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.
Learn more about Innovate UK Contracts for Innovation
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.
Benefits to business
£127k
Turnover impact per firm per year
9%
Business growth
£290m
Private investment leveraged
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.
Innovate UK Tools and Support
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Business Growth
The Scaleup Programme Alumni Community brings together like-minded and ambitious individuals.
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Catapult Network
The Catapult Network provides cutting-edge R&D facilities and world class technical expertise to support UK business growth.
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Innovation Hub
The Innovation Hub brings together the most relevant government backed innovation support.
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Investor Connect
Investment Connect is a community determined to find, fund and amplify solutions for economic growth.
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Innovation Canvas
The Innovation Canvas supports the development of an innovative product, service or process.
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Related Case Studies
Pioneering Crop Yield Prediction: HSAT's Data-Driven Approach to Mitigating Market Volatility
Heimdal Satellite Technologies (HSAT) received Contracts for Innovation funding to develop groundbreaking solutions for predicting crop yields on a global scale.
JBA Consulting's Surface Water Flood Forecasting and Early Warning System
JBA Consulting, a global leader in flood risk management and environmental engineering, was one of 25 awardees under the First of a Kind (FOAK) 2020 Rail Competition, which used the Contracts for Innovation (then known as SBRI) funding mechanism.
Viking Uncrewed Ground Vehicle
Using the Contracts for Innovation mechanism, Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) awarded funding to HORIBA MIRA to showcase their Viking Uncrewed Ground Vehicle (UGV) solution.
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