RESOURCES
Grant Funding Opportunities

Clean Energy Transition Partnership programme (CETP)

Description

The CETP programme is a transformative Research, Technological Development and Innovation (RTDI) program, designed to accelerate clean energy transition through annual funding calls.

It’s an international collaboration involving 30 countries and over 50 funding agencies, supported through the Horizon Europe R&I programme.

Our organisation is leading and delivering the programme on behalf of Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise.

The joint call for funding will open September 2023 — information events and sessions on the call start in May 2023.

SOURCE various SECTOR Grant
VALUE There’s up to £5 million available for supporting projects, assigned on a competitive basis. FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE The joint call for funding will open September 2023 — information events and sessions on the call start in May 2023.
CLOSE DATE
FULL INFORMATION

Ofgem Round 3: Call for Ideas

Description

This call for ideas is delivered in partnership with Ofgem. Future funding may be available from the Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund.

The fund aims to deliver net zero at lowest cost to consumers and support innovative businesses to grow and scale.

This opportunity is open to sole innovators or organisations of any type or size.

SOURCE Innovate UK SECTOR Energy
VALUE A total of up to £450 million exclusive of VAT is allocated to the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) until 2026. This opportunity is a Call for Ideas and does not guarantee a proposal will be taken forward. There is no funding available for this Call for Ideas. FUNDING TYPE Thirdparty
OPEN DATE 01/06/2023
CLOSE DATE
FULL INFORMATION

Defra Farming Innovation Investor Partnership

Description

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will work with The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to invest up to £5 million in innovation projects.

This funding is linked to Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme which is a partnership with UKRI’s Transforming Food Production Challenge and delivered by Innovate UK.

The aim of this competition is to:

  • develop ambitious late-stage innovative solutions, technologies, systems or approaches that will make significant steps towards improving productivity, increasing sustainability and resilience, and helping the agriculture sector move towards achieving net zero emissions by 2050
  • support late-stage experimental development projects being close to market and ultimately adoption by farmers

Your proposal must be able to demonstrate how the project will benefit farmers, growers or foresters in England.

SOURCE Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs SECTOR Agriculture
VALUE Your project’s total costs must be between £750,000 and £3 million. FUNDING TYPE Investor Partnerships
OPEN DATE 24/07/2023
CLOSE DATE 30/08/2023
FULL INFORMATION

Combined Investor Partnerships Round 12

Description

Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, has selected investor partners to work with. They have demonstrated the credibility, capability, capacity and appetite to invest in innovative, technology-led businesses in areas that align with our objectives in programme areas. The investor partners will work with Investor partnership programmes to bring together:

Innovate UK’s expertise in identifying innovation and using grant funding to change the risk profile of businesses investor partners’ aligned funding and expertise in identifying opportunities and teams that can best use extra investment finance. This approach gives your business access to the capital investment it needs to develop and commercialise your innovations.

The investor partners will work with Innovate UK to invite innovative businesses to apply for grant funding alongside their investment.

These are the eligible investor partnership programmes and the associated investor partners in this round:

Ageing Society Grand Challenge Investment Partnerships: Northstar Ventures
Clean Growth Innovation Fund: EQUANS
To be eligible for this competition you must be invited to apply by one of the investor partners. Guidance will be provided with the invite from the investor partner on the specific scope and eligibility requirements for the programme they are supporting.

To be successful, your project must be both, independently assessed by Innovate UK as fundable and receive investment from the investor partner.

SOURCE UKRI SECTOR All
VALUE Each investor partnership has an agreed range of total project costs. Your introducing investor partner will discuss this with you and inform you if your proposal is eligible. FUNDING TYPE Investor Partnerships
OPEN DATE 07/07/2023
CLOSE DATE 30/08/2023
FULL INFORMATION

Future Economy Investor Partnerships SME: round 3

Description

Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, has selected a pool of investor partners. These investor partners have demonstrated that they have the credibility, capability, capacity and appetite to invest in innovative, technology-led businesses that align with our programmes. These programmes will focus on the future economy as described in our plan for action.

The Future Economy investor partnership programme brings together:

Innovate UK’s expertise in identifying innovation and using grant funding to change the risk profile of businesses
investor partners’ aligned funding and expertise in identifying opportunities and teams that can best use extra investment finance
This approach aims to provide you with support for research and development and access to the capital investment you need to develop and commercialise your innovations.

