Funding Opportunities

Availability: OPEN

Closing Date: Wednesday, 6th May 2026, 11:00am

Value: Total eligible costs of between £200,000 and £1.5 million inclusive of VAT, per project, but we will also consider justifiable eligible costs outside of this range

Eligibility:

Projects must:

start on 1 October 2026
end by 30 September 2028
last up to 24 months
have expected total eligible costs of between £200,000 and £1.5 million inclusive of VAT, per project, but we will also consider justifiable eligible costs outside of this range

Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day. You must not start your project until your Contract has been approved by Innovate UK.

You must only include eligible project costs in your application. You must also include any expected Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) or other approval body costs regarding regulatory compliance or certification in your eligible project costs. See our overview of eligible project costs.

If your project’s total costs or duration falls outside of our eligibility criteria, you must provide justification by email to support@iuk.ukri.org at least 10 working days before the competition closes. We will decide whether to approve your request.

If you have not requested approval or your application has not been approved by us, you will be made ineligible. Your application will then not be sent for assessment.

Availability: OPEN

Closing Date: Wednesday, 6th May 2026, 11:00am

Value: Your project’s total eligible costs must be between £250,000 and £7 million for MedTech and digital solutions, and between £250,000 and £10 million for pharmaceutical interventions. Justifiable eligible costs outside of this range will be considered.

Eligibility:

The grant funding you can apply for is limited to no more than £3 million for each business, for each project.

Your project must:

have total eligible costs of between £250,000 and £10 million for a pharmaceutical, MedTech or digital intervention
last between 24 and 36 months
start on 1 December 2026
end by 30 November 2029

Any funded organisation needs to carry out their project work in the UK and must intend to exploit the project results from or in the UK.

Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day. You must not start your project until your Grant Offer Letter has been approved by Innovate UK. Any delays within Project Setup may mean we need to delay your project start date.

You must only include eligible project costs in your application. You must also include any expected Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) or other approval body costs regarding regulatory compliance or certification in your eligible project costs. See our overview of eligible project costs.

If your project’s total costs or duration falls outside of our eligibility criteria, you must provide justification by email to support@iuk.ukri.org at least 10 working days before the competition closes. We will decide whether to approve your request.

If you have not requested approval or your application has not been approved by us, you will be made ineligible. Your application will then not be sent for assessment.

Availability: OPEN

Closing Date: Tuesday, 15th September 2026

Value: €3m to €15m per project, covering up to 100% of funding.

Eligibility: UK organisations and businesses can apply for Horizon Europe funding, working as part of a consortium with at least three countries, one of which must be an EU Member State (see “Who can apply?” below). If you are interested in one of the calls and would like to find a collaboration partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s European Programmes team.

Summary:

The EU Cancer Mission unites research, innovation, and public health policies in ways that cannot be achieved through isolated research or policy actions at the EU, national, regional, or local levels.

By investing in research and collaborating with citizens and a broad range of stakeholders, the Mission generates new evidence and fosters innovative concepts to inform policy actions across its 4 key objectives: understanding cancer, prevention and early detection, diagnosis and treatment, and improving quality of life.

Fully integrated with the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the Cancer Mission builds on extensive synergies with other EU programmes and initiatives, promoting a true mission approach.

In addition, the EU Cancer Mission prioritises several cross-cutting themes, including citizen and stakeholder engagement, equitable access, childhood cancer, innovation, and personalised medicine.

For further information, watch recordings of the EU Missions Info Days on 20 and 21 January, and a webinar on Health Funding Opportunities in Europe from Jo Frost, UK National Contact Point for Horizon Europe Health (recorded 2 Feb 2026).

Potential applicants may also be interested in applying to topics under Horizon Europe 2026-27 Health (Cluster 1), in which the calls have various closing dates until Sep 2027.

Availability: OPEN

Closing Date: Various closing dates in Apr 2026, Sep 2026, Apr 2027 and Sep 2027.

Value: Up to €90m per call.

Duration: 6-12 month period

Eligibility:

Unless otherwise provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in Horizon Europe actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:

at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State;
and at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries (this includes the UK).

Summary:

Funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme for Cluster 1, this Work Programme document outlines the expected impacts as set out by Pillar 2 of the strategic plan and details specific calls for proposals and their relevant conditions to apply.

The available topics in Cluster 1, Health, are summarised; for 2026-27, they have been subdivided into 6 Destinations. For further details on each call, view the 2026-27 Cluster 1 Work Programme. Some single-stage calls close on 16 Apr 2026 and some on 15 Sep 2026; there are also several calls which will open in 2027.

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: 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

Available Funding Opportunities

Contracts for Innovation in drug and alcohol addiction healthcare

Advancing innovation in drug and alcohol addiction healthcare

Horizon Europe 2026-27: Cancer Mission

Horizon Europe 2026-2027: Health, Cluster 1

High-Growth Spinout Programme

NIHR

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