are creative, or work in the arts, museums or libraries. The fund supports thousands of individual practitioners, community and cultural organisations

Creative UK have partnered with Triodos Bank on the Creative Growth Finance fund to offer loans of £100,000 to £1m* to businesses that bring change, disruption and new IP to the creative industries, harness creativity with technologies and supporting businesses and are talent led.

This strand focuses on early stage feasibility work for clean maritime solutions. The aim is to help teams explore whether an idea is technically and commercially viable before moving into testing or deployment. Projects are mainly desk based and should build a clear case for future real world use, especially in reducing emissions across maritime operations.

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This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Exploring a new clean maritime concept or idea
✔️ Assessing feasibility before committing to development or testing
✔️ Working on green shipping, infrastructure, or maritime skills
✔️ Collaborating with partners like ports, operators, or industry bodies

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Should you apply?
If you are at an early stage and need to validate your idea, understand costs and impact, and build a strong foundation for future trials, investment, or deployment in the maritime sector, this is a strong opportunity.

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The Circular Electricals Fund provides up to £1 million in funding to support projects that contribute to a more circular economy for electrical products. The aim is to fund initiatives that encourage reuse, refurbishment, recycling, or resource efficiency in the electricals sector, helping to reduce environmental impact and drive sustainability through innovation.

This topic supports large-scale demonstration of advanced biofuels and renewable fuels of non-biological origin to meet the needs of sectors such as aviation, shipping, and energy-intensive industries. Projects should engage feedstock developers, technology providers, fuel suppliers, end users, and public authorities to deliver ready-to-deploy, economically viable solutions while assessing the impact of actual feedstocks on plant design and operation. Expected outcomes include de-risking innovative technologies, supporting scale-up, enhancing sustainability and GHG reduction, and providing evidence to inform policy, regulatory decisions, and investment. Proposals must include robust exploitation and dissemination plans, covering commercialisation, scalability, business cases, local economic impact, and full value chain assessments.

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UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £25 million for game-changing and commercially viable R&D innovation that can significantly impact the UK economy. This funding is from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation.

The DASA Open Call for Innovation aims to identify and fund innovative ideas that enhance the defence and security of the UK. It provides a broad mechanism for innovators to present disruptive concepts, technologies, or services to defence and security stakeholders, even in the absence of a specific requirement.

This programme is focused on taking clean maritime technologies all the way through to real-world deployment and operation at scale. It is designed for ambitious projects that can build, deploy and run solutions over multiple years in live environments, helping position the UK as a leader in maritime decarbonisation.‍

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This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing vessel or port technologies that significantly reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency
✔️ Able to deliver a large-scale project involving build, deployment and multi-year real-world operation
✔️ A UK business leading a consortium with strong commercial and delivery partners
✔️ Targeting solutions such as alternative fuels, electrification, charging infrastructure or vessel efficiency upgrades‍

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Should you apply?
If you have a mature, high-value solution ready to be deployed and operated in real-world maritime environments, with the capability to deliver a large collaborative project and demonstrate long-term impact, this is a strong opportunity.

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Provide financial support to highly innovative, late-stage R&D projects that demonstrate the potential for significant economic impact and a clear path to commercialisation.

This competition funds small, early stage research projects focused on improving how cancer is detected and diagnosed. The aim is to support initial ideas by helping teams test feasibility, generate early data, or prove that a concept could work. It is designed to build the foundation for larger future research projects with real clinical impact.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ A UK research organisation exploring early stage cancer detection ideas
✔️ Testing a new concept, tool, or approach for diagnosis
✔️ Running a pilot or feasibility study to generate early data
✔️ An SME supporting with technology, data, or specialist expertise

Should you apply?
If you have an early idea that needs initial validation before scaling into a larger project, this is a strong opportunity.

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The READ-OUT Digital Cognitive Dementia Assessments competition, funded by Innovate UK, supports the deployment and evaluation of high-maturity digital cognitive assessments (DCAs) for dementia within the READ-OUT blood-based biomarker study led by the University of Oxford, contributing to wider initiatives like the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative.With up to £1.2 million in total funding (inclusive of VAT), single projects can receive up to £600,000, starting on 1 August 2025 and lasting up to 20 months, to be completed by 31 March 2027. Proposals must demonstrate real-world readiness, show potential impact on dementia diagnosis and care, and be aimed at integrating DCAs into existing clinical pathways. The competition is open to organisations of any size, with collaboration optional, and projects must stay within the £600,000 cost limit and adhere to the defined timeline.

This topic seeks projects that develop and validate integrated space technologies to support crisis and security practitioners, enhancing EU security, resilience, and cybersecurity. Proposals should leverage Galileo, EGNOS, and, where relevant, Copernicus or GOVSATCOM to deliver close-to-market solutions in security operations, critical infrastructure resilience, or crisis management. Projects must include a business plan, involve SMEs and midcaps, and demonstrate large-scale operational impact, with participation from at least two crisis or security organisations across different EU or associated countries. Activities are expected to reach TRL 7–9 by project end, focusing on commercial readiness and practical uptake of space-based technologies.

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The Urban Mobility Explained (UMX) Open Call, run by EIT Urban Mobility, funds the development and delivery of professional training and learning services that address urban mobility knowledge gaps and support more liveable cities. It is open to a wide range of organisations across EU Member States and Horizon Europe–associated countries, with projects eligible for up to €700,000 in funding over a maximum of 35 months. Proposals should align with the strategic objectives of the EIT Urban Mobility Academy and demonstrate impact, scalability, and financial sustainability. The call supports a broad range of training-related activities, from course development and commercialisation to scaling successful programmes and providing operational support services.