Innovate UK provides support for your investment readiness and for engaging with suitable investors via Innovate UK Edge and Innovate UK KTN. In the first instance you should contact Innovate UK Edge for support in understanding your readiness for investment and also to look at your wider strategy for growth.

You should also contact Innovate UK KTN to establish if there are specific programmes for connecting businesses in your sector to relevant investors. Support and connections to sector specific investors may also be provided by the relevant catapult centre.

You will need to establish a relationship and a level of investment traction with one of our approved investor partners before you apply for funding. A full list of selected investor partners is provided at Innovate UK Investor Partners UKRI and Innovate UK KTN investor partnerships websites.

The investor partner must have confirmed with you that you are in a position to apply for grant funding as you will be asked to identify them in the application.

To be successful, your project must be independently assessed by Innovate UK as fundable and receive investment directly, led or catalysed by the investor partner.

SOURCE UKRI SECTOR All
VALUE Your project’s total costs will depend on your research category and must be between: £50,000 and £300,000 for feasibility studies; £100,000 and £1 million for industrial research; £250,000 and £2 million for experimental development. FUNDING TYPE Investor Partnerships
OPEN DATE 06/07/2023
CLOSE DATE 30/08/2023
FULL INFORMATION

Innovate UK Unlocking Potential Award 2023: Build

Description

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £6.2 million in innovation projects.

One of the greatest assets we have in the UK is the incredible, diverse talent available. This diversity is not currently reflected in the UK innovation sector. For the UK to thrive as an innovation nation, we must unlock the power of innovation talent and skills in every part of the UK and throughout society.

The Innovate UK Unlocking Potential Award is a two strand pilot competition that aims to empower today’s untapped innovators and businesses to increase investment in diverse talent across the UK. It aims to level the playing field and unlock potential for innovation by supporting and funding innovators from groups that are currently underrepresented or overlooked in innovation.

The competition focuses on attracting innovators with different backgrounds and experiences. We are looking for a diverse group of innovators that with our help, can turn their great ideas into successful businesses. The competitions will be open to a range of innovators, from those who are just beginning their career, to those who are expanding their businesses.

SOURCE UKRI SECTOR All
VALUE The Innovate UK Unlocking Potential Award Build strand includes £50,000 of funding and tailored business support. FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE 10/07/2023
CLOSE DATE 06/09/2023
FULL INFORMATION

India – UK Collaborative R&D for industrial sustainability

Description

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £5 million in innovation projects in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.

The aim of this competition is to fund collaborative research and development (CR&D) projects between the UK and India focused on industrial sustainability.

Your proposal must include at least one business partner from the UK and one business partner from India.

UK participants must be part of an application submitted to Innovate UK. Indian partners must submit a parallel application to the Technology Development Board (TDB) who is the delivery partner for DST.

Your project must:

  • be innovative
  • be a new product, process or service
  • involve a technological risk
  • have a high market potential in the participating countries

Your project must focus on one of these 2 themes:

  • sustainable materials and manufacturing for transforming foundation industries, in particular glass, paper, cements, ceramics, chemicals and metals
  • power electronics, machines and drives

SOURCE Innovate UK SECTOR Industrial Sustainability
VALUE Between £100,000 and £300,00 FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE 31/05/2023
CLOSE DATE 06/09/2023
FULL INFORMATION

Innovate UK Innovation Loans Future Economy: Round 10

Description

Innovate UK is offering up to £25 million in loans to micro, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Innovate UK innovation loans are for highly innovative late stage research and development (R&D) projects with the best potential for the future. There should be a clear route to commercialisation and economic impact.

Your project must lead to innovative new products, processes or services that are significantly ahead of others currently available, or propose an innovative use of existing products, processes or services. It can also involve a new or innovative business model.

Your project must focus on one or more of the future economy areas included in the Innovate UK plan for action.

You must be able to show that you:

  • need public funding
  • can cover interest payments
  • will be able to repay the loan on time

SOURCE Innovate UK SECTOR Any
VALUE Loans can be between £100,000 and £2 million FUNDING TYPE Innovate UK
OPEN DATE 15/07/2023
CLOSE DATE 13/09/2023
FULL INFORMATION

APC24: Industrialising net-zero automotive technology

Description

The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) provides funding, support, insight and foresight for the development of low emission transport solutions, and automotive technologies. It aims to support the UK’s transition towards net zero product manufacturing and supply chain in the UK automotive sector.

