R&D Funding Opportunities

In Spring 2022, the UK government announced its largest ever investment in R&D for the period 2022-2025 of £39.8bn.

The majority of funding is being delivered through the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and its partner organisations. The budget allocations will allow the government to deliver on the ambitions set out in its Innovation Strategy.

What does it mean for my organisation?

R&D grant funding helps to de-risk the innovation process. Accessing public funds allows organisations to create new and innovative products, processes and services with less investment of their own required.

This significant Government investment in innovation means there are numerous R&D funding opportunities available for academia, small, medium and large businesses across a wide range of sectors. However, navigating this funding landscape can be time consuming and complex.

As part of our commitment to help support and commercialise innovation, FIS360 is minimising the effort you need to find the funding you require by signposting you to the most up to date information on public sector R&D funding. We are also offering to send funding alerts to those organisations who wish to be kept up to date on new funding opportunities.

Where to look?

There is no ‘one-stop-shop’ that tells you about all of the available funding sources, however, there are a number of useful sites that between them, signpost you to the vast majority of the available public sector R&D funding opportunities:

The Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTN) Funding Opportunities page covers most UK public sector funding, EU opportunities and also private sector challenges available through their own Innovation Exchange programme.

The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Finder covers all of the funding competitions run by UKRI including all of the Research Councils.

The Innovate UK Innovation Funding Service (IFS) covers all funding competitions (grants, loans and R&D contracts) run by Innovate UK both on their own behalf and on behalf of other Government Departments.

For Ministry of Defence (MoD) funded opportunities related to the Defence and Security sectors and technology transfer, the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) website provides information of open innovation competitions, innovation focus areas and themed competitions.

Game Changers is managed by FIS360. in partnership with NNL and funds feasibility and proof of concept projects that address challenges set by the nuclear sector. It also provides invaluable access to the end users

The Net Zero Technology Centre, is a public/private partnership based in Aberdeen. It funds R&D challenges to drive investment in net zero-related technologies. Its funding opportunities can be found here.

NB. Whilst the above sites capture the significant majority of the Governments announced.

R&D. funding, we recognise that other funding opportunities may exist.

Opportunities

Receive email updates on the latest funding opportunities by signing up for the FIS360 newsletter today!

Please see below for some of the most recent public sector R&D funding opportunities:

Gov.uk Funding

DASA Competition: Defence Innovation Loans

Key features:

Loans of up to £1.6m with a below market interest rate of 7.4% per annum to help convert mature defence innovation into a strong business proposition for defence procurement.

Open Indefinitely 

Gov.uk Funding

Horizon Europe Guarantee - EIT KICs 2022

Key features:

Innovate UK: This funding route is to deliver the UK Government’s Horizon Europe guarantee. Specifically, it covers funding for UK partners involved in EIT-KIC activities in the 2022 calendar year.

UK-based organisations involved in EIT-KIC activities in 2022 who would have received EIT grant funding had the UK been associated to Horizon Europe.

Open Indefinitely 

Gov.uk Funding

Novel low-emission food production systems: Industrial research

Key features:

Key Features

Innovate UK: UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £16 million to deliver, resource efficient, low-emission food production systems. Including alternative proteins and Total Controlled Environment Agriculture (TCEA).

This competition is open to collaborations only.

To lead an industrial research project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size.

 

Opens:18 January 2023

Closes:19 April 2023

Opening date: 18/01/2023

Closing date: 19/04/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Novel low-emission food production systems: Feasibility studies

Key features:

Key Features

Innovate UK: UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £16 million to deliver resource efficient, low-emission food production systems. Including alternative proteins and Total Controlled Environment Agriculture (TCEA).

 

This competition is open to collaborations only.

To lead a feasibility studies project your organisation must be a UK registered:

    • business of any size
    • academic institution
    • research organisation
    • research and technology organisation (RTO)
    • charity
    • not for profit
    • public sector organisation

 

Opens:18 January 2023

Closes:19 April 2023

Opening date: 18/01/2023

Closing date: 19/04/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Asset inspection through 19mm diameter access ports

Key features:

Asset inspection through 19mm diameter access ports

Key Features

Sellafield Ltd are seeking solutions to enable the remote, visual inspection of duct systems through 19mm diameter ports

Closes on Thursday, 4th of May

Closing date: 04/05/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Novel low-emission food production systems: Investor Partnership

Key features:

Key Features

Innovate UK: UK registered SMEs can apply for a share of up to £3 million to develop novel production systems that create resource efficient, low-emission foods, particularly proteins. This must align with private investment from selected investor partners.

Eligibility

This competition is open to single applicants only.

