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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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
Closing Soon
EOI closes 13 September 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 batteries and 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
Closing Soon
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
Closing Soon
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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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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AHRC CreaTech ICURe Discover: October 2026
Closing Soon
Opens: 14/07/2026
Closes: 09/09/2026
AHRC CreaTech 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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EPSRC Healthcare Technologies ICURe Engage November 2026
Opens: 10/07/2026
Closes: 09/10/2026
EPSRC Healthcare Technologies 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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Digital Catapult: Digital Twin Adoption Accelerator 2026
Closing Soon
Opens: 08/07/2026
Closes: 06/09/2026
The Digital Twin Adoption Accelerator Programme 2026 is a nine-month programme that supports partnerships between UK technology SMEs and industry adopters to accelerate the adoption of digital twin technologies.
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KAVA Call 14 – Upscaling: Raw Materials & Advanced Materials
Opens: 01/07/2026
Closes: 16/11/2026
Receive funding for projects in mining, materials, and recycling from €500,000 up to €2.5+ million.
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EIT Health Innovation Uptake Call 2026
Opens: 24/06/2026
Closes: 16/09/2026
EIT Health is calling for mature digital, data-driven and AI-powered healthcare solutions ready to scale across European markets: up to €650k per project.
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EIT: Transformative Healthcare Instrument 2026
Opens: 24/06/2026
Closes: 16/09/2026
EIT Health is offering €300,000 and €500,000 in funding per project to support high-potential European startups developing innovative solutions in biotech, medtech, digital health, AI, and biomarkers or diagnostics.
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Deep Tech Co-Creation Accelerator 2026-2027
Closing Soon
Opens: 02/07/2026
Closes: 08/09/2026
The Co-Creation Accelerator pairs early-stage ventures with industry partners to validate technology, with grants of up to €250,000.
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IHI (Innovative Health Initiative) 13th Call for Proposals
Short proposal submission deadline: 8 Oct 2026
Topics on accelerating healthcare innovation through networks, reducing animal use in drug safety studies, and decoding the immuno-science of diseases affected by ageing and the immune system.
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European Space Agency: The Arctic Region: Safety, Navigation and Operations
Opens: 05/09/2026
Closes: 05/11/2026
Applications are invited on space-enabled solutions targeting safe maritime navigation and operations in the Arctic where the melting ice is not only resulting in increased traffic but also posing significant hazards to vessels.
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European Space Agency: Road and Traffic Safety
Opens: 15/07/2026
Closes: 27/11/2026
This opportunity offers funding for teams who would like to develop sustainable space-based services and applications that address challenges related to the Road and Traffic Safety sector.
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Women TechEU 2026-27
Weekly stage 1 submissions: four stage 2 deadlines throughout 2026-27
Women TechEU 2 EIC is an EU-funded project designed to support women-led early-stage deep tech startups from Europe. Each startup can receive €75,000 in funding.
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Scaling performance of quantum computing hardware: CR&D
Opens: 27/06/2026
Closes: 18/09/2026
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £33 million to develop device level hardware and associated software to meet the scale, programmability, and runtime performance needs of universal fault tolerant quantum computers.