In this competition round, APC is investing up to £20 million.

We are looking for collaborative, pre-production research and development (R&D) projects that:

  • support the UK’s long-term vision and underpin capabilities by securing long term R&D investment
  • achieve through the associated supply chain, the design, build, test and manufacture of net-zero carbon emission vehicles

Projects must look to fulfil both these criteria to ensure the UK meets the future demand of vehicle makers and users, strengthening UK’s global impact and, anchoring the value-add across the whole supply chain.

SOURCE APC SECTOR Automotive
VALUE Your project’s total grant funding request must be between £2.5 million and £20 million. Your project must be a minimum of 50% match-funded, with a suggested maximum number of six partners. FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE 03/07/2023
CLOSE DATE 20/09/2023
FULL INFORMATION

Innovate UK Smart grants: June 2023

Description

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £25 million in the best game-changing and world-leading ideas, designed for swift, successful commercialisation. Ideas need to be genuinely new and not just disruptive within their sector.

The Innovate UK Smart grant has focused eligibility criteria and scope to support SMEs and their partners develop disruptive innovations with significant potential for rapid economic return to the UK. The application process reflects the importance of obtaining economic benefits from public funding, and the potential for successful commercialisation, growth, and exports.

Proposals must be business focused, with deliverable, realistic, adequately resourced plans to achieve return on investment, growth and market share following project completion.

Applications can come from any area of technology and be applied to any part of the economy, such as, but not exclusively, net zero, the arts, design and media.

SOURCE UKRI SECTOR All
VALUE Projects of 6 to 18 months must have total eligible project costs between £100,000 and £500,000 and can be single or collaborative. Projects of 19 to 36 months must have total eligible project costs between £100,000 and £2 million and be collaborative. FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE 15/06/2023
CLOSE DATE 27/09/2023
FULL INFORMATION

CMDC Round 4 – Feasibility Studies and Pre-Deployment Trials

Description

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with The Department for Transport to invest up to £34 million in innovation projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.

These will be to develop and deploy real world operational demonstrations of clean maritime solutions as well as carry out innovative feasibility studies and pre-deployment trials.

The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) Round 4 is part of a suite of interventions launched by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE). UK SHORE aims to transform the UK into a global leader in the design and manufacturing of clean maritime technology.

The aim of this competition is to fund real world demonstrations, pre-deployment trials and feasibility studies into clean maritime technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Your proposal must focus on clean maritime technology. Your project must do one of the following:

design, develop, test and deploy technology
conduct a technical and economic feasibility study

The aim of this Strand is to fund feasibility studies and pre-deployment testing of clean maritime technologies.

For a feasibility study proposal, your project must undertake a technical and economic feasibility study associated with the development and real world demonstration of on-vessel technologies, infrastructure technologies or both.

For pre-deployment trials, your proposal must design, develop and test novel clean maritime technologies focused for on-vessel technologies, infrastructure technologies or both.

SOURCE Department for Transport SECTOR Maritime
VALUE Your project’s total costs must be between £100,000 and £3 million. FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE 02/08/2023
CLOSE DATE 27/09/2023
FULL INFORMATION

CMDC Round 4 – Vessel and Infrastructure Combined Demonstrations

Description

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with The Department for Transport (DfT) to invest up to £34 million in innovation projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.

These will be to develop and deploy real world operational demonstrations of clean maritime solutions as well as carry out innovative feasibility studies and pre-deployment trials.

The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) Round 4 is part of a suite of interventions launched by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE). UK SHORE aims to transform the UK into a global leader in the design and manufacturing of clean maritime technology.

The aim of this competition is to fund real world demonstrations, pre-deployment trials and feasibility studies into clean maritime technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Your proposal must focus on clean maritime technology. Your project must do one of the following:

  • design, develop, test and deploy technology
  • conduct a technical and economic feasibility study

The aim of this Strand is to fund real world demonstrations of clean maritime technologies in an operational setting. Your proposal must, develop, test and deploy novel clean maritime technologies focused on on-vessel technologies and shoreside or offshore infrastructure, including at ports, harbours and wind farms.

SOURCE Department for Transport SECTOR Maritime
VALUE Your project’s total costs must be between £500,000 and £8 million. FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE 02/08/2023
CLOSE DATE 27/09/2023
FULL INFORMATION

CMDC Round 4 – Vessel or Infrastructure demonstrations

Description

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with The Department for Transport (DfT) to invest up to £34 million in innovation projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.

