Connect with Experts, Specialist Support and Facilities
- Innovate UK
- UK-wide
Route for businesses to find technical experts, specialist support and research facilities for innovation projects.
- Innovation & R&D
- Facilities & Technical Support
Funding Provider
Innovate UK
The UK's national innovation agency, supporting and funding business-led innovation in all sectors, technologies and UK regions, including manufacturing research and development.
UK-wide
How they can help
The UK's national innovation agency, supporting and funding business-led innovation in all sectors, technologies and UK regions, including manufacturing research and development.
Support and programmes
Service Advice & guidance Innovate UK Business Growth
- Innovate UK
- UK-wide
Innovation and growth advisory service pairing innovating businesses with specialist advisers.
- Business Growth
- Innovation & R&D
Toolkit UKRI Funding Finder
- Innovate UK
- UK-wide
Searchable listing of open UK Research and Innovation funding opportunities, including innovation competitions.
- Funding & Grants
- Innovation & R&D
Funding opportunities
Grant Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (aKT)
Innovate UK
Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (aKT) is a UK funding programme. UK businesses partnering with an academic to deliver a 4-month feasibility-style KTP. Funding: Up to £35k. SMEs accessing rapid academic feasibility support. It is published as a standard listing — verify current rounds and full criteria on the official source before applying.
- UK-wide
Grant EPSRC Prosperity Partnerships
Innovate UK
EPSRC Prosperity Partnerships is a UK funding programme. Co-created business-led research partnerships between UK universities and established companies. Industry must commit significant cash and in-kind support. Funding: Typically £1m–£3m. Established businesses partnering with universities on strategic research challenges. It is published as a standard listing — verify current rounds and full criteria on the official source before applying.
- UK-wide
Grant Eureka Eurostars (UK)
Innovate UK
UK funding into Eurostars international SME R&D projects. International R&D funding for innovative SMEs collaborating across Eurostars member countries, with UK funding from Innovate UK. It is aimed at R&D-performing SMEs with international partners. Eligibility typically requires UK R&D-performing SMEs partnered with eligible international partners. Application: Eurostars call deadlines.
- UK-wide
Grant Faraday Battery Challenge
Innovate UK
A UKRI / Innovate UK challenge funding battery research and commercialisation across the UK battery value chain — cells, materials, manufacturing, recycling, and integration. Funded as a portfolio: industrial R&D competitions (run via Innovate UK), the Faraday Institution (academic research), and UKBIC (manufacturing scale-up facility access). Best understood as a route into the UK battery ecosystem, not a single grant. Most genuine industrial opportunities now come through Innovate UK competitions branded "Faraday Battery Challenge" or via UKBIC access, rather than a standalone application portal.
- UK-wide
Grant Horizon Europe (UK participation)
Innovate UK
Horizon Europe is the EU's flagship research and innovation programme; UK organisations are now associated and can lead or join projects, with UKRI guarantee funding in place where applicable. Best suited to organisations that can build or join international research consortia — typically universities, research-intensive SMEs and large industrials. Successful applicants almost always have prior Innovate UK or KTP delivery track record and existing European partners before bidding into a Horizon call.
- UK-wide
Grant ICURe Innovate Programme
Innovate UK
Market validation programme for university spinout teams. Market discovery programme funding university researchers to test commercial potential of their research and form spinouts. It is aimed at University researchers exploring spinouts. Eligibility typically requires Eligible researchers from UK universities/research organisations. Application: Cohort rounds.
- UK-wide
Grant Industrial Energy Transformation Fund
Innovate UK
The Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) provides DESNZ capital and feasibility / engineering-study grants to high-energy UK industrial sites cutting energy use and emissions. Open to existing manufacturing facilities — not new builds, speculative projects or non-industrial sites. Typical awards range from £100k feasibility studies to multi-million-pound deployment grants. Best suited to sites that have already scoped abatement options and have board-level commitment to invest the matched capital.
- UK-wide
Grant Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Calls (Open)
Innovate UK
Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Calls (Open) is a UK funding programme. UK industrial R&D consortia responding to open Challenge Fund competitions. Funding: £500k–£25m. UK industrial R&D consortia in active challenges. It is published as a standard listing — verify current rounds and full criteria on the official source before applying.
- UK-wide
Grant Innovate UK Analysis for Innovators (A4I)
Innovate UK
Innovate UK Analysis for Innovators (A4I) is a UK funding programme. UK businesses with measurement/analysis problems matched with national laboratory expertise. Funding: Up to £100k. UK SMEs needing analytical or measurement R&D. It is published as a standard listing — verify current rounds and full criteria on the official source before applying.
