Biomedical Catalyst
Accelerating the translation of innovative ideas and discoveries into healthcare solutions that improve lives. The Biomedical Catalyst transforms innovative ideas into commercially viable businesses. It delivers sector growth, de-risks innovation and gets companies investment ready.
Transforming innovative ideas into commercially viable businesses
Through our flagship grant funding mechanism, Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst, we help small and medium sized businesses test and develop innovative health and care solutions across life sciences, including therapeutics, medical devices, and digital health.
By awarding grants to UK-based businesses of varying stages of development, we enable them to develop and deliver innovative healthcare solutions, secure investment and speed up bringing new products to market. We help deliver innovative products and services into healthcare more quickly and effectively, and provide support to academically and commercially led R&D, helping to see positive growth towards becoming a global leader in the life sciences sector.
Focus areas
Medicines & Pharmaceuticals
Innovative drug discovery and delivery, therapeutic and medicine development, advanced therapies
Health Technology
Diagnostics, imaging, medical technology and devices, sensors, robotics
Digital Health Technology
Data driven health, AI in health, independent living and wellbeing
How we support you
The Biomedical Catalyst has a suite of competitions designed to support SMEs to progress projects at different stages of development. Typically these range from feasibility studies through to clinical trials and demonstrations of effectiveness in humans or other relevant environments.
ACCELERATOR | FEASIBILITY
Gain feasibility funding through thematic accelerators
Supporting the development of early-stage health and life science businesses in the UK by funding a series of thematic, accelerator-led feasibility projects. These accelerators will recruit spinouts, start-ups, and entrepreneurs to test and refine their ideas, with input and guidance from key stakeholders across relevant ecosystems.
INDUSTRY-LED R&D
Transformational grant funding for industry-led innovation projects
Supporting pre-market R&D projects that develop innovative solutions to health and healthcare challenges with clear potential to drive economic growth. Projects must demonstrate both technical and commercial feasibility, backed by existing evidence, and show how they will enhance the competitiveness and productivity of at least one participating UK SME. Funding is available for industrial research and experimental development, as defined in the categories of research guidance.
INVESTOR PARTNERSHIPS
De-risking innovative technologies by aligning public grant and private investment
The Innovate UK Investor Partnerships Programme supports UK SMEs by combining grant funding for R&D with aligned investment from trusted investor partners. In collaboration with the Investor Partnership Programme, we provide targeted support to innovative, commercially viable life science businesses that drive sector growth and solve global healthcare challenges.
Our experts
Business Connect connects innovators with new partners and new opportunities beyond their existing thinking, accelerating ambitious ideas into real-world solutions. If you want help to find a project partner or would like someone to review a funding application before submission, contact Innovate UK Business Connect.
Meet our experts
Related Opportunities
Engineering Biology SPARK Awards
Opens: 02/06/2025 Closes: 09/07/2025
Grants of up to £15,000 to fund UK-registered academic institutions or RTOs to deliver an engineering biology project to address a challenge held by a UK-registered SME or to enhance the SME’s progress towards developing new products, processes, or services.
More Information
Horizon Europe 2025 work programme Cluster 1: Health
Opens: 03/05/2025 Closes: 16/09/2025
Topics available under Horizon Europe’s Health programme for 2025/26, with funding of up to €20m per project.
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Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF): Expression of Interest
EOIs accepted on a rolling basis; quarterly assessments
Capital grants to support investments over £8m in the manufacture of human medicines, medical diagnostics and medtech products; assessed quarterly
More Information
Related Case Studies
A remote monitoring service for cancer patients that restores quality of life
How Biomedical Catalyst funding enabled Entia to prioritise its work in oncology and conduct vital feasibility studies.
Learning from nature to identify new antibody-like proteins to treat complex autoimmune diseases
Grant funding of over £686,000 has supported Elasmogen in testing the efficacy of soloMERs in treating conditions like inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and cancer.
Screening technology that seeks out new targets to drug the “undruggable”
PhoreMost has accessed over £1.7 million in grant funding from the Biomedical Catalyst and Innovate UK.
Related News
10/06/2025
Biomedical Catalyst funding gives boost to healthcare innovation
Thirty three projects will receive funding from Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst (BMC) to help them translate their ideas into products and therapies for patients, bringing them a step closer to commercialisation.
Read more
24/07/2024
£3.2m funding awarded to advance early-stage healthcare innovation
Thirty-three companies, which took part in Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst pilot accelerators, have been awarded funding to further develop their innovative projects.
Read more
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