These will be to develop and deploy real world operational demonstrations of clean maritime solutions as well as carry out innovative feasibility studies and pre-deployment trials.

The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) Round 4 is part of a suite of interventions launched by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE). UK SHORE aims to transform the UK into a global leader in the design and manufacturing of clean maritime technology.

The aim of this competition is to fund real world demonstrations, pre-deployment trials and feasibility studies into clean maritime technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Your proposal must focus on clean maritime technology. Your project must do one of the following:

  • design, develop, test and deploy technology
  • conduct a technical and economic feasibility study

The aim of this strand is to fund real world demonstrations of clean maritime technologies in an operational setting. Your proposal must develop, test and deploy novel clean maritime technologies focused on on-vessel technologies, shoreside or offshore infrastructure, including at ports, harbours and wind farms.

SOURCE Department for Transport SECTOR Maritime
VALUE Your project’s total costs must be between £500,000 and £6 million. FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE 02/08/2023
CLOSE DATE 27/09/2023
FULL INFORMATION

Net Zero Living: User focused design

Description

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with micro, small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to invest up to £3.8 million in innovation projects. These will be to support the net zero agenda.

The Design Council will support the implementation of this competition by providing bespoke support to your project.

The aim of this competition is to support ambitious, early-stage growth businesses in developing your net zero products or services to meet demand.

This support will include budget to hire the expertise of living laboratories to test your products or services with end users, so they better meet the requirement of the target market.

Your project must focus on the development of your product or service and demonstrating it in a relevant market. The user focus can be achieved by testing the product or service in a living laboratory and demonstrating results that will both support the net zero agenda and answer a market need.

SOURCE UKRI SECTOR Any
VALUE Project total grant funding requests must be between £50,000 and £100,000. FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE 01/08/2023
CLOSE DATE 04/10/2023
FULL INFORMATION

Farming Innovation Programme Small R&D Partnership Projects Rnd 3

Description

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), will invest up to £9.8 million in innovation projects.

This funding is part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme which is a partnership with UKRI’s Transforming Food Production Challenge and delivered by Innovate UK.

The aim of this competition is to:

  • develop solutions with the potential to improve overall productivity, sustainability, resilience and move existing agricultural sectors to net zero
    ensure solutions have positive outputs for farmers, growers or foresters in commercially relevant situations
  • develop new agricultural solutions, by collaboration through engagement with end users and the UK research community in the innovation process
  • accelerate adoption by ensuring knowledge exchange with the wider sector and other stakeholders

Your proposal must be able to demonstrate how the project will benefit farmers, growers or foresters in England.

SOURCE DEFRA SECTOR Agriculture
VALUE Project total costs must be between £1 million and £3 million FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE 14/08/2023
CLOSE DATE 25/10/2023
FULL INFORMATION

Media Cymru: Greening the screen fund

Description

Greening the Screen Cymru Scale-Up Fund is delivered by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), on behalf of Media Cymru and Ffilm Cymru Wales. Media Cymru is a consortium of 23 organisations led by Cardiff University. This competition is funded by UKRI Strength in Places and will invest up to £600,000.

Media Cymru’s aim is to turn the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) into a global hub for media innovation with a focus on green and fair economic growth.

This competition aims to support UK registered organisations to scale-up sustainable products, services or processes that will green the screen industry in the CCR.

Informed by BAFTA albert’s Screen New Deal research, projects must reduce the negative impact the sector has on the environment. BAFTA albert’s Screen New Deal focuses on delivering a zero-carbon and zero-waste future through key impact areas:

  • energy and fuel
  • transport
  • circular economy and waste, including catering
    data capture and dissemination, expertise, technical insight, production planning, and reporting across the supply chain

SOURCE Media Cymru and Ffilm Cymru SECTOR Media
VALUE Applicants can apply for grant funding between £75,000 and £250,000 FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE 18/09/2023
CLOSE DATE 1/11/2023
FULL INFORMATION

Farming Innovation Programme - feasibility round 3

Description

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), will invest up to £4.5 million in innovation projects.

This funding is part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme which is delivered in partnership with Innovate UK’s Transforming Food Production (TFP) Challenge.

The aim of this funding competition is to fund feasibility studies investigating new solutions that will address major on-farm or immediate post farmgate challenges or opportunities.

