Available Funding Opportunities
We can support you as you develop your concept or prototype, by connecting you with collaborative partners from across industry, academia and health and care and by identifying funding and further support opportunities.

Innovate UK Smart Grants
Availability: Open
Closing Date: Wednesday 26 April 2023 11:00am
Value: Up to £2 million
Duration: 6 – 18 months or 19 – 36 months
Eligibility: Your project must include at least one SME as the lead or a collaborative grant claiming partner and all project work must be carried out in the UK.
Summary:
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.
Your proposal must be business focused, with deliverable, realistic, adequately resourced plans to achieve return on investment, growth and market share following project completion.
Location: United Kingdom
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SMART:Scotland Grant
Scottish Enterprise
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
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Opthalmic innovation call
InnoScot Health
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
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Sustainability Innovation Call
InnoScot Health
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
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NHS Scotland Assure Research and Innovation Service Fund
Edinburgh Napier University
Availability: Open – Launch event on Friday 24 June 2022, 10am to 1pm.
Closing Date: Not specified.
Value: £1.55M research and innovation fund
Duration: Not specified.
Eligibility: not specified.
Summary:
Edinburgh Napier University are administering a £1.55M research and innovation fund on behalf of NHS Scotland Assure. The research service’s remit is to achieve a coordinated portfolio, supporting the development of evidence-based guidance, to deliver safe healthcare environments that are free from avoidable risk.
We are particularly interested in applications from consortia and inter-disciplinary teams. We are seeking applications in the following areas:
- Water systems, including drainage (design, installation, commissioning and maintenance (DICM)).
Ventilation systems (DICM). - Pathogens, the microbiome, AMR, transmission risks and burden of disease in the hospital environment.
- Hospital design, including size and single room provision.
- Lessons learned from COVID-19.
- Human factors/Ergonomics and Infection Prevention and Control
- Climate change requirements and the unintended consequences on built environment risks.
The role of safety and harms in relation to medical gases, electrical systems and fire safety.
Location: UK
Should you have any questions or queries in regards to the event please do not hesitate to contact the NHS Scotland Assure Team at Edinburgh Napier University by emailing: NHSAResearchService@napier.ac.uk.
Find out more and apply
Innovate UK Transformative Technologies
Availability: Open
Closing Date: Wednesday 29 March 2023 11:00am
Value: Between £25,000 and £50,000
Duration: 3 – 6 months
Eligibility: The lead organisation must be a must be a UK registered SME
Summary:
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.
Your innovation must lead to new products, processes or services that are significantly ahead of others currently available, or propose an innovative use of existing products, processes or services. It can also involve a new or innovative business model.
You must focus on one of the transformative technologies and how you can enable affordable, adoptable and investable innovations for:
- semiconductors
- future telecoms
- AI assurance
- engineering biology
- quantum
- sustainable UK materials and manufacturing
Location: United Kingdom
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Standard Innovation Vouchers
Interface
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
Apply Here
Spin Out Support Programme
IBioIC
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
Apply Here
Partnership funds diagnosis and treatments for prostate cancer
UK Research and Innovation
Availability: Open
Closing Date: Not specified
Value: Healthy Ageing Challenge -Total funding available under the programme includes £15.5 million of grant funding and £15.5 million of equity investment.
Funding for early-stage companies: £300K
Duration: Not specified
Eligibility: companies for whom prostate cancer is a primary target.
Summary: The charity’s mission is to create scientific breakthroughs by directing financial support, advice and collaboration opportunities that could have a meaningful impact on patients’ lives.
Its investment programme (Proven Connect) is dedicated to supporting companies developing:
- Innovative diagnostics
- Therapeutics
- Drug delivery systems
- Services that have the potential to transform the patient journey for men with prostate cancer.
It will focus on early-stage investments, including:
- Companies for whom prostate cancer is a primary target
- Companies with innovative technologies with potential applications in prostate cancer.

Knowledge Transfer Partnership
UK Government
Availability: Ongoing
Closing Date: None – apply at any time
Value: Part-funded grant.
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: Aimed at improving business’ competitiveness and productivity through funded partnership with academics and researchers.
Location: UK
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Innovators Awards
Welcome Trust
Availability: Ongoing
Closing Date: Shortlisting meetings happen every 3 months
Value: Up to £500K or £750K for collaborations
Duration: Usually 2 years, or 3 years for multidisciplinary collaborations
Eligibility: Researchers, individuals and teams from not-for profit and commercial organisations that can be any size, based anywhere in the world (apart from China).
Summary: For researchers who are developing healthcare innovations that could have a major and measurable impact on human health. Proposals should describe global burden of a disease, unmet healthcare need, and the impact of innovation in a patient population.
