Industry Focus
Each grant authority has different priorities and sectors they target to ensure the best projects are funded.
Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering
Eligibility Criteria:
- Open to all technology types
- Must include at least one SME (micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise)
- Projects with durations between 6 and 18 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £500,000. They can be single of collaborative projects.
- Project durations between 19 and 36 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £2 million. They must be collaborative projects.
- Any applications submitted outside of these criteria without our authorisation will be marked at ineligible and will not be sent for assessment.
Horizon 2020 funds high-potential innovation developed by SMEs through the H2020 EIC Accelerator (previously the SME instrument). The EIC Accelerator offers Europe’s most exciting companies the chance to apply for funding for breakthrough ideas with the potential to create entirely new markets or revolutionise existing ones.
What is the size and scale of the project:
- Projects will receive between € 0.5 and € 2.5 million in the form of grants (70% of total project costs). Applicants can request a higher or lower amount when applying but it needs to be duly justified.
- Projects should normally take 12 to 24 months to complete but could be longer in exceptional and well-justified cases.
This fund helps businesses digitise their manufacturing, supply chain, and aid skill development. One of the focuses of the programme is to support the automotive industry in their transition to Industry 4.0. Most grants range between £3m-10m, with 50% for large, 60% for medium and 70% for small companies.
Opening this summer is a new £315m fun to help manufacturers reduce their energy usage by supporting companies in purchasing existing technology and learning how to implement it in their process.
Aerospace and Defence
Eligibility Criteria:
- Open to all technology types
- Must include at least one SME (micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise)
- Projects with durations between 6 and 18 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £500,000. They can be single of collaborative projects.
- Project durations between 19 and 36 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £2 million. They must be collaborative projects.
- Any applications submitted outside of these criteria without our authorisation will be marked at ineligible and will not be sent for assessment.
The ATI works in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Innovate UK to offer funding designed to accelerate innovation in the UK to maintain global competitiveness. The ATI Programme is formed of four strands – the Strategic Programme, R&D Funding for Smaller Business, the National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP) and our International programme.
The ATI Boeing Accelerator is a 3-month programme delivered in partnership with Ignite. It is suitable for software start-ups looking to scale their business within the aerospace sector - particularly for solutions focused on Industry 4.0 and sustainability-enabling technologies. It offers a £100k equity investment per start-up, first-hand access to Boeing and GKN Aerospace strategists and technical experts and much more.
Horizon 2020 funds high-potential innovation developed by SMEs through the H2020 EIC Accelerator (previously the SME instrument). The EIC Accelerator offers Europe’s most exciting companies the chance to apply for funding for breakthrough ideas with the potential to create entirely new markets or revolutionise existing ones.
What is the size and scale of the project:
- Projects will receive between € 0.5 and € 2.5 million in the form of grants (70% of total project costs). Applicants can request a higher or lower amount when applying but it needs to be duly justified.
- Projects should normally take 12 to 24 months to complete but could be longer in exceptional and well-justified cases.
- To lead you must be an SME
- Applications must be collaborative
- Development of technologies should be in line with Aerospace Technology Institute Technology Strategy or an explanation provided of why if not
- Projects can last from 12 months up to a maximum of 18 months
- Maximum grant request is £150,000 - match funded by industry
AgriTech
Eligibility Criteria:
- Open to all technology types
- Must include at least one SME (micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise)
- Projects with durations between 6 and 18 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £500,000. They can be single of collaborative projects.
- Project durations between 19 and 36 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £2 million. They must be collaborative projects.
- Any applications submitted outside of these criteria without our authorisation will be marked at ineligible and will not be sent for assessment.
Horizon 2020 funds high-potential innovation developed by SMEs through the H2020 EIC Accelerator (previously the SME instrument). The EIC Accelerator offers Europe’s most exciting companies the chance to apply for funding for breakthrough ideas with the potential to create entirely new markets or revolutionise existing ones.
What is the size and scale of the project:
- Projects will receive between € 0.5 and € 2.5 million in the form of grants (70% of total project costs). Applicants can request a higher or lower amount when applying but it needs to be duly justified.
