New round of Accelerators to support health and life science innovation

As our flagship health innovation funding mechanism, the Biomedical Catalyst has awarded over £388m in grants and provided wider support since its launch, helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) develop breakthrough solutions in therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, digital health, and more.

Accelerating innovation

The Biomedical Catalyst is designed to support ventures at different stages of development through a suite of competitions including feasibility, industry-led R&D and Investor Partnerships.

In preparation for feasibility funding, thematic Accelerators support spinouts, start-ups, and entrepreneurs to test and refine their ideas, with input and guidance from key stakeholders across the ecosystem.

These Accelerators are delivered by expert partners and tailored to specific themes.

Driving impact

Since launching the Accelerator-led Feasibility theme, we’ve built strong momentum across five priority areas: FemTech, Microbial Technologies, Neurotech, Child Health, and AI for Health. To date, £6.6m in feasibility funding has been awarded to 67 companies.

The strength of our pipeline is reflected in a consistently high success rate with over 90% of ventures securing follow-on feasibility funding. In the Microbials Accelerator for example, nine out of 11 companies were awarded a total of £857,000 to advance their R&D and move closer to commercialisation.

2025 Accelerator themes

Innovate UK has announced five new accelerators for 2025, including:

Early-stage:

• Future Medicines delivered by Lyva Labs
• Managing Chronic Conditions delivered by Pioneer Group
• Hospital to Community delivered by Founders Factory

Late-stage:

• FemTech delivered by Health Innovation Network South London
• MedTech Venture Kickstarter delivered by Health Innovation Network South London with support from London Institute for Healthcare Engineering (LIHE)

Each programme is designed to address pressing healthcare challenges and support high-potential UK SMEs in bringing their innovations to market.

Early-stage support

For businesses at the beginning of their journey (Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2 – 4), early-stage Accelerators offer:

• Thematic programmes lasting 8 – 12 weeks
• Workshops on scientific, regulatory, and commercial readiness
• Mentoring and ecosystem introductions
• Access to apply for up to £100k feasibility grants to validate technical and commercial viability

Late-stage support

New for 2025, the late-stage Accelerator targets ventures that have achieved proof of concept (TRL 4+) and are preparing for clinical validation and market entry. These companies receive:

• Specialist support in regulatory strategy, clinical trials, and scaling
• Investor readiness preparation
• Engagement with NHS and global health system stakeholders

This two-tiered structure ensures continuity of support from ideation to patient impact, addressing the critical “translational gap” where promising innovations may falter.

Get Involved

Whether you’re an early-stage innovator or a scale-ready venture, the Biomedical Catalyst offers a proven pathway to success. Applications for the 2025 Accelerators will open throughout September 2025 – join our webinar 10-11am on 3 September to find out more.