Location: UK
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Innovation Challenge Fund
Can Do (Scottish Enterprise)
Availability: Due to a potential change in approach, the 5th Call has been suspended. The challenges will be reviewed to better match Scottish Government ambitions.
Closing Date: Currently working to explore and define potential Calls and their timelines.
Value: SBRI: £10k -£40k per supplier (Phase 1), £50k –200k per supplier (Phase 2); CivTech: £3k per supplier (Exploration Stage), £20k per supplier (Acceleration Stage)
Duration: Suspended
Eligibility: Scottish companies of any size and academic and third sector organisations who can demonstrate how they will commercialise solutions which they develop.
Summary: Funding to support the development of innovative solutions for challenges faced by a Scottish public body where there is no clear fix or current market solution.
Location: Scotland
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Artificial intelligence innovation to accelerate health research
UK Research and Innovation
Availability: Opens 17th January 2023, 09:00 UK Time
Closing Date: 28th March 2023, 16:00 UK time
Value: £500,000 – £750,000
Duration: 18 Months
Eligibility: An applicant must be based at the lead organisation, which should be UK-based at a UK higher education institution, a research council institute, a UKRI-approved independent research organisation, an eligible public sector research establishment, an eligible research and technology organisation, or an NHS body with research capacity.
Summary:
This funding opportunity seeks to develop innovative AI research that can be applied to the most pressing health problems and change how health research is conducted. This programme will endeavour to bring together researchers from multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral teams in order to develop and progress a clear shared research agenda.
Location: United Kingdom
Apply Here
NHS Innovator Accelerater
The AHSN Network England
Availability: Opens September 2023
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
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UK – Germany Bilateral: Collaborative R&D
UK Research and Innovation
Availability: Open
Closing Date: Wednesday 7 June 2023 11:00am
Value: Up to £400, 000
Duration: Between 12 – 36 months
Eligibility: The lead organisation must be a UK registered business of any size, be or involve at least one UK SME, and collaborate with at least one German registered SME applying to the ZIM programme, which must be a separate legal entity, not linked to the UK partners.
Summary:
The aim of this competition is to support UK and German business-led collaboration in innovation with grant funding. Innovate UK will support UK businesses to collaborate successfully with German counterparts and build your global growth prospects.
Your proposal must contribute to the development of commercial products, processes or technical services.
Your project must have an obvious advantage and added value as a result of the cooperation between the participants from the two countries. Examples of these could be increased innovation capability, commercial leads, access to R&D infrastructure or new fields of application.
Location: United Kingdom and Germany
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UK - Singapore Collaborative R&D Round 2
UK Research and Innovation
Availability: Open
Closing Date: Wednesday 3 May 2023 11:00am (UK Time)
Value: Up to £350, 000
Duration: 24 – 36 Months
Eligibility: The lead organisation must be a UK registered business of any size, be or involve at least one grant claiming UK registered SME, and partner with a Singapore registered business which must be a separate non-linked entity to the UK project partners
Summary:
The aim of this competition is to fund business led collaborative research and development (CR&D) projects focused on industrial research. Your proposal must include at least one partner from the UK and one partner from Singapore.
The projects we fund are expected to result in a new product, industrial process or service. They must be innovative, involve a technological development and have high market potential in the participating countries.
We would particularly welcome applications from the following sectors:
- Advanced manufacturing and materials
- Agrifood tech
- Mobility and transport
- Cybersecurity
- Health and life sciences
Location: United Kingdom and Singapore
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Feasibility Funding
IBioIC
Availability: Open
Closing Date: Call open until all funding is allocated
Value: Up to £30,000 available per project at 80% fEC.
Duration: N/A
Eligibility: Industry-led collaborative research projects from businesses with a foothold in Scotland
Summary:
Successful projects will demonstrate a proof of concept for a product, process or service with the potential to deliver jobs and/or economic growth to Scotland. Projects must demonstrate a route to follow on funding or commercial application and must evidence collaborative knowledge exchange and research between Industrial Partners and at least one of Scotland’s talented Higher Education Institutes’ (HEI) research teams.
Location: Scotland
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EuroStars call for projects APR 2023
Eureka
Availability: Open
Closing Date: 13th April 2023, 13:00
Value: Funding varies by country
Duration: 36 months or less
Eligibility: The project consortium must be led by an innovative SME from a Eurostars country.
Summary:
Eurostars is a funding instrument that supports innovative SMEs and project partners (large companies, universities, research organisations and other types of organisations) by funding international collaborative R&D and innovation projects. By participating, organisations can access public funding for international collaborative R&D projects in all fields.