- Projects should normally take 12 to 24 months to complete but could be longer in exceptional and well-justified cases.
Run by Innovate UK, the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) is a £1.5 billion fund announced by the UK Government in late 2015 to support cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries.
Alongside the other GCRF delivery partners we are creating complementary programmes that:
- Promote challenge-led disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, including the participation of researchers who may not previously have considered the applicability of their work to development issues.
- Strengthen capacity for research, innovation and knowledge exchange in the UK and developing countries though partnership with excellent UK research and researchers.
- Provide an agile response to emergencies where there is an urgent research need.
Automotive (Autonomous transport and green vehicles)
Eligibility Criteria:
- Open to all technology types
- Must include at least one SME (micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise)
- Projects with durations between 6 and 18 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £500,000. They can be single of collaborative projects.
- Project durations between 19 and 36 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £2 million. They must be collaborative projects.
- Any applications submitted outside of these criteria without our authorisation will be marked at ineligible and will not be sent for assessment.
APC Core Competitions are a £1 billion commitment from Government and industry to accelerate the development of low carbon technology from research to the point of commercialisation here in the UK, safeguarding and creating jobs and attracting foreign direct investment.
With three competitions running a year, there is opportunity to apply for match-funded financial support complemented by technological support and strategic business advice from our team of handpicked specialists.
Horizon 2020 funds high-potential innovation developed by SMEs through the H2020 EIC Accelerator (previously the SME instrument). The EIC Accelerator offers Europe’s most exciting companies the chance to apply for funding for breakthrough ideas with the potential to create entirely new markets or revolutionise existing ones.
What is the size and scale of the project:
- Projects will receive between € 0.5 and € 2.5 million in the form of grants (70% of total project costs). Applicants can request a higher or lower amount when applying but it needs to be duly justified.
- Projects should normally take 12 to 24 months to complete but could be longer in exceptional and well-justified cases.
Biomedical and Biotechnology
Eligibility Criteria:
- Open to all technology types
- Must include at least one SME (micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise)
- Projects with durations between 6 and 18 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £500,000. They can be single of collaborative projects.
- Project durations between 19 and 36 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £2 million. They must be collaborative projects.
- Any applications submitted outside of these criteria without our authorisation will be marked at ineligible and will not be sent for assessment.
These awards support researchers who are transforming great ideas into healthcare innovations that could have a significant impact on human health.
Up to £500,000 is on offer for single applicants, or up to £750,000 for multidisciplinary collaborations with projects usually up to 24 months, or up to 36 months for multidisciplinary collaborations.
You can work in any scientific discipline, including a discipline outside life sciences. You can work on any type of technology.
Examples of technologies include:
- Therapeutics (small molecules or biologics)
- Vaccines
- Devices
- Diagnostics
- Digital Technologies
- Regenerative Medicine
The Biomedical Catalyst supports ideas for:
- Disease prevention and management
- Disease detection and diagnosis
- Tailored treatments the change a disease or offer potential cures
The Biomedical Catalyst has 4 competitions designed to support SMEs to progress projects that are at different stages of development.
- Feasibility Award: The feasibility award if designed for projects that have developed an innovative concept or carried out experimental proof of concept but have not validated the technology. The aim of the feasibility award is to explore and evaluate the commercial potential of innovative ideas.
- Primer Award: Funding in the primer award is for conducting a technical evaluation of an idea through to proof of concept in a model system.
- Early-stage Award: The aim of the early-stage award is to create a data packaged that is sufficient to support the testing of your product or process in a clinical setting or other relevant environment. Relevant projects will have already been validated in a laboratory or relevant setting. At the the end of the project, the technology will be ready to be demonstrated in a relevant environment.
- Late-stage Award: The late-stage award is designed to test a well-developed concept and show its effectiveness in a relevant environment. Projects are expected to build on prior credible research on a product prototype of process. This is likely to have included a demonstration or validation in an appropriate model system.
Horizon 2020 funds high-potential innovation developed by SMEs through the H2020 EIC Accelerator (previously the SME instrument). The EIC Accelerator offers Europe’s most exciting companies the chance to apply for funding for breakthrough ideas with the potential to create entirely new markets or revolutionise existing ones.
