Innovation funding opportunities
Looking for funding and support to develop your idea? At Innovate UK Business Connect, we connect businesses, researchers and innovators with the right opportunities they need to grow.
Explore opportunities for funding and expert guidance, to help turn your innovation into a commercial success.
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Contracts for Innovation Cymru: Reducing Missed Appointments and Improving Access to Planned Care
Opens: 22/09/2026
Closes: 20/10/2026
The challenge focuses on understanding and addressing the barriers that lead to non-attendance, supporting fairer access to services, improving patient experience and making better use of NHS resources.
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Contracts for Innovation Cymru: Modernising the Bowel Screening Pathway in Wales
Opens: 22/09/2026
Closes: 20/10/2026
Bowel Screening Wales is seeking innovative approaches that can support service modernisation, improve participant experience, improve the timeliness of pre-colonoscopy assessments, and strengthen the ability of NHS Wales to meet future demand.
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Contracts for Innovation Cymru: Ending abandonment after stroke - better recovery beyond hospital
Opens: 22/09/2026
Closes: 20/10/2026
We are seeking innovative solutions that can improve rehabilitation, recovery and long-term support for stroke survivors in Wales.
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Contracts for Innovation Cymru: Transforming Multi-Agency Safeguarding for High-Risk Domestic Abuse in South Wales
Opens: 22/09/2026
Closes: 20/10/2026
We are seeking innovative organisations to help South Wales Police and its partners explore how high-risk domestic abuse safeguarding could operate differently in the future.
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Digital Catapult: Digital Twin Industry Challenge Led Accelerator 2026
Opens: 15/09/2026
Closes: 27/10/2026
Turn your technology into a digital twin solution for a real-world industry challenge, with up to £75,000 in Innovate UK grant funding to support its development.
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Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund: Round 5 Challenges - Discovery, autumn 2026
Opens: 21/09/2026
Closes: 21/10/2026
Organisations can apply for a share of up to £30 million exclusive of VAT, for collaborative Discovery Phase Projects that meet the Round 5 challenges. This funding is from the Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund.
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Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund: Innovation Challenges - Discovery, autumn 2026
Opens: 21/09/2026
Closes: 21/10/2026
Organisations can apply for a share of up to £30 million exclusive of VAT, for collaborative Discovery Phase Projects that meet the Innovation Challenges. This funding is from the Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund.
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NERC ICURe Discover - January 2027
Opens: 15/10/2026
Closes: 12/11/2026
NERC ICURe Discover is a part-time, online, market exploration programme for researchers and technicians, with up to £2,500 support for market discovery activities.
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Women’s ICURe Explore - January 2027
Opens: 06/10/2026
Closes: 02/11/2026
Women’s ICURe Explore is a 13-week, full-time market exploration programme designed to train, fund and support research teams.
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HMGCC Co-Creation Challenge: Mobile mimicry using AI
Opens: 21/09/26. Closes: 08/10/26.
Can you build an AI agent that behaves like a normal phone user to make testing easier and faster?
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EPSRC Clean Energy ICURe Discover - January 2027
Opens: 09/11/2026
Closes: 14/12/2026
EPSRC Clean Energy ICURe Discover is an 8-week, part-time online market discovery programme for researchers and technicians, with up to £2,500 support for market discovery activities.
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European Space Agency: Space For Sustainable Industry and Digital Business Transformation
Opens: 17/09/2026
Closes: 30/10/2026
The call focuses on specific operational and innovation needs identified by Coca-Cola, P&G, Galp and Tomorrowland/Love Tomorrow across water resilience, security and enterprise risk, renewable energy, sustainable manufacturing, consumer insight, temporary-city operations, mobility, logistics and immersive experiences.
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EPSRC Clean Energy ICURe Engage - November 2026
Opens: 21/09/2026
Closes: 19/10/2026
EPSRC Clean Energy ICURe Engage is a four-week, part-time programme which helps healthcare technologies researchers identify who could benefit from their research and explore the benefits of entrepreneurship.
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Analysis for Innovators (A4I) autumn 2026
Opens: 15/09/2026
Closes: 06/10/2026
UK small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are invited to apply for the latest round of A4I, a programme designed to help businesses overcome challenging measurement and analysis problems that are holding back innovation, productivity and growth.
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Eureka cohort visit to Vienna for Xecs and Smart funding calls
Closing Soon
Opens: 16/09/2026
Closes: 25/09/2026
Innovate UK invites advanced manufacturing and electronic components and systems SMEs keen to engage in international opportunities to apply to join the Eureka cohort visit to Vienna.
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European Space Agency: Call For Proposals - Wildfire Preparedness
Opens: 01/09/2026
Closes: 01/12/2026
ESA are inviting proposals for innovative services that advance wildfire management using space technology and data.
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Contracts for Innovation: Innovation in play to improve child outcomes
Opens: 15/09/2026
Closes: 28/10/2026
Organisations can apply for a share of £3 million, inclusive of VAT, to develop practical solutions that reignite the importance of play and increase access to high quality, real world play experiences, improving outcomes for children and young people.
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iX Challenge: Identifying leaks and seepage in canal infrastructure
Opens: 15/09/2026
Closes: 27/10/2026
Innovate UK Business Connect is supporting Canal & River Trust to identify innovative, low-cost methods for detecting canal leaks and seepage, particularly hidden leaks not visible at the ground surface.
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iX Challenge: Alternative leak repair materials and methods for canal leakage and seepage repairs
Opens: 15/09/2026
Closes: 27/10/2026
The iX programme is supporting Canal & River Trust to identify innovators with solutions for leakage and seepage repairs in operational canals.
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iX Challenge - Vibration monitoring of offshore wind turbine foundations during construction and commissioning
Opens: 15/09/2026
Closes: 30/10/2026
This challenge seeks a low-cost, battery-powered device to monitor offshore wind turbine foundation vibrations from installation through commissioning, with six-month battery life, local data storage, and compatibility with monopile and jacket foundations.
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Battery Innovation: Feasibility Studies Rd 3
Opens: 11/09/2026
Closes: 02/12/2026
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £25 million to support innovation in battery grade material technologies for electrification. This funding is from The Battery Innovation Programme.