Funding Opportunities

Availability: Open

Closing Date: Wednesday, 16th April 2025 at 1pm

Value: £50k to £100k

Duration: 6-12 months

Eligibility:

Technologies addressing one or more of the following areas are considered in scope:

Reduce waiting times: Develop technologies that expedite accurate assessment and diagnosis of children and young people with mental health needs and neurodevelopmental conditions.
Enhance early detection: Implement tools that facilitate the early identification and assessment of mental health issues and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Improve access to care: Create platforms that connect patients and families with professionals across health, education and social care.
Speed up treatment time: Develop and implement more effective tools and interventions that can be delivered in fewer sessions and/or speed up recovery time.
Support young people, caregivers and families: Provide resources and tools to help young people, their families and caregivers navigate the health, education and social care system, as well as manage challenges at home and other settings (e.g. nursery, school, college).

Out of scope:

Technologies that purely focus on system improvements and have no tangible patient benefit.
Technologies developed for an adult population with limited evidence of an application in children and young people.

Summary:

The NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Funding At the Speed of Translation (FAST) programme, in partnership with the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Paediatrics and Child Health, invites applications to support the development of health technologies to reduce community and hospital waiting lists for children and young people, including those with learning disabilities, seeking mental healthcare or neurodevelopmental assessment.

This is a one-stage commissioned funding opportunity. Applications need to be clearly aligned with the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC’s) area of research interest 1 to take early action to prevent poor health outcomes by developing effective prevention, early diagnosis, and intervention strategies that specifically support children and young people (up to 18 years of age) to enable the transfer of care from hospitals to the community and alleviate long-term burden on the NHS and social care system.

Availability: Opening on Monday, 14th April 2025

Closing Date: Friday, 16th May 2025 at 1pm

Value: £150k

Duration: 9 months

Eligibility:

The NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme is accepting applications to their new researcher and clinician-led THRIVE (Translate Healthcare Research through InnoVation and Entrepreneurship) funding and training opportunity. THRIVE aims to accelerate the translation of healthcare innovations tackling health inequalities from bench to bed, speed up patient benefit and concurrently expand the entrepreneurial mindset of researchers and clinicians.

THRIVE offers up to £150,000 over 9 months to support the development of the technology and a structured programme of entrepreneurial training, mentoring, peer support and networking. Through the programme the innovators will explore the market for their innovation and identify potential routes for commercialising (spin-out vs licensing) or sustaining their innovation (Intrapreneurship).

The programme supports innovations that can reduce health inequalities and meet needs in underserved communities.

This is a one stage application process. See below for additional eligibility criteria relating specifically to this funding opportunity.

THRIVE is aimed at academic and clinical entrepreneurs with innovations at prototype development level (Technology Readiness Level (TRL 3)) and above to ensure that the product is advanced enough to test the market need and build a commercialisation strategy and benefit from the training by applying the ideas and frameworks to an innovation ready for translation.

Applications from underserved communities and geographies as well as under-represented innovators are encouraged.

Webinars
THRIVE launch event – 07 April 2025, 1pm – 2:30pm
The THRIVE launch event will provide applicants with an intro to THRIVE, benefits of THRIVE, who can apply, support to apply, ongoing support. Register now.

THRIVE tips and advice session – 24 April 2025, 2:30pm – 4pm
The tips and advice session will include a short presentation on the award management system and the application form with specific advice on guidance for this call as well as an open Q&A. Register now.

THRIVE drop in sessions
The drop in sessions will have staff available for questions, either in forum or in a break out room.

08 May 2025, 10am – 11am. Register now.

09 May 2025, 3pm – 4pm. Register now.

Availability: OPEN

Closing Date: 29th May 2025, 4pm

Value: £100,000 – £250,000

Duration: 12 months

Eligibility: Only UKRI eligible research organisations can apply. Check further eligibility here. Your application needs to be supported by your research organisation. Only a specific number of applications are eligible per research organisation depending on the number of active research staff.

