Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) to invest in small, innovation projects delivered by our analysis for innovators partner NPL. This is subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received.
Innovate UK Analysis for Innovators is a very different type of programme from Innovate UK’s usual grant funding competitions. It is focused on helping individual companies solve tricky and perhaps long running technical problems affecting existing processes, products or services.
The programme’s aim is to help boost a company’s productivity or competitiveness. It achieves this by bringing the UK’s top scientists and facilities, often otherwise inaccessible, together with companies to address problems in innovative ways.
The aim of this competition is to help businesses address their existing analysis and measurement problems. These are problems that can be best explored by scientists and cutting-edge facilities available in the UK.
Your proposal must describe a measurement or analysis problem where you are seeking a solution to improve your business’s productivity or competitiveness. You must provide an estimate of the value to your business of solving it.
This is stage 1 of a 2 stage competition; stage 1 is The Problem and Stage 2 The Proposed Solution. No funding is awarded at this stage.
If you are successful at this stage, you will be invited to brokerage consultations with our analysis for innovators partner NPL. These will focus on potential approaches to solving your problem. You will work together to propose joint projects to develop solutions and apply for the stage 2 competition to request funding.
Following assessment, successful stage 2 applications will be grant funded, to work with the NPL. In stage 2, NPL have allocated up to £1.5 million to support innovation projects within this competition. Your total project costs must be between £15,000 and £100,000, and will be eligible for 100% funding subject to MFA subsidy rules.
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To apply to this stage, your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size.
A business of any size must submit only one application to this competition.
The funded stage 2 of this competition will be award as Minimal Financial assistance (MFA): the funding must not take you over the limit of £315,000 public funding in a 3-year rolling financial period.
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Your project must:
- meet the programme problem scope requirements
- relate to work being undertaken in the UK
- intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
- demonstrate a stage 2 project duration of between 3 and 9 months with NPL
Confirmation of your stage 2 project duration and start date will be agreed with your analysis for innovators partner during brokerage following a successful stage 1 application. This must be between 1 January 2026 and 30 September 2026.
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The aim of this competition is to help businesses address their existing analysis and measurement problems. These are problems that can be best explored by scientists and cutting-edge facilities available in the UK.
You must outline what you consider to be the benefits of solving your problem, such as improved productivity or competitiveness.
We will only consider problems that:
- are related to an existing process, product or service owned or used by a company
- are related to the measurement or analysis of some quantities or properties of your process, product or service
- are not effectively solvable by simple ‘off the shelf’ methods or techniques
- relates to a product, service or process improvement owned or used by a company
You must outline any methods and attempts that you have previously tried to address the problem. Do not propose how the problem should be solved.
Analysis problems cannot be simply software related, for example pure data analysis.
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We are unable to consider problems that are:
- not measurement or analysis problems
- ones we consider to be resolvable with easily available methods, such as those that do not require any innovative or cutting-edge science or facilities
- solely computer software analysis problems, such as algorithms to analyse objects
- not related to a company’s existing processes, products or services owned or used by the company
In the Stage 2 competition we will not fund any projects that:
- involve primary production in fishery and aquaculture
- involve primary production in agriculture
- are not allowed under De minimis regulation restrictions
- are not eligible to receive Minimal Financial Assistance
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An online briefing session will be held at 1pm on Monday 1 September: click here for the joining link. A recording and slides will be available afterwards.
Find out more about the Innovate UK Analysis for Innovators programme.
Innovate UK's application and funding process
If you need more information about how to apply, please read our funding support pages. For additional support, reach out to our team of innovation experts who are ready to help you navigate the application process and maximise your chances of success.
For more information
Accessibility and Inclusion
Innovate UK welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.