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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Sectors:
EIT Culture & Creativity: Shape and Scale - financial support for Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries
Opens: 10/08/2026
Closes: 12/10/2026
Cultural and creative startups and scaleups that are looking to accelerate growth, attract investment, and expand internationally, are invited to apply for financial support under the Shape Acceleration Programme and Scale Post-Acceleration Programme.
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Connected Places Catapult: Diesel-Free Sites Adoption Programme
Opens: 10/08/2026
Closes: 07/09/2026
Connected Places Catapult seeks SMEs who have proven diesel-free infrastructure solutions and are looking for opportunities for wider industry adoption through live demonstration and industry engagement.
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Connected Places Catapult: Infrastructure Productivity Scale-Up Programme
Opens: 17/08/2026
Closes: 14/09/2026
Connected Places Catapult is seeking applications from high potential businesses with proven solutions that can address one of the infrastructure sector’s most pressing productivity challenges.
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2026 WAVEMAKER Water Innovation Award
Opens: 01/08/2026
Closes: 24/08/2026
Start-ups, spin-outs, and SMEs developing innovative solutions for the water, marine, and water system sectors are invited to apply to receive training, resources, and a grand prize of €5000.
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DRIVE35 Scale-up Fund Drawdown 5
Opens: 10/08/2026
Closes: 04/11/2026
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £150 million to create scale up manufacturing facilities for zero emission vehicle technologies.
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UK-Singapore CR&D 2026
Opens: 24/08/2026
Closes: 16/12/2026
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £3 million for the purpose of developing innovative proposals with Singapore. You must collaborate with at least one Singapore business applying under the equivalent Enterprise Singapore programme.
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Critical Materials Supply Chains Investment Readiness 2026
Opens: 10/08/2026
Closes: 04/09/2026
Up to 15 UK SMEs will benefit from support to accelerate their investment journey.
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UK Defence Innovation Security Open Call
Opens: 03/08/2026
Closes: 27/08/2026
UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) has relaunched the Security Open Call, which seeks disruptive technologies that can help address some of the UK’s most pressing security challenges.
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Earthshot Prize Nominee Expression of Interest
Opens: 06/08/2026
Closes: 09/09/2026
The search for the winners of The Earthshot Prize 2027 has begun and Innovate UK is proud to be an official nominator.
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Quantum computing applications for large scale impact: CR&D
Opens: 04/08/2026
Closes: 16/09/2026
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £13 million for building quantum computing software applications that show clear value and potential high impact on near term quantum computing systems.
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Accelerating adoption of quantum enabled sensing and PNT
Opens: 04/08/2026
Closes: 16/09/2026
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £14.3 million to accelerate the adoption of quantum enabled position, navigation, and timing (PNT) and sensing technologies by addressing specific technical and commercial barriers.
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Battery Investment Readiness 2026
EOI closes 4th Sep 2026, competition dates tbc
Apply now to be part of the Battery Investment Readiness Programme for 2026. Innovate UK Business Connect will select up to 15 SMEs to join the programme to accelerate their investment journey.
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Ultra long duration energy storage project development studies
Opens: 03/08/2026
Closes: 30/09/2026
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £3 million for project development studies to support the development of ultra long duration battery energy storage demonstrators in the UK.
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Farming Futures R&D fund: Automation and Robotics Round 2
Opens: 03/08/2026
Closes: 30/09/2026
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £20 million to develop innovative solutions for automation and robotics in agriculture, horticulture and forestry.
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HMGCC Co-Creation Challenge: Imaging hidden objects in walls
Opens: 10/08/2026 Closes: 17/09/2026
Could your technology help reveal hidden objects concealed in walls, ceilings and floors? This is the focus of the latest funded challenge launched by HMGCC Co-Creation, which is seeking imaging technologies able to prevent unwanted surveillance.
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NERC ICURe Engage - October 2026
Opens: 27/07/2026
Closes: 07/09/2026
A 4-week, part-time programme for those projects previously funded by NERC, tailored for researchers and technicians of NERC.
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European Space Agency: Environmental Crimes
Opens: 19/10/2026
Closes: 25/06/2027
This opportunity supports the development of space-based applications and services targeting environmental crimes.
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UK Space Agency: Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) Programme - Call 3
Opens: 20/07/2026
Closes: 07/09/2026
The UK Space Agency is seeking to award funding of around £4 million to £25 million per project for proposals that will drive innovation in satellite communications and strengthen the UK’s position in the global constellation supply chain.
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UK Space Agency: National Space Innovation Programme – Call 3
Closing Soon
Opens: 20/07/2026
Closes: 21/08/2026
Proposals for UK-based space projects are invited, with up to £20 million of support available.
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Royce ICURe Discover: October 2026
Opens: 21/07/2026
Closes: 18/09/2026
A part-time online market exploration programme for researchers and technicians in advanced materials, with up to £2,500 support for market discovery activities.
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Global Incubator Programme: USA (New York) - Clean Energy Industries
Opens: 23/07/2026
Closes: 04/09/2026
Innovate UK seeks up to 8 high potential companies in the clean energy industries sector to work with the Urban Future Lab in New York.