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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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
Closing Soon
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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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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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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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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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
Closing Soon
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
Closing Soon
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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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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BBSRC Institutes ICURe Discover - October 2026
Opens: 01/07/2026
Closes: 18/09/2026
BBSRC Institutes ICURe Discover is a part-time online market discovery programme exclusively for research teams at BBSRC's eight strategically supported institutes, with up to £2,500 support for market discovery activities.
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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.
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DRIVE35 Innovation Fund: Collaborate 3
Closing Soon
Opens: 26/06/2026
Closes: 16/09/2026
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £20 million for late stage collaborative research and development projects. Projects will support the UK’s transition to zero emission vehicles and a pathway to a net zero automotive industry.
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DRIVE35: Scale Up Fund
There is no submission deadline
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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Horizon Europe 2026-27: Horizontal Actions - Bridging Actions
Various closing dates between January and June 2027
A series of topics aiming to facilitate a smooth transition between Horizon Europe 2021–2027 and the next EU R&I Framework Programme, Horizon Europe 2028–2034.
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Horizon Europe 2026-27: Horizontal actions - Transformative change towards a nature-positive economy and society
Opens: 06/10/2026
Closes: 16/09/2027
Supporting R&I activities dedicated to biodiversity across pillar II of Horizon Europe, with up to €50m for the largest projects.
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Horizon Europe Chips Joint Undertaking 2026
Various closing dates to 31 March 2027
Topics under the CHIPS-JU work programme, aiming to strengthen Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem, with up to €70m available for the largest projects.
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NHS Cancer Programme - Innovation Open Call 4
Opens: 01/09/2026
Closes: 01/12/2026
Applications are invited for innovations that focus on productivity and supporting the NHS to meet Cancer Waiting Times, as well as innovations that support the earlier detection and diagnosis of cancer.
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Innovation Loans Expression of Interest
There is no submission deadline
UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprises can submit an Expression of Interest for loans for close to market innovative projects with strong commercial potential. They must significantly improve the UK economy and drive societal benefit.