Summary:

Apply for proof of concept to support the commercialisation of research to enable spinouts or social ventures, licencing or other commercialisation pathways.

Applications from any disciplines are welcomed. No pre-existing UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding is required. The programme will not support discovery-driven research. You must be based at a UK research organisation. The full economic cost (FEC) can be up to £250,000 for 12 months duration with a minimum of £100,000 for 6 months. UKRI will fund 80% FEC. The intention to submit is a mandatory step and the deadline is 3 March 2025 at 4:00pm (UK time).

Availability: OPEN

Closing Date: Not specified.

Value: £50,000 – £150,000

Duration: 6-12 month period

Eligibility: Technologies which have regulatory approval or demonstrated equivalent safety and efficacy

Summary:

The NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme is a translational research funding scheme aimed at medical devices, in vitro diagnostic devices and digital health technologies addressing an existing or emerging health or social care need.

i4i is now open to the whole UK

We’re excited to announce that the NIHR i4i programme is now accepting applications from researchers and organisations based in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, in addition to applications from England. This change will be effective for our upcoming i4i competitions in autumn 2023, including PDA Call 27, Challenge Call 16, and Connect Call 8. We are looking forward to receiving applications from across the UK.

Location: UK

Availability: Open

Closing Date: Not specified

Value: £25,000 of initial funding

Duration: Not specified

Eligibility: NHS staff

Summary:

InnoScot Health is seeking forward-thinking ophthalmic solutions that can help support NHS Scotland to strengthen and make meaningful change in this priority area of its recovery plan. During the pandemic, this was one of the health care areas which suffered most as patients were unable to see ophthalmologists and optometrists for face-to-face appointments so waiting lists and backlogs grew.

This in turn meant that individuals with eye problems saw a worsening of their condition over the course of the pandemic and it is only now that we are beginning to see a return to normal practice. However, there remains a significant accumulation of people still requiring treatment and so encouraging the diverse NHS Scotland workforce to come up with new ways of working and identifying ways to reduce that backlog is vital.

Submitting your idea is a simple process – taking approximately 5-10 minutes – and all are confidential.

Location: Scotland

Availability: Open

Closing Date: Not specified

Value: Up to £25,000 of initial funding

Duration: up to 4 months.

Eligibility: NHS Scotland staff

Summary:

InnoScot Health is seeking sustainable, forward-thinking ideas from health and social care professionals that can help support NHS Scotland to adapt, develop and strengthen in response to climate change.

Encouraging NHS Scotland’s diverse workforce to come up with new ideas that achieve sustainable outcomes is vital, and is at the heart of the latest InnoScot Health innovation call.

The behaviours of NHS Scotland’s 160,000-strong workforce will influence how the service mitigates and adapts to climate change impacts; and so, encouraging this diverse workforce to come up with new ways of working is vital.

The package of support for health and social care staff with ideas to support NHS Scotland includes £25,000 of initial funding, regulatory support, project management and the innovation expertise of InnoScot Health.

Location: Scotland

Availability: Ongoing

Closing Date: None – apply at any time

Value: A typical KTP project delivers a package of support valued at around £80,000 to £100,000 per year.

Duration: 12-36 months

Eligibility: Aimed at partnerships between a UK-based business of any size or non-profit organisation, an academic organisation and a suitably-qualified graduate.

Summary:

Since 1975, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) have been helping businesses and organisations innovate for growth. They are unique collaborative partnerships between businesses and universities, colleges, research organisations and Catapults. KTPs create positive impact and drive innovation.

There are different types of KTPs, each addressing a specific need:

classic KTPs: help build better products and services
management KTPs: help build better businesses
third sector and charity KTPs: help create more robust income streams
public sector management KTPs: help UK’s public services to innovate and improve their services

Each KTP addresses a specific challenge and enables the transfer of knowledge, technology, and expertise from the academic partner to the business or organisation. Funded by Innovate UK and the partner business or organisation, the program provides support for a partnership, including the placement of a highly qualified graduate, known as a KTP Associate, within the business for a period of 12-36 months.

