Early Spring 2023 SME Funding Opportunities

Innovate UK Transformative Technologies

The aim of this competition is to provide a package of targeted support to enable ambitious UK registered micro and small businesses in transformative technologies to reach their potential.

Innovate UK is offering UK registered small and micro businesses a share of up to £20 million in grants. In addition to the grant support, you will be offered tailored business support delivered by Innovate UK EDGE.

Competition closes:  29^th March 2023

UK Battery Industrialisation Centre SME Credit Round 1

UK registered micro, small and medium enterprises can apply for a share of up to £1.5 million to increase and facilitate their engagement with the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC). This funding is from the Faraday Battery Challenge.

Competition closes:  4^th April 2023

Made Smarter Innovation: Industry ready Robotics and Automation

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £6 million in innovation projects. These will be for innovation in late-stage robotics and automation to increase productivity, sustainability and resilience within manufacturing processes.

The aim of this competition is to develop and demonstrate industrially ready robotics and automation solutions deployable within a factory production area.

Competition closes:  5^th April 2023

Sustainable bio-based materials and manufacture: CR&D

Innovate UK, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), all part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £12 million for this competition. The funding will support research and innovation projects to develop sustainable biomanufacture based products.

The aim of this competition is to develop the design and delivery of new and disruptive sustainable biomanufacturing by 2050. Enabling the UK to be more globally competitive by supporting collaborative research and development (CR&D) across different industries and sectors.

Competition closes:  3^rd May 2023

ISCF SSPP Collecting flexible plastic packaging waste at home

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £250,000 from the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Programme.

The aim of this competition is to fund projects that will develop innovative ideas to help with the collection of flexible plastic packaging waste from households. The ultimate goal being the reduction of the amount of waste ending up in landfill or in the environment.

The selected projects will have the opportunity to develop their concept, and then present and prototype their idea as part of a nationwide trial to collect flexible plastic packaging waste from UK households.

Competition closes:  12^th April 2023

Hydrogen storage and distribution supply chain Collaborative R&D

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with industry to invest up to £4.35 million in innovation projects. As part of the Future Economy Net Zero Programme this competition will focus on the development of the hydrogen economy.

The aim of this competition is to develop new ways of delivering integrated hydrogen storage and distribution systems and the associated supply chains.

Competition closes:  26^th April 2023

Innovate UK Smart Grants

Smart is Innovate UK’s responsive grant funding programme. It has focused eligibility criteria and scope to support SMEs and their partners to develop disruptive innovations with significant potential for rapid economic return to the UK.

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £25 million in the best game-changing and world-leading ideas, designed for swift, successful commercialisation. Ideas need to be genuinely new and novel, not just disruptive within their sector.

Competition closes:  26^th April 2023

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP)

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) create dynamic connections between businesses and the UK’s world-class knowledge base to deliver strategic innovation projects. The KTP partnership brings new skills and the latest academic thinking into the business partner to deliver a specific, strategic innovation project.

Transforming your business Knowledge Transfer Partnerships can help your business:

• Embed expertise, generate new knowledge, expand capability and foster a culture of innovation
• Drive competitive advantage through accelerated innovation and the possibility of creating Intellectual Property
• Gain privileged and cost-effective access to the UK’s world-class knowledge base and resources
• Increase revenue through access to new markets and new product development
• Improve profits through efficiency gains, increased productivity and better processes
• Benefit from the strategic input of a highly experienced Knowledge Transfer Adviser and access

Closing Date: Open Call

Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP)

A £16 million programme to boost small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) defence innovation launched in July.

With the innovation of SMEs, the resources of big suppliers and initial funding from government, DTEP is designed to bring the key components together to allow pioneering projects to flourish.

The aim is to keep the UK at the forefront of defence technology, improving the capabilities available to ouThe programme is delivered by the Ministry of Defence’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), working with Innovate UK.

Individual grants of up to 50% of a project’s value, to a maximum of £500,000 per grant, will be available through DTEP for collaborative projects between SMEs and larger suppliers.

The grants will support the integration of novel technologies, materials and processes into defence supply chains. The grants will support the integration of novel technologies, materials and processes into defence supply chains.

Closing Date: Open Call