What is the size and scale of the project:
- Projects will receive between € 0.5 and € 2.5 million in the form of grants (70% of total project costs). Applicants can request a higher or lower amount when applying but it needs to be duly justified.
- Projects should normally take 12 to 24 months to complete but could be longer in exceptional and well-justified cases.
Energy and Renewables
Eligibility Criteria:
- Open to all technology types
- Must include at least one SME (micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise)
- Projects with durations between 6 and 18 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £500,000. They can be single of collaborative projects.
- Project durations between 19 and 36 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £2 million. They must be collaborative projects.
- Any applications submitted outside of these criteria without our authorisation will be marked at ineligible and will not be sent for assessment.
Horizon 2020 funds high-potential innovation developed by SMEs through the H2020 EIC Accelerator (previously the SME instrument). The EIC Accelerator offers Europe’s most exciting companies the chance to apply for funding for breakthrough ideas with the potential to create entirely new markets or revolutionise existing ones.
What is the size and scale of the project:
- Projects will receive between € 0.5 and € 2.5 million in the form of grants (70% of total project costs). Applicants can request a higher or lower amount when applying but it needs to be duly justified.
- Projects should normally take 12 to 24 months to complete but could be longer in exceptional and well-justified cases.
Run by Innovate UK, the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) is a £1.5 billion fund announced by the UK Government in late 2015 to support cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries.
Alongside the other GCRF delivery partners we are creating complementary programmes that:
- Promote challenge-led disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, including the participation of researchers who may not previously have considered the applicability of their work to development issues.
- Strengthen capacity for research, innovation and knowledge exchange in the UK and developing countries through partnership with excellent UK research and researchers.
- Provide an agile response to emergencies where there is an urgent research need.
Emerging and Enabling Technologies
Eligibility Criteria:
- Open to all technology types
- Must include at least one SME (micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise)
- Projects with durations between 6 and 18 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £500,000. They can be single of collaborative projects.
- Project durations between 19 and 36 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £2 million. They must be collaborative projects.
- Any applications submitted outside of these criteria without our authorisation will be marked at ineligible and will not be sent for assessment.
Horizon 2020 funds high-potential innovation developed by SMEs through the H2020 EIC Accelerator (previously the SME instrument). The EIC Accelerator offers Europe’s most exciting companies the chance to apply for funding for breakthrough ideas with the potential to create entirely new markets or revolutionise existing ones.
What is the size and scale of the project:
- Projects will receive between € 0.5 and € 2.5 million in the form of grants (70% of total project costs). Applicants can request a higher or lower amount when applying but it needs to be duly justified.
- Projects should normally take 12 to 24 months to complete but could be longer in exceptional and well-justified cases.
Technology Agnostic & All Sectors
Eligibility Criteria:
- Open to all technology types
- Must include at least one SME (micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise)
- Projects with durations between 6 and 18 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £500,000. They can be single of collaborative projects.
- Project durations between 19 and 36 months must have total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £2 million. They must be collaborative projects.
- Any applications submitted outside of these criteria without our authorisation will be marked at ineligible and will not be sent for assessment.
- Promote challenge-led disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, including the participation of researchers who may not previously have considered the applicability of their work to development issues.
- Strengthen capacity for research, innovation and knowledge exchange in the UK and developing countries through partnership with excellent UK research and researchers.
- Provide an agile response to emergencies where there is an urgent research need.
Horizon 2020 funds high-potential innovation developed by SMEs through the H2020 EIC Accelerator (previously the SME instrument). The EIC Accelerator offers Europe’s most exciting companies the chance to apply for funding for breakthrough ideas with the potential to create entirely new markets or revolutionise existing ones.
What is the size and scale of the project:
- Projects will receive between € 0.5 and € 2.5 million in the form of grants (70% of total project costs). Applicants can request a higher or lower amount when applying but it needs to be duly justified.
- Projects should normally take 12 to 24 months to complete but could be longer in exceptional and well-justified cases.
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