This will include projects that:

  • investigate early-stage solutions that have the potential to substantially improve the overall productivity, sustainability and resilience of farming, and move existing agricultural sectors to net zero
  • prioritise solutions that will have positive outputs for farmers, growers and foresters in commercially relevant situations
  • accelerate research and development of new agricultural solutions by actively engaging collaboration with the wider UK research community in the innovation process

Your proposal must be able to demonstrate how the project will benefit farmers, growers or foresters in England.

SOURCE DEFRA SECTOR Agriculture
VALUE Project total costs must be between £200,000 and £500,000 FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE 18/09/2023
CLOSE DATE 15/112023
FULL INFORMATION

CO2 Utilisation Challenge

Description

Are you developing technologies for the conversion of CO2 into a higher value product in Scotland? Or do you have an industrial site with CO2 emissions that you want to convert to create value?

If so, the CO2 Utilisation Challenge Fund could help support your move towards commercialisation.

Your project should be focused on the development of technology to use CO2 as a feedstock for conversion to a more valuable product. The fund is intended to support projects that will target pilot-scale or pre-commercial deployment of CO2 utilisation technology in an industrial setting within three years.

This fund is run by Scottish Enterprise on behalf of Scottish Government. It’s being provided as part of the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2020/2021 commitments.

We want to ensure Scotland stays ahead of the new industrial opportunities that carbon capture, utilisation and storage deployment offers.

Promising early work shows that CO2 utilisation has real potential to help develop a circular economy. Research also suggests that it could provide opportunities for our workforces and economic benefits for a range of different sectors.

That’s why we’re supporting these emerging technologies through our £5 million CO2 Utilisation Challenge Fund, run in partnership with the Scottish Government.

SOURCE Scottish Enterprise SECTOR CO2 Utilisation
VALUE The challenge grants are contributory. They cover up to 50% of incurred eligible costs, after the successful applicant submits evidence of expenditure. Grants are expected to be in the range of £150,000 to £500,000. However, larger grants may be available for exceptional projects. FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE 11/04/2022
CLOSE DATE 31/03/2024
FULL INFORMATION

Scottish Enterprise -Green Heat Innovation Support Programme

Description

The GHISP supports innovation and capital investment that will accelerate the roll out and adoption of green heating solutions and associated products.
It’s about encouraging the growth of Scotland’s green heat market and helping projects in areas such as:
  • Energy efficiency products
  • Green heat equipment, such as heat pumps and heat networks
  • Supporting solutions, such as thermal storage
  • Enabling solutions, such as digital and smart controls
  • Green heat manufacturing or R&D in Scotland
  • We’re delivering GHISP in partnership with Scottish Government, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise.

SOURCE Scottish Enterprise SECTOR Heating
VALUE This is a discretionary fund with a grant value assigned to your project on an individual basis. It doesn't provide 100% of funding towards eligible project costs. The level of grant support will be determined dependent upon project activity and the size of your company. Once an amount has been allocated, you'll be required to fund the rest of the project independently. You'll have the chance to discuss the full details with your advisor. FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE
CLOSE DATE 01/03/2026
FULL INFORMATION

Scottish Enterprise - Low Carbon Manufacturing Challenge Fund (LCMCF)

Description

If you’re looking to grow your Scottish manufacturing business through developing low carbon products, processes or services, you can apply for the LCMCF grant.

Your project can use pure Research and Development (R&D), capital investment or environmental aid support in its effort to speed-up the transition to a low carbon economy in manufacturing. There’s a minimum value grant of £150,000 available.

This grant is part of Making Scotland’s Future activity, a programme led by Scottish Government and delivered by a range of partners including Scottish Enterprise, to help Scottish manufacturers grow and thrive.

SOURCE Scottish Government SECTOR Manufacturing
VALUE As with other subsidy schemes, grant values will vary depending on the type of proposal – whether it's an R&D, a capital investment, or an environmental aid project. The LCMCF doesn't provide 100% of funding towards eligible project costs. The level of grant support will be determined dependent upon project activity, the size of your company and the location of the project. Once an amount has been allocated, you'll be required to fund the rest of the project independently. Grants with a minimum value of £150,000 are available to cover eligible costs. You'll have the chance to discuss the full details with your advisor. FUNDING TYPE Grant
OPEN DATE 19/05/2022
CLOSE DATE 31/03/2026
FULL INFORMATION