To lead a project your organisation must:

Opens: 8 May 2023

Closes:5 July 2023

Opening date: 08/05/2023

Closing date: 05/07/2023

Gov.uk Funding

UK – Switzerland Bilateral: Collaborative R&D

Key features:

UK – Switzerland Bilateral: Collaborative R&D

Key Features

 

Innovate UK:UK registered organisations, in collaboration with at least one Swiss registered business can apply for a share of up to £2 million for research projects resulting in innovative solutions. Swiss partners must apply for equivalent funding from Innosuisse.

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to UK – Switzerland collaborations only.

To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size.

You must:

  • collaborate with at least one Swiss registered business of any size
  • involve at least one research technology organisation (RTO) from either country

Opens: 17 April 2023

Closes: 26 July 2023

Opening date: 17/04/2023

Closing date: 26/07/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Digital Dairy Chain: Collaborative R&D and growth

Key features:

Digital Dairy Chain: Collaborative R&D and growth

Key Features

 

Innovate UK:UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £2 million for business focussed innovation in advanced and high value dairy production and manufacturing. This funding is from Digital Dairy Chain for Cumbria, South and West Scotland.

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only.

To lead a project your organisation must be:

  • either a UK registered business of any size or a UK farming business of any size
  • able to evidence that you are an established business, including sole traders and partnerships
  • based in Cumbria, South or West Scotland or carry out significant economic activity in that region

 

Opens:17 April 2023

Closes:31 May 2023

 

Opening date: 17/04/2023

Closing date: 31/05/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Automotive Transformation Fund Scale up Readiness Validation 2

Key features:

Automotive Transformation Fund Scale up Readiness Validation 2

Key Features

 

Innovate UK:UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £11 million. This will be to validate readiness for scale up of manufacturing processes in the automotive supply chain of net zero technologies.

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations.

To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size.

You may still apply to lead a project if you are a non-UK registered business at the time of application, but you must set up a UK registered business before you can receive an award.

Opens:3 April 2023

Closes:11 May 2023

 

Opening date: 03/04/2023

Closing date: 11/05/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Automotive Transformation Fund Feasibility Studies: Round 4

Key features:

Automotive Transformation Fund Feasibility Studies: Round 4

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £2 million. This is for business case feasibility studies to support scale up of the UK’s zero emission automotive supply chain.

Eligibility

This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations. To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size. You may still apply to lead a project if you are a non-UK registered business at the time of application, but you must set up a UK registered business before you can receive an award.

 

Opens:3 April 2023

Closes:11 May 2023

 

Opening date: 03/04/2023

Closing date: 11/05/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Resource efficiency for materials and manufacturing: CR&D

Key features:

Resource efficiency for materials and manufacturing: CR&D

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £12 million for ambitious collaborative R&D projects to support UK materials and manufacturing organisations to become significantly more resource efficient.

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only. To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered:

  • business of any size
  • research and technology organisation (RTO)

You must be or involve at least one grant claiming micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).

 

Opened:31 March 2023

Closes:26 May 2023

 

Opening date: 31/03/2023

Closing date: 26/05/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Feasibility studies for Artificial Intelligence solutions

Key features:

Feasibility studies for Artificial Intelligence solutions

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £5 million in grant funding to deliver feasibility studies. These studies will be to develop innovative solutions using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address business challenges and opportunities.

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only.

To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).

Opened:28 March 2023

Closes:24 May 2023

Opening date: 28/03/2023

Closing date: 24/05/2023

Gov.uk Funding

SBRI: Skin Cancer detection using Artificial Intelligence

Key features:

SBRI: Skin Cancer detection using Artificial Intelligence

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: Organisations can apply for a share of £500,000 inclusive of VAT, over the 2 phases of the competition. The aim of this competition is to improve existing AI algorithms for skin cancer to accelerate detection and diagnosis.

Eligibility

To lead a project, you can:

  • be an organisation of any size
  • work alone or with others from business, academia research, and technology organisations or the third sector, as subcontractors

You must work in conjunction with the identified test bed partner and identified academic research partner.

Contracts will be awarded to a single legal entity only.

 

Opened:27 March 2023

Closes:19 May 2023

 

Opening date: 27/03/2023

Closing date: 19/05/2023

Gov.uk Funding

NATEP Helping SMEs innovate in aerospace: Spring 2023

Key features:

NATEP Helping SMEs innovate in aerospace: Spring 2023

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: UK registered SMEs can apply for a share of up to £2.5 million for industrial-led civil aerospace collaborative R&D projects.

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only.

To lead a project your organisation must:

  • be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
  • work with at least one other grant claiming organisation
  • plan to carry out a civil aerospace research or technology development project in the UK

 

Opened:27 March 2023

Closes:10 May 2023

 

Opening date: 27/03/2023

Closing date: 10/05/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Cyber security academic startup accelerator programme: phase 1

Key features:

Cyber security academic startup accelerator programme: phase 1

Key Features

Innovate UK: Individuals based in a UK academic institution can apply for a share of up to £800,000 to join the cyber security academic startup accelerator programme 2023-2024 (CyberASAP).

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations.

To join the programme, you must:

    • be based in a UK academic institution
    • have an idea related to cyber security
    • be interested in commercialising the idea
    • have the support of your academic institution’s technology transfer office, or equivalent

 

Opened:27 March 2023

Closes:19 April 2023

Opening date: 27/03/2023

Closing date: 19/04/2023

Gov.uk Funding

V2X Innovation programme: bi-directional charging demonstrations

Key features:

V2X Innovation programme: bi-directional charging demonstrations

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £9.4 million. This is for small scale demonstrations of novel Vehicle to everything (V2X) energy technology providing storage and flexible services under Phase 2 of the V2X Innovation Programme.

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only.

To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size.

 

Opened:21 March 2023

Closes:10 May 2023

Opening date: 21/03/2023

Closing date: 10/05/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Knowledge Asset Grant Fund: Extend, March 2023

Key features:

Knowledge Asset Grant Fund: Extend, March 2023

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: Eligible UK public sector organisations can apply for up to £5 million from the Knowledge Asset Grant Fund. The funding will aid exploitation of high potential intangible assets that have a broader application or client base than their owner organisation.

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to single applicants.

To lead a project your organisation must be a UK Government public sector organisation headed by an Accounting Officer responsible for upholding Managing Public Money (MPM).

This includes:

  • UK Government departments
  • arms-length bodies
  • public sector research establishments (PSREs)

 

Opened:17 March 2023

Closes:8 June 2023

Opening date: 17/03/2023

Closing date: 08/06/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Future Economy Investor Partnerships SME round 1

Key features:

Future Economy Investor Partnerships SME round 1

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: UK registered businesses can apply for grant funding alongside private investment from selected investor partners.

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to single applicants only.

To apply your organisation must:

Opened:16 March 2023

Closes:10 May 2023

 

 

Opening date: 16/03/2023

Closing date: 10/05/2023

Gov.uk Funding

UK-South Korea Collaborative R&D Round 2

Key features:

UK-South Korea Collaborative R&D Round 2

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £2 million for this competition. This funding is for the purpose of developing innovative proposals with South Korea.

 

Eligibility

To lead a project your organisation must:

  • be a UK registered business of any size
  • be or involve at least one grant claiming UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
  • partner with a South Korean registered business, which must be a separate non-linked entity to the UK project partners

Opened:13 March 2023

Closes:7 June 2023

Opening date: 13/03/2023

Closing date: 07/06/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Sustainable bio-based materials and manufacture: CR&D

Key features:

Sustainable bio-based materials and manufacture: CR&D

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £12 million for collaborative research and development. This is to develop step-change improvements to sustainable biomanufacturing in the UK.

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only.

To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered:

  • business of any size
  • academic institution
  • research and technology organisation (RTO)

You must be or involve at least one grant claiming micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).

 

Opened:7 March 2023

Closes:3 May 2023

Opening date: 07/03/2023

Closing date: 03/05/2023

Gov.uk Funding

SBRI: Medicines and dementia phase 1

Key features:

SBRI: Medicines and dementia phase 1

Key Features

Innovate UK: Organisations can apply for a share of up to £240,000 inclusive of VAT, to develop disruptive, innovative solutions supporting people at risk of dementia to manage their medications.

Eligibility

To lead a project, you can:

    • be an organisation of any size, registered in the UK, European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA)
    • work alone or with any other organisations as subcontractors

Contracts will be awarded to a single legal entity only.

 

Opened:27 February 2023

Closes:24 May 2023

Opening date: 27/02/2023

Closing date: 24/05/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Energy Catalyst Round 10: Mid Stage Key Features

Key features:

Energy Catalyst Round 10: Mid Stage

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: Organisations can apply for a share of up to £10 million in total across the 3 stages, to create new or improved clean energy access in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia or the Indo-Pacific regions.

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only.

To be eligible for funding you can be from any country and must be either a:

  • business of any size
  • research organisation
  • research and technology organisation (RTO)
  • charity
  • non-governmental organisation (NGO)

You must involve at least one micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).

Opened:27 February 2023

Closes:28 June 2023

Opening date: 27/02/2023

Closing date: 08/06/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Energy Catalyst Round 10: Early Stage

Key features:

Energy Catalyst Round 10: Early Stage

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: Organisations can apply for a share of up to £10 million in total across the 3 stages, to create new or improved clean energy access in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia or the Indo-Pacific regions.

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to single applicants or collaborations.

To be eligible for funding you can be from any country and must be either a:

  • business of any size
  • research organisation
  • research and technology organisation (RTO)
  • charity
  • non-governmental organisation (NGO)

You must involve at least one micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).

Opened:27 February 2023

Closes:28 June 2023

 

 

Opening date: 27/02/2023

Closing date: 28/06/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Farming Innovation Programme - large R&D partnerships Round 2

Key features:

Farming Innovation Programme – large R&D partnerships Round 2

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £8 million for large R&D partnership projects, from the industry-led R&D Partnerships Fund, a part of the Farming Innovation Programme.

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only.

To lead a project your organisation must:

  • be a UK registered business of any size.
  • collaborate with other UK registered organisations
  • You must be or involve at least one grant claiming micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) and a research organisation.
  • involve at least one grant claiming academic institution, research and technology organisation, charity, not-for-profit or public sector organisation

 

Opened:20 February 2023

Closes:19 April 2023

Opening date: 20/02/2023

Closing date: 19/04/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Hydrogen storage and distribution supply chain Collaborative R&D

Key features:

Hydrogen storage and distribution supply chain Collaborative R&D

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £4.35 million for CR&D projects related to hydrogen storage and distribution supply chain. This funding is from Innovate UK.

 

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only.

To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size.

You must be or involve at least one grant claiming micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).

Opened:13 February 2023

Closes:26 April 2023

Opening date: 13/02/2023

Closing date: 26/04/2023

Gov.uk Funding

UK – Germany Bilateral: Collaborative R&D

Key features:

UK – Germany Bilateral: Collaborative R&D

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: UK registered organisations, collaborating with at least one German SME applying under the equivalent German ZIM programme, can apply for a share of up to £4 million for collaborative research projects resulting in innovative solutions.

Eligibility

This competition is open to UK and German collaborations only.

To lead a project your organisation must:

  • be a UK registered business of any size
  • be or involve at least one grant claiming UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
  • collaborate with a German registered business, which must be a separate non-linked entity to the UK project partners

 

Opened:7 February 2023

Closes:7 June 2023

Opening date: 07/02/2023

Closing date: 07/06/2023

Gov.uk Funding

ZEVI: Alternative fuel vessels and refuelling infrastructure

Key features:

ZEVI: Alternative fuel vessels and refuelling infrastructure

Key Features

Innovate UK: UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £77 million. The funding will be to develop, deploy and operate clean maritime solutions for 3 years in a real world environment. This funding is from the Department for Transport.

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only.

To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size.

 

Opened:6 February 2023

Closes:19 April 2023

 

Opening date: 06/02/2023

Closing date: 19/04/2023

Gov.uk Funding

ZEVI: Battery electric vessels and charging infrastructure

Key features:

ZEVI: Battery electric vessels and charging infrastructure

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £77 million. The funding will be to develop, deploy and operate clean maritime solutions for 3 years in a real world environment. This funding is from the Department for Transport.

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only.

To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size.

 

Opened:6 February 2023

Closes:19 April 2023

Opening date: 06/02/2023

Closing date: 19/04/2023

Gov.uk Funding

UK - Singapore Collaborative R&D Round 2

Key features:

UK – Singapore Collaborative R&D Round 2

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £5 million for the purpose of developing innovative proposals with Singapore.

Eligibility

To lead a project your organisation must:

  • be a UK registered business of any size
  • be or involve at least one grant claiming UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
  • partner with a Singapore registered business, which must be a separate non-linked entity to the UK project partners

Opened:6 February 2023

Closes:3 May 2023

Opening date: 06/02/2023

Closing date: 03/05/2023

Gov.uk Funding

SBRI: Overdose detection, response and intervention - feasibility

Key features:

SBRI: Overdose detection, response and intervention – feasibility

Key Features

 

Innovate UK: Organisations can apply for a share of £5 million inclusive of VAT. This is to deliver innovations addressing key drug related overdose priorities across two competitions.

 

Eligibility

To lead a project, you can:

  • be any type of organisation of any size
  • work alone or with subcontractors

Contracts will be awarded to a single legal entity only.

Opened:31 January 2023

Closes:21 April 2023

Opening date: 31/01/2023

Closing date: 21/04/2023

Gov.uk Funding

Innovate UK Smart grants: January 2023

Key features:

Innovate UK Smart grants: January 2023

Key Features

 

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

Eligibility

This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations.

To lead a project your organisation must:

  • be a UK registered business of any size
  • be a UK registered research and technology organisation (RTO)
  • carry out all your research and development (R&D) project activity in the UK
  • intend to commercially exploit the project results from the UK

You must be or involve at least one grant claiming micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).

Opened:19 January 2023

Closes:14 June 2023

Opening date: 19/01/2023

Closing date: 14/06/2023