Delivered by Digital Catapult, 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. Working together, participants will develop innovative proof-of-concept solutions that address real-world adoption challenges across the automotive, agri-tech, maritime, aerospace (including space), defence, clean energy, creative industries and life sciences sectors. Successful projects will receive up to £100,000 in Innovate UK grant funding, alongside technical expertise, mentoring and access to specialist facilities to help accelerate the development and deployment of their solutions.
During the nine-month programme, participants will be supported by Digital Catapult and the UK Digital Twin Centre partners through:
- Up to £100,000 in Innovate UK grant funding per successful project
- Expert technical support from Digital Catapult’s innovation and technology teams to help develop and refine digital twin solutions
- Access to real-world environments to test and validate proof-of-concept projects
- Dedicated 1-2-1 mentoring throughout the programme
- Hands-on collaboration between technology innovators and industry adopters to solve genuine business challenges
- Support from the UK Digital Twin Centre industry partners
- Opportunities to expand your network through connections with industry leaders, technology experts and the wider digital twin ecosystem
- An end of programme showcase event to demonstrate their solutions to an audience of industry, government and investors
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The Digital Twin Adoption Accelerator Programme is open to pre-formed partnerships between a UK technology SME and an industry organisation looking to adopt digital twin technologies.
Partner 1: A Technology SME from across the UK developing solutions in one or more of the six enabling technology areas that underpin digital twins:
- Cyber-physical systems
- Data services
- Security and trustworthiness
- Immersive technologies and user experience
- Intelligence
- Integration and interoperability
Partner 2: An industry adopter/organisation operating in one of the following sectors that are seeking to address a digital twin adoption challenge:
- Automotive
- Agri-tech
- Maritime
- Aerospace (including space)
- Defence
- Clean energy
- Creative industries
- Life sciences
Either the technology SME or the industry adopter may act as the lead applicant. The programme will support nine partnerships to develop proof-of-concept projects that accelerate the adoption of digital twins in industry.
Both companies in the consortium must be registered in the United Kingdom, including
Northern Ireland and Great Britain.State Assistance: Technology Vendors must be eligible to receive £18,477.50 plus the proportion of the £100,000 cash grant that is allocated to the Technology Vendor in State Assistance. The maximum amount of State Assistance provided to the Technology Vendor will be £118,477.50. Industry Adopters must be eligible to receive £14,205.00 plus the proportion of the £100,000 cash grant that is allocated to the Industry Adopter in State Assistance. The maximum amount of State Assistance provided to the Technology Vendor will be £114,205.00.
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What are the six enabling technology areas that underpin digital twins?
- Cyber physical systems – (Sensors and connected devices, edge computing, sensor networks, real-time monitoring)
- Data services – (Data platforms and databases, big data processing, predictive analytics, interoperability)
- Security and trustworthiness – (Systems for sharing data or automating decisions, cyber resilience, data integrity, secure architectures)
- Immersive and UX – (Simulation interfaces, immersive environments, and dashboards)
- Intelligence – (Simulation and Modelling, AI-driven decision-making, machine learning, autonomy)
- Integration and interoperability