The KTP Associate works with the business to implement innovative solutions to identified business challenges, using the knowledge and expertise gained through their academic training. The academic partner provides support and guidance to the KTP Associate throughout the project. The business benefits from the transfer of knowledge and expertise, as well as access to new technologies, specialist facilities and technical expertise. KTPs have been shown to be highly effective in driving innovation and growth and are a valuable tool for businesses and organisations seeking to stay ahead of the curve in today’s rapidly changing economic landscape.

Location: UK

Availability: Applications for the 2026 intake will open in Summer 2025.

Closing Date: Not Specified

Value: Not Specified

Duration: Not Specified

Eligibility: The NIA is open to applicants from any background, including SMEs, clinical entrepreneurs and academia, with innovations of any type that solve a problem for the NHS

Summary:

To be successful, your innovation should be:

• In use in at least one site, in the NHS or elsewhere
• Supported by an evidence base and able to demonstrate better patient and/or staff outcomes
• Ready to spread across the NHS
• Led by an applicant who is open to learning and sharing insights
• Aligned with one of the 2023 call themes (to be confirmed)

Location: Not Specified

Availability: Open

Closing Date: Not Specified

Value: Between £1,000 and £5,000

Duration: Not Specified

Eligibility:

Applications from all company sectors are welcome. However, vouchers are only available to SMEs, sole traders, social enterprises and third sector organisations with main business operations in Scotland, working with Scottish Universities or Scottish Further Education Colleges.

Summary:

There are two types of Standard Innovation Vouchers:

Product/Process/Service Innovation Voucher – to support outward innovation to develop a new product, process or service.
Workforce Innovation Voucher – to support inward innovation to develop the company’s internal workforce such as new or enhanced workplace processes, innovative workplace practices and innovative business expertise. This does not include staff CPD or to finance any external training courses.

Location: Scotland

Availability: Open

Closing Date: N/A

Value: Up to £20, 000 towards Higher Education Institutes (HEI) costs

Duration: Less than a year

Eligibility: The projects must be led by at least one of Scotland’s talented Higher Education Institutes (HEI).

Summary:

The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) invites applications for proof-of-concept projects from researchers with an ambition to spin-out a company within 1-2 years of the project ending.

Spin-out projects should focus on innovative applications of biotechnology and address a real market need or commercial opportunity.

This call invites applications from academic researchers addressing challenges that could be addressed with a biotechnology solution with the near-term ambition of forming a spin-out or start-up company.

Location: United Kingdom

Availability: From Autumn 2023

Closing Date: Various (depending on programme)

Value: Various (depending on programme)

Duration: Various (depending on programme)

Eligibility: Researchers and in some cases SMEs (depending on programme)

Summary:

From autumn 2023, health and social care researchers in the devolved administrations will have increased access to health and social care research funding via the National Institute for Health and Care Research. This expands the list of NIHR research programmes that are available to researchers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Researchers and in some cases SMEs will be able to access the following NIHR research programmes from autumn 2023:

Location: Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland

Availability: Open

Closing Date: All year round

Value: Up to £100,000

Duration: 6 – 18 Months

Eligibility: Small or medium sized business, university spin-out or an individual based in Scotland

Summary:

The SMART: SCOTLAND grant is one of our research and development (R&D) grants that aims to support high-risk, highly ambitious projects.

It covers conducting feasibility studies. It’s only available to small and medium enterprises (SMEs)* based in Scotland and supports activities that have a commercial endpoint.

Location: Scotland

Availability: Open

Closing Date: N/A

Value: Up to £75,000

Duration: Scottish Enterprise will aim to reach a decision on your application within 3 weeks of submission.

Eligibility: This call is open to all universities, research institutes and NHS boards in areas of Scotland served by Scottish Enterprise. This includes Aberdeen City and Shire, the east of Scotland, Tayside and the west of Scotland.

