Innovate UK Business Connect is the new name for Innovate UK KTN. We connect innovators with new partners and new opportunities beyond their existing thinking – accelerating ambitious ideas into real-world solutions.
Digital Health & Care
MedTech
Neurotechnology
Precision Medicine
Microbiome
AI in Health
Transforming Medicines Manufacturing
Biomedical Catalyst
Healthy Ageing Community of Practice
UK-Kenya Health Global Innovation Network
Phage Innovation Network
Medimap: End-to-end medicines supply chain map
Health Funding Map
Driving the Electric Revolution
Foundation Industries
Made Smarter Innovation Network
Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains
Transforming Medicines Manufacturing
Climate Change Adaptation Innovation Network
Made Smarter Innovation Network
Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains
Resource Efficiency for Materials and Manufacturing (REforMM)
Sustainable bio-based Materials and Manufacture (SusBioMM)
Explore the diverse range of UK industries supported by Innovate UK Business Connect.
The countdown is on to the Innovate UK Create Growth Programme Showcase event where 11 innovative companies will present their tech and solutions across a diverse spectrum of creative industries. From digital media (music and publishing), to marketing, health, gaming and sustainable fashion, this event will spotlight emerging trends and the potential of these selected companies set to shape the future of the creative economy.
A project to extract rare minerals and elements from the plumes of a volcano, and another to extract them from mining waste, are among 9 innovation partnerships that have been awarded £3.5 million of funding from Innovate UK.
Going into its eighth year, Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme (CyberASAP) alumni have raised over £32 million in funding, highlighting the real-world impact of academic cyber research.
Speaking at the Innovate UK Supporting Innovative Start-ups event held 11 September in Birmingham, CEO, Indro Mukerjee unveiled a new community as part of Start-up Connect.
Over 600 delegates attended the fourth annual Global Research and Innovation in Plastics Sustainability Conference (GRIPS 2024) on Thursday 19 September, held at the University of Sheffield, and online.
Innovate UK has partnered with the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) on a new plan to boost business productivity and innovation in the Tees Valley region.
Two new Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst (BMC) accelerators, funded in collaboration with the Medical Research Council, will launch in September. The BMC accelerators will focus on two key themes: femtech and artificial intelligence (AI) in health, each with their own programme of support. Each theme will have a stream for businesses, and another specifically developed for academics.
Running for the fourth consecutive year, the Faraday Battery Challenge Investment Readiness Programme is going stronger than ever.
Thirty projects are to receive a share of £17.8 million funding from Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst. This will bring them a step closer to translating their ideas into products and therapies for patients, and commercialisation.
The Scaling Out For Impact -2 (SOFI 2) programme supports and accelerates the development and deployment of affordable, accessible innovative solutions around last mile delivery of the food, energy and water nexus through UK-South African partnerships. The primary focus is on scaling out impact of these solutions by ensuring wide reach to have far reaching impact for communities. In April 2024, two cohorts of UK and South African Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) were selected to attend an in-person workshop in Limpopo to facilitate direct brokerage of future partnerships.
Innovate UK Global Alliance Africa collaborated with the Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya (FPEAK) to find innovative packaging solutions to extend shelf life of fresh produce during sea freight.
The Innovate UK AgriFood Accelerator provided training and mentorship to increase the diversity of Innovate UK grant funding applications within the AgriFood sector and support participants in developing their businesses.
Innovate UK Business Connect helps organisations interested in AgriFood innovation access the expert information, funding and connections needed to drive change. Our experts work with businesses of all sizes; locally, nationally and globally.
The Biotechnology team at Innovate UK Business Connect focuses on Industrial Biotechnology (IB), Engineering Biology (EB, commonly referred to as Synthetic Biology) and Microbiomes.
By 2050 our industry will have embraced a circular economy and be using different feedstocks, technologies and energy sources to produce chemicals. The Innovate UK Business Connect Chemistry team can help you navigate these changes and identify innovation that will ensure your business, research or service remains sustainable.
The Innovate UK Business Connect Creative team helps organisations interested in innovation in the Creative Industries to access funding, expert knowledge and to make powerful and diverse connections.
Human-centred design is for businesses of any size who are interested in early-stage innovation strategy. For start-ups, strategic design helps get brilliant ideas to the right market. For established businesses, it helps reposition or expand their offering.