To have a successful Eurostars application you must:
- Define your project idea
- Collaborate internationally, sharing expertise
- Develop products, processes or services that can be easily commercialised
Location: Participating countries include, Austria, Belgium (Wallonia), Belgium (Flanders), Belgium (Brussels), Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, and United Kingdom
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UKRI policy fellowships 2023
Availability: Open
Closing Date: 20 April 2023 4:00pm UK time
Value:
For fellowships with a Whitehall or devolved administration host the full economic cost (FEC) is £170,000. For fellowships with a What Works Network host the FEC is £210,000. UKRI will fund 80% FEC.
Duration: 18 Months
Eligibility: This funding opportunity is open to academics who hold a PhD or equivalent research experience and are based at an organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding.
Summary:
ESRC, in partnership with ADR UK, AHRC, BBSRC and UKRI and a range of government hosts and What Works Network members, wishes to fund a cohort of policy fellows. Fellows will provide research and expert advice on the host’s policy priority areas, and support wider knowledge exchange between government and academia.
This high-profile initiative provides a route for you to bring your expertise to bear on critical policy challenges at the heart of government across the UK. As well as to generate new insights into how to best support effective collaboration and knowledge exchange that will shape your career as well as support wider change.
These fellowships are demanding and intellectually stimulating roles, providing an exciting opportunity to combine your specialist knowledge and research expertise with the opportunity to inform decision-makers at the heart of policymaking.
Location United Kingdom
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Neurosciences and mental health new investigator
Availability: Open
Closing Date: 24 May 2023 4:00pm UK time
Value: There is no limit to the funding you can apply for, but the typical full economic cost of a project is under £1 million. MRC will usually fund 80% of the full economic cost.
Duration: 3 years
Eligibility: Individuals with a postgraduate degree and the support of a host research organisation eligible for MRC funding.
Summary:
We are looking for new investigators with a proposal for research that increases understanding within the field of neurosciences and mental health.
The research we support includes the interactions between the nervous system and other parts of the body, the brain, mental health and physical health. We are also interested in how episodes throughout life impact on lifelong mental and neurological health.
We are looking to fund research in areas including, but not limited to:
- neurodegeneration
- clinical neurology and neuroinflammation
- mental health
- addictions and substance misuse
- behavioural and learning disorders including autism
- cognitive and behavioural neuroscience and cognitive systems
- sensory neuroscience including vision and hearing
- neurobiology and neurophysiology
- underpinning support, such as neuroimaging technology, brain banking and neuroinformatics
Location: United Kingdom
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Future Leaders Fellowships: round eight
Availability: 27 March 2023
Closing Date: 4 July 2023 4:00pm UK time
Value: There is no minimum or maximum project cost.
Duration: Your project can last for up to four years, with the option to apply to renew for a further three years.
Eligibility: early career researcher or innovator, You must be based at, and have the support of, an eligible academic or non-academic institution.
Summary:
We’re looking to fund fellowships of up to seven years to support talented researchers and innovators who are transitioning to research or innovation leadership.
The scheme aims to:
- develop, retain, attract and sustain research and innovation talent in the UK
- foster new research and innovation career paths including those at the academic, business and interdisciplinary boundaries, and facilitate movement of people between sectors
- provide sustained funding and resources for the best early career researchers and innovators
- provide long-term, flexible funding to tackle difficult and novel challenges, and support adventurous, ambitious programmes.
Location: United Kingdom
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Pre-announcement: applied global health partnership
Availability: Opens 24 May 2023 9:00am UK time
Closing Date: 25 July 2023 4:00pm UK time
Value: We will accept proposals of all sizes up to approximately £1 million.
Duration: We will fund projects lasting up to 5 years, although projects typically last 3 to 4 years.
Eligibility: Principle investigators must have a graduate degree, although we expect most applicants to have a PhD
You must be based at an eligible research organisation.
Summary:
The applied global health research board funds research to address global health challenges and inequities. Our remit includes applied research of direct practical benefit to LMIC populations.
We’re looking to fund strategically important, original partnerships providing a distinct and important contribution to the research landscape. The partnerships should be driven by the research needs of the LMICs involved.
Partnerships should be linked to high-quality research programmes and should demonstrate how the partnership will facilitate future applied research. The aim is to fund a portfolio of high-quality global partnerships, which will impact current and future applied research, be diverse, promote multidisciplinarity and strengthen global health research capacity.
We welcome cross-sector partnerships combining expertise to meet a global health challenge. You can include a broad range of partners, and non-academic partners are permitted.
Location: United Kingdom and Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs)
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