Contracts for Innovation

Procuring tomorrow’s solutions today

Innovate UK Contracts for Innovation, formerly known as The Small Business Research Initiative or SBRI, offer innovative organisations the chance to work directly with the public sector to solve complex challenges. This relationship is mutually beneficial and brings about unique benefits for both parties.

Contracts for Innovation competitions are open to any size or type of organisation, including businesses of any size, academic and research organisations and not-for-profits and charities.

Access public sector opportunities

Contracts for Innovation provides a route to market for new ideas and technologies, a chance to work with the public sector as an early adopter of cutting-edge innovation, and a way to create and retain intellectual property with the aim of commercialising solutions, helping to achieve business growth and success.

For successful organisations, Contracts for Innovation offers 100% funding to a single legal entity to help develop their proposed solution. Working with the public sector, organisations are able to access opportunities and build relationships that would otherwise be unavailable to them.

Find solutions to improve public services

For public sector organisations, Contracts for Innovation allows new solutions and technologies to be developed, and for these to be quickly adopted, helping meet efficiency targets and improving public services.

To date, over 100 public sector organisations have invested more than £1.5bn through Contracts for Innovation. Public Sector organisations who use Contracts for Innovation include:

• Department of Energy, Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
• Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
• Department for Transport
• Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
• Devolved Administrations (DAs).
• NHS
• Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA)
• UK Space Agency
• UK Atomic Energy Authority
• Network Rail

A 2022 independent review shows how Contracts for Innovation has helped some of the most exciting and innovative projects that have made the public sector more efficient and effective.