The grant aims to help early-stage start-ups develop innovative ideas with clear routes to commercialisation and business growth.

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–Support development in five critical technologies: Projects must focus on at least one of the following: artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, advanced connectivity technologies, quantum technologies, or engineering biology.

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–Enable new products, processes, or services: The goal is to foster innovations that are significantly ahead of current offerings or propose new uses or business models.

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–Provide targeted business support: In addition to funding, tailored business support is offered to help businesses grow and scale.

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This opportunity is focused on early-stage innovation in offshore wind, supporting feasibility projects that can strengthen the UK supply chain and accelerate progress towards large-scale deployment.

The emphasis is on developing practical, scalable solutions that improve cost, performance, and efficiency across offshore wind technologies, aligned with the UK’s industrial growth ambitions.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Exploring new concepts or approaches in offshore wind components, systems or services
✔️ Developing technologies linked to floating foundations, deepwater structures or advanced manufacturing processes
✔️ Building solutions for cables, electrical systems or autonomous environmental monitoring
✔️ Working on innovations that improve installation, operations, maintenance or asset lifespan

Should you apply?
If you have a well-defined early-stage idea with clear technical feasibility goals, strong relevance to offshore wind supply chain challenges, and a credible path toward future development or commercialisation, this is a strong opportunity to explore and validate your concept.

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This programme is designed to accelerate the development and validation of advanced quantum computing systems, with a strong focus on scaling performance and proving real-world readiness.

The emphasis is on building and operating testbeds that allow independent evaluation, while strengthening the UK’s quantum ecosystem through increased user adoption, enterprise capability and industrial growth.

This is a strong fit if you are:

✔️ Developing quantum computing architectures or technologies that improve performance and scalability
✔️ Able to build and operate a testbed environment for validation, verification and external access
✔️ An organisation with the capability to deliver large, complex R&D projects with strong UK-based activity
✔️ Working towards commercial and industrial applications with clear economic and societal impact‍

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Should you apply?
If you have a mature quantum technology with a clear pathway to scaling, strong technical and operational capability, and the ability to deliver a UK-based testbed that supports validation, adoption and long-term ecosystem growth, this is a highly relevant opportunity to pursue.

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The EIC Pathfinder Open aims to support ambitious, high-risk research projects that develop radically new technologies with the potential to create new markets or provide transformative solutions to major challenges. It focuses on early-stage scientific research and breakthrough innovation, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and visionary technological developments.

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The grant aims to support organisations in developing and validating resource efficiency solutions within the chemicals sector. The primary focus is to build on the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Unlocking Resource Efficiency research, helping organisations deliver an impact validation report for demonstrated resource efficiency solutions. The competition targets high maturity demonstrations and the validation of innovations that can measurably reduce emissions and improve circularity in the chemicals value chain.

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The LSIMF will provide capital grants across the UK and sector-wide to support investments in the manufacturing of human medicines (including active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished products), medical diagnostics (for disease identification and monitoring), and MedTech products (medical devices for human health). The fund will remain open until all funding is allocated.

This topic seeks projects that enhance the reliability, safety, and efficiency of wind energy systems, contributing to reduced operational, financial, and climate-related risks while strengthening the European wind energy supply chain. Proposals should develop and validate solutions across areas such as predictive maintenance, condition and health monitoring, component reliability, operation optimisation, and digital tools, with a focus on critical subsystems. Projects are expected to produce FAIR data, incorporate digitalisation and advanced sensor technologies, and improve safety protocols, downtime, and operational costs. Solutions should be standardisable, scalable, and support the strategic autonomy, competitiveness, and technology leadership of the European wind energy sector.

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​The European Space Agency's Open Call for Proposals invites businesses from any sector to apply for funding throughout the year to develop new commercial services that utilise one or more space assets, such as satellite communications, Earth observation, or satellite navigation.

The SMART: SCOTLAND grant aims to support high-risk, highly ambitious projects providing support to conduct feasibility studies. It’s only available to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) based in Scotland

This topic aims to improve understanding and management of the cumulative environmental impacts of large-scale offshore wind deployment, including effects on biodiversity and marine ecosystems, throughout the full project life cycle. Projects should develop and validate monitoring tools, models, and assessment methods to support Maritime Spatial Planning, environmental impact assessments, and mitigation strategies, ensuring data are FAIR and widely accessible. Expected outcomes include better-informed planning and decision-making, improved environmental monitoring, and deployment of offshore wind with minimal or net-positive impacts on marine and coastal environments. Proposals should also ensure complementarities with existing Horizon Europe projects and relevant European research infrastructures.

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The Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) Feasibility Studies Competition funds short projects that explore early commercial uses for driverless transport in the UK. It supports organisations developing business cases for services such as freight, public transport, personal mobility, and specialist vehicles. Projects should last 6–9 months, start on 1 April 2026, and request £100,000–£250,000. Eligible leads include UK-registered businesses, local or transport authorities (working with at least one business if public sector-led). Limited trials are allowed to support feasibility studies. The competition opens 6 October 2025 and closes 26 November 2025, with results announced 16 January 2026 and around a 50% success rate.

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