The Innovate UK Business Connect Digital team helps organisations interested in Digital innovation to access funding, expert knowledge and to make powerful and diverse connections.
Electronics is the enabler of all things digital. It is the hardware and embedded software that allows products and processes to communicate, have power, have intelligence and awareness, be controlled, be automated and operate safely. It’s built into many sectors, including health, aerospace, manufacturing and retail.
Innovate UK Business Connect’s Energy Team is at the centre of our work contributing to delivering the UK’s ambitious Net Zero targets. With specialists in Nuclear, Offshore Wind, Thermal Energy Systems, Batteries, Water, Hydrogen, Sustainable Energy, Grid and Distributed Systems, Electrical Energy Systems and Solar, the team has deep expertise, powerful connections and a track record of successful projects delivering environmental and societal impact.
The world is powered by data; turning data into information helps us make decisions across all sectors of the economy. Innovate UK Business Connect hosts an innovation network that focuses on connecting the data holders and data processors with the people that can benefit from the insight geospatial data can provide.
Health is critical to our wellbeing as individuals, plays a key role in societal and economic advances, and presents many opportunities for environmental impact. Innovations in health & care allow us to alleviate suffering, increase quality of life and life expectancy, and manage the needs of a changing and ageing population.
Innovate UK Business Connect’s Industrial Maths team harnesses the power of mathematics to meet the needs of business, government and not-for-profit organisations, helping a wide range of sectors express problems and challenges in an accessible way. We also facilitate new partnerships with an extensive network of mathematical science practitioners and diverse institutions across the UK.
Against an overarching low carbon agenda, our mission is to support the development of UK innovation to deliver clean, accessible and secure energy & water systems through a digitally enabled construction sector and so provide smart, resilient and successful cities and communities.
The UK is one of the largest global manufacturing countries; this sector is vital for our economic productivity and growth. Innovate UK helps manufacturers to innovate and innovators to manufacture. We work across technologies connecting you to partners, experts, facilities and funding, working with businesses at all stages from start-up to scale up.
The Materials Team at Innovate UK Business Connect covers a broad scope of the materials life cycle, from feedstock, processing techniques, design and manufacture, testing, standardisation, resource efficiency and circularity.
Photonics is the science and technology of light. This includes lasers, optical systems and components, as well as fibre optics. Photonics is a £13.5 billion industry in the UK, with the technology used across various UK industries and in society, from optical communications and data storage to laser sensors for autonomous vehicles.
Quantum-enabled devices present a huge market opportunity for the UK. These technologies could transform a range of sectors including transport, healthcare, infrastructure, ICT, telecommunications and defence.
From Healthcare to Legaltech, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence are significant globalised technologies that can be applied in many sectors. The extensive industrial and academic research base in the UK can support both the national and global markets in addressing key challenges impacting societies today.
The UK is committed to spending a minimum 2% of GDP on defence over the next decade, and at least 20% of that spending on equipment. This commitment represents spending some £186bn on defence equipment and support in the 10 years from 2018/19. The UK is also the second largest defence exporter, winning defence orders worth £14bn in 2018.
Sensor technologies create measurements and convert them into digital data. This data can then be analysed to inform decision making. What’s being measured could be chemical, biological, physical, mechanical or any other quantities such as chemicals, proteins, weight, dimensions and more.
Space is one of the fastest growing industries in the UK, with the ambition to capture 10% of the world market by 2030. Currently, the UK manufactures over 20% of the satellites in orbit and has established a path towards launching satellites from UK soil by 2021.
Innovation in transport has the potential to benefit our economy, society and environment. The transport system of the future will be more efficient, cleaner and smarter, through utilising enhanced digital, communication and automated technologies.
The water sector impacts every person, business and industry type in the UK. We turn on the tap and expect clean water. We rely on the water infrastructure, the pipes, the sewerage treatment, the rapid fixing of leaks. And we expect environmental issues to be a cornerstone of the industry and its operations.
From our Innovate Local event programme to our Net Zero Places Innovation Network, we are committed to delivering place-based activities that make a difference to innovators across the UK.
We want the very best of the world connected to the very best of the UK. That’s why we built this programme; to form international collaborations with governments, societies, enterprises, institutions and people from every corner of the globe. It is innovation diplomacy at its best.