- UK-wide
Grant Innovate UK Collaborative R&D
Innovate UK
Innovate UK Collaborative R&D is a UK funding programme. UK consortia (at least two organisations including an SME) delivering industrial R&D projects. Funding: £500k–£10m+. UK industrial R&D consortia. It is published as a standard listing — verify current rounds and full criteria on the official source before applying.
- UK-wide
Grant Innovate UK Feasibility Studies
Innovate UK
Innovate UK funds feasibility studies as part of its Smart Grants and themed competitions. These smaller-scale grants help SMEs test the technical and commercial viability of innovative ideas before committing to larger industrial research or experimental development projects. Innovate UK funding for early-stage technical and commercial feasibility studies. Eligibility typically requires UK SMEs (often led by micro and small businesses) testing technical and commercial viability of an innovation. Funding is typically Smaller-scale feasibility grants.
- UK-wide
Loan Innovate UK Innovation Loans
Innovate UK
Patient, late-stage R&D loans (typically £100k–£2m, sometimes higher) from Innovate UK for SMEs commercialising an innovation that is too late-stage for grant funding but too early or too risky for commercial debt. Interest-only periods, sub-commercial rates, and bespoke security arrangements.
- UK-wide
Grant Innovate UK Launchpads
Innovate UK
Innovate UK Launchpads is a UK funding programme. UK SMEs in designated regional innovation clusters across digital, net-zero, cyber, agri-tech and creative sectors. Funding: Cluster-specific. Cluster-anchored UK SMEs co-investing in cluster R&D. It is published as a standard listing — verify current rounds and full criteria on the official source before applying.
- UK-wide
Grant Innovation Accelerator Programme
Innovate UK
Innovation Accelerator Programme is a UK funding programme. Businesses and research organisations in Glasgow, Greater Manchester, and West Midlands clusters. Funding: Up to £33m per cluster. Cluster-anchored R&D consortia in the three innovation accelerator regions. It is published as a standard listing — verify current rounds and full criteria on the official source before applying.
- UK-wide
Grant Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)
Innovate UK
A three-way partnership between a business, a UK knowledge base (university, college, research organisation) and a graduate "Associate" embedded in the business. Innovate UK part-funds the project — typically 50% for SMEs, 33% for larger firms — to transfer specialist capability into the company.
- UK-wide
Grant Knowledge Transfer Partnerships — Management KTP
Innovate UK
A KTP variant that brings management expertise from a UK business school into an SME via an embedded Associate. A variant of KTP focused on embedding strategic management practice from a UK business school into an SME. It is aimed at SMEs seeking strategic management capability uplift with academic support. Eligibility typically requires UK SMEs partnering with a UK business school. Subsidy rates set per call. Application: Aligned with KTP rounds.
- UK-wide
Grant Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP)
Innovate UK
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) is a UK funding programme. UK businesses partnering with universities and a graduate associate on a strategic innovation project. Funding: ~£40k–£75k/yr (67% grant for SMEs). UK SMEs embedding academic expertise via a graduate. It is published as a standard listing — verify current rounds and full criteria on the official source before applying.
- UK-wide
Grant Made Smarter Innovation
Innovate UK
Made Smarter Innovation is the UK government's research and innovation programme for industrial digital technologies in manufacturing, sitting alongside the Made Smarter Adoption programme. It funds R&D calls, sector research centres and demonstrator projects across UK manufacturing. UKRI/Innovate UK's R&D programme for industrial digital technologies in UK manufacturing. Eligibility typically requires UK manufacturers and supply-chain businesses developing or adopting industrial digital technologies. Funding is typically Themed R&D calls and centres.
- UK-wide
Grant Manufacturing Made Smarter Innovation
Innovate UK
Innovate UK R&D competitions for digital manufacturing. Innovate UK competitions funding industrial digital technology R&D across UK manufacturing supply chains. It is aimed at Manufacturers and tech partners. Eligibility typically requires UK-registered businesses; collaborative R&D with manufacturing focus. Application: Competition windows.
- UK-wide
Grant Smart Manufacturing Data Hub
Innovate UK
The Smart Manufacturing Data Hub is a national Innovate UK programme helping UK manufacturers turn production data into measurable productivity through shared infrastructure, pilots and applied R&D support. It complements Made Smarter as the data-and-analytics layer. Best suited to manufacturers with some digital maturity who want to test data-driven processes before committing to in-house platforms. Typical next steps are Innovate UK Smart Grants or APC Collaborative R&D for own-IP development.
- UK-wide