Innovate UK Business Connect funding: what they fund and who can apply
If you are looking for funding to develop innovative ideas into real products or services, Innovate UK Business Connect is genuinely worth exploring.
Who is Innovate UK Business Connect?
Innovate UK Business Connect is the network and programme delivery arm of Innovate UK, the UK's national innovation agency. It runs competitions, international incubators, and collaboration programmes, mostly as a route into larger innovation funding rather than as a straightforward grant you apply for and receive. Most of what it funds goes to innovation-led businesses, researchers commercialising technology, and R&D partnerships. If you run a community group, a local charity, or a service-based small business with no technology or research angle, very little here will be relevant to you.
What they fund
Innovate UK Business Connect covers a wide range of sectors, but the common thread is always innovation. You need to be developing something new, testing a concept, or commercialising research. Here is how their current portfolio breaks down.
Space technology and satellite applications
This is one of the largest clusters in their portfolio. Several programmes fund UK businesses building products or services that use space-based data, satellite communications, or navigation technology.
- The European Space Agency Open Call For Proposals: Proof-of-concept Studies and Pilot Projects is an always-open route for businesses in any sector that can use space technology to solve a real problem.
- European Space Agency: Digitalisation of The Water Sector funds proofs of concept and pilots that use satellite data to improve water resilience.
- European Space Agency: The Arctic Region: Environmental and Economic Resilience and European Space Agency: The Arctic Region: Safety, Navigation and Operations both target businesses building space-enabled solutions for Arctic challenges, from climate monitoring to maritime safety.
- European Space Agency: Connectivity and Secure Communications (ARTES) supports satellite communications product development.
- UK Space Agency: Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) Programme - Call 3 offers between £4 million and £25 million per project for satellite communications innovation.
- UK Space Agency: Navigation Innovation and Support Programme (NAVISP) - open calls funds businesses working in positioning, navigation, and timing technology.
These programmes are competitive and technically demanding. You will need a credible team and a clear route to market.
Research commercialisation and market discovery
Several programmes are specifically designed to help researchers and early-stage innovators find out whether their idea has commercial legs, before they commit to a full business.
- ICURe Discover Sprint September 2026 is an intensive programme for researchers exploring commercial potential.
- ICURe Discover for Women Entrepreneurs - September 2026 offers up to £2,500 and runs over eight weeks, part-time and online, for women researchers and technicians.
- NAPIC ICURe Discover – September 2026 offers up to £2,500 for researchers exploring market opportunities.
- EPSRC Healthcare Technologies ICURe Engage is a four-week programme for healthcare technology researchers at the very start of their commercialisation journey.
- BBSRC Institutes ICURe Discover - October 2026 is restricted to research teams at BBSRC's eight strategically supported institutes.
These are not grants in the traditional sense. They are structured programmes with small stipends. They suit researchers at universities or research organisations more than established businesses.
Deep tech, biotech, and digital innovation
This cluster covers early-stage technology businesses and innovation partnerships.
- DeepTech Catalyst Bio 2026 is a business incubator for early-stage biotech start-ups, offering up to £50,000 per company.
- Digital Catapult: Digital Twin Adoption Accelerator 2026 is a nine-month programme for UK tech small businesses partnering with industry adopters to speed up digital twin adoption.
- EIT: Transformative Healthcare Instrument 2026 funds European startups in biotech, medtech, and digital health, with awards between €300,000 and €500,000.
- Future Leaders Fellowships: Round 11, business and non-academic offers a share of up to £110 million for ambitious research and innovation projects at UK registered organisations.
- Innovation Loans Expression of Interest offers loans (not grants) to micro, small, and medium businesses with innovative projects close to market.
- Global Incubator Programme - Video Gaming, Canada (Montreal) is for up to eight video gaming companies looking to expand into the Canadian market.
Sector-specific innovation
Some programmes target a specific industry challenge rather than a technology type.
- Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure 2: Electric Power funds development of fully battery-electric vessels and the charging infrastructure to support them.
- Circular Bio-Based Europe: 2026 call for project proposals funds innovative bio-based solutions, with the largest projects receiving up to €20 million (around £17 million). This is a European collaboration programme, so you will need partners.
- New standard for construction SMEs: PAS 1958 supports construction SMEs adopting a new industry standard.
- Contracts for Innovation: Earlier identification of UK children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) offers a share of £2.5 million for new tools or approaches to identifying SEN in children earlier.
- NHS Cancer Programme - Innovation Open Call 4 funds innovations that help the NHS meet cancer waiting times and improve early detection.
Comparison table
| Grant | What it funds | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| ESA Open Call: Proof-of-concept Studies | Space-enabled applications, any sector | Not published |
| ESA: Digitalisation of The Water Sector | Satellite-based water resilience products | Not published |
| ESA: Arctic Environmental Resilience | Space-enabled Arctic climate services | Not published |
| ESA: Arctic Safety and Navigation | Space-based Arctic maritime navigation | Not published |
| ESA: Connectivity and Secure Communications (ARTES) | Satellite communications products | Not published |
| UK Space Agency: C-LEO Programme Call 3 | Low Earth Orbit satellite comms | £4m to £25m per project |
| UK Space Agency: NAVISP | Positioning, navigation, and timing tech | Not published |
| ICURe Discover Sprint | Researcher commercialisation exploration | Not published |
| ICURe Discover for Women Entrepreneurs | Market discovery for women researchers | Up to £2,500 |
| NAPIC ICURe Discover | Market discovery for researchers | Up to £2,500 |
| EPSRC Healthcare Technologies ICURe Engage | Healthcare tech commercialisation | Not published |
| BBSRC Institutes ICURe Discover | Market discovery at BBSRC institutes | Not published |
| DeepTech Catalyst Bio 2026 | Early-stage biotech incubation | Up to £50,000 |
| Digital Catapult: Digital Twin Accelerator | Digital twin adoption partnerships | Not published |
| EIT: Transformative Healthcare Instrument | Biotech, medtech, digital health startups | €300,000 to €500,000 |
| Future Leaders Fellowships: Round 11 | Ambitious research and innovation | Share of up to £110m |
| Innovation Loans Expression of Interest | Near-to-market innovative projects (loan) | Not published |
| Global Incubator: Video Gaming, Canada | Video gaming market entry in Canada | Not published |
| [Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure 2](/grants/zero-emission- |