Summary:

The High-Growth Spinout Programme (HGSP) provides funding to support the commercialisation of advanced technologies developed at Scotland’s universities, research institutes and NHS boards. The objective is to create new high-growth companies with the potential to generate significant economic impact in Scotland.

The purpose of the funding is to address gaps in the business plan for the prospective technology. The grant can support up to 100% of the direct costs of a project, up to a maximum of £75,000.

Supported activities include, but are not limited to:

the appointment of an experienced commercial champion to lead and manage commercial engagement
technology de-risking through prototyping
investor engagement
market research
regulatory assessment
intellectual property strategy development

You are encouraged to speak to a member of the HGSP team before you draft and submit your application.

Availability: Open

Closing Date: Monday, 28th April 2025 at 12 noon

Value: Up to £350,000 per application

Duration: BHF will aim to reach a decision on your application in August 2025.

Eligibility:

The lead applicant or investigator must be employed by an NHS organisation or UK academic institution.

Applications are invited from teams who have been identified and supported by UK’s regional innovation boards, like:

Health Innovation Networks (HINs) in England
Innovation Hubs in Scotland
Cardiac Network Board in Wales
Cardiology Network in Northern Ireland.
Your project can include working with other partners, such as the third sector and industry, where you think it will benefit people with cardiovascular disease.

It’s important that your project considers patient involvement at all levels, from scoping to steering groups.

Summary:

We want to support everyone with cardiovascular disease to live a longer healthier life, by ensuring they get the treatment, care and support they need. That’s why we want to work with you to develop pioneering ways to transform the delivery of services. By funding the most innovative ideas, we can work together to make the biggest impact. Our Healthcare Innovation Fund tests and evaluates innovative approaches to the delivery of improved services for people with cardiovascular disease.

We fund ideas that:

Identify an unmet need that needs further scoping and consensus building around need and potential solutions.
Have been scoped by an appropriate group of stakeholders and are ready to be tested and evaluated in practice.
Have been tested locally by an appropriate group of stakeholders and are ready for early stage scaling.

We open for applications on Monday 3rd March 2025. Applications close on Monday 28th April 2025 at midday.

We will open again for applications in September 2025 (closing in November 2025). Application rounds for 2026 and 2027 will be announced in due course.

Availability: Open

Closing Date: Wednesday, 7th May 2025 at 1pm

Value: Uncapped

Duration: Not specified.

Eligibility:

Types of eligible innovations include, but are not limited to, medical devices, in vitro diagnostics, NICE classified digital health solutions, software, behavioural interventions and new models of care. Innovations incorporating or employing a game-changing technology (artificial intelligence, quantum sensing, engineering biology, genomics or wearables including smart phones) are particularly welcomed, as well as innovations addressing NHS systemic reforms proposed by the government: analogue to digital; sickness to prevention; hospital to community.

The NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme invites applications to enhance timely access to care through the development, clinical validation and/or real-world evidence generation of transformative and disruptive technologies. This funding opportunity, therefore, supports the development of innovative health technologies aimed at reducing waiting times and waiting lists for individuals in need of care, in any setting.

This is a one-stage, commissioned funding opportunity. Funding for this award is uncapped.

Webinar information
08 April 2025, 15:00-16:30

This webinar will include a presentation introducing the commissioned i4i funding opportunity, specifications and application process, followed by a live Q&A session for the audience to ask questions to the NIHR i4i programme team. Register here.

Available Funding Opportunities

i4i FAST - March 2025

i4i THRIVE - April 2025

Proof of Concept

Invention for Innovation

Opthalmic innovation call

InnoScot Health

Sustainability Innovation Call

InnoScot Health

Knowledge Transfer Partnership

UK Government

NHS Innovator Accelerator

The AHSN Network England

Standard Innovation Vouchers

Interface

Spin Out Support Programme

IBioIC

Further NIHR funding for Scottish Researchers

SMART:Scotland Grant

Scottish Enterprise

High-Growth Spinout Programme

NIHR

BHF Healthcare Innovation Fund

Transformative and disruptive innovations to reduce waiting lists and waiting times - April 2025