Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systems
- Funding
- Up to £105,000
- Deadline
- 18 November 2026
- Location
- UK-wide
- Applications
- Deadline: 18 November 2026
Overview
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £1.66 million in UK registered SMEs to experimentally validate novel reusable AI mechanisms. Projects need total costs of £50,000 to £150,000, and up to 70% of costs can be covered. Applications close at 11am on 18 November 2026. Projects must last 1 to 3 months, start by 1 April 2027 and end by 30 June 2027. They must begin at Technology Readiness Level 1 to 3. The funder expects an advance of 0