We work with public innovation funding and private finance providers where investment can create a positive change.
The world is changing at an ever greater pace. Industry and innovators are responding, working together to create the products, services and businesses of the future. Innovate UK Business Connect is here to help.
Innovate UK Business Growth is a key part of the UK innovation agency’s investment in the innovative businesses that drive economic growth.
For over 45 years Knowledge Transfer Partnerships have been helping businesses innovate for growth by accessing the UK’s world-leading knowledge base.
Featured Sector Information
The countdown is on to the Innovate UK Create Growth Programme Showcase event where 11 innovative companies will present their tech and solutions across a diverse spectrum of creative industries. From digital media (music and publishing), to marketing, health, gaming and sustainable fashion, this event will spotlight emerging trends and the potential of these selected companies set to shape the future of the creative economy.
A project to extract rare minerals and elements from the plumes of a volcano, and another to extract them from mining waste, are among 9 innovation partnerships that have been awarded £3.5 million of funding from Innovate UK.
Going into its eighth year, Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme (CyberASAP) alumni have raised over £32 million in funding, highlighting the real-world impact of academic cyber research.
Speaking at the Innovate UK Supporting Innovative Start-ups event held 11 September in Birmingham, CEO, Indro Mukerjee unveiled a new community as part of Start-up Connect.
Over 600 delegates attended the fourth annual Global Research and Innovation in Plastics Sustainability Conference (GRIPS 2024) on Thursday 19 September, held at the University of Sheffield, and online.
Innovate UK has partnered with the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) on a new plan to boost business productivity and innovation in the Tees Valley region.
Two new Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst (BMC) accelerators, funded in collaboration with the Medical Research Council, will launch in September. The BMC accelerators will focus on two key themes: femtech and artificial intelligence (AI) in health, each with their own programme of support. Each theme will have a stream for businesses, and another specifically developed for academics.
Running for the fourth consecutive year, the Faraday Battery Challenge Investment Readiness Programme is going stronger than ever.
Thirty projects are to receive a share of £17.8 million funding from Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst. This will bring them a step closer to translating their ideas into products and therapies for patients, and commercialisation.
The Scaling Out For Impact -2 (SOFI 2) programme supports and accelerates the development and deployment of affordable, accessible innovative solutions around last mile delivery of the food, energy and water nexus through UK-South African partnerships. The primary focus is on scaling out impact of these solutions by ensuring wide reach to have far reaching impact for communities. In April 2024, two cohorts of UK and South African Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) were selected to attend an in-person workshop in Limpopo to facilitate direct brokerage of future partnerships.
Innovate UK Global Alliance Africa collaborated with the Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya (FPEAK) to find innovative packaging solutions to extend shelf life of fresh produce during sea freight.
The Innovate UK AgriFood Accelerator provided training and mentorship to increase the diversity of Innovate UK grant funding applications within the AgriFood sector and support participants in developing their businesses.
Innovate UK’s 50 Emerging Technologies report takes a bite-size look at technologies likely to be important for the UK economy in 20 years’ time.
9 innovation partnerships to extract rare earths and minerals, from sources including mining waste and volcanic rock, have been awarded £3.5 million of funding from Innovate UK.
In 2023/24 we extended our outreach to innovators throughout the UK, and we provided support for the UK's transition to Net Zero, showing our commitment to tackling the critical global challenges we face.
Innovate UK’s 50 Emerging Technologies report takes a bite-size look at technologies likely to be important for the UK economy in 20 years’ time.
9 innovation partnerships to extract rare earths and minerals, from sources including mining waste and volcanic rock, have been awarded £3.5 million of funding from Innovate UK.
In 2023/24 we extended our outreach to innovators throughout the UK, and we provided support for the UK's transition to Net Zero, showing our commitment to tackling the critical global challenges we face.
Over 600 delegates attended the fourth annual Global Research and Innovation in Plastics Sustainability Conference (GRIPS 2024) on Thursday 19 September, held at the University of Sheffield, and online.
UK registered businesses can apply for loans for innovative projects with strong commercial potential to significantly improve the UK economy.
Innovate UK system
The Innovate UK system is an ecosystem of expertise, funding, and powerful connections. Learn about how we can each uniquely help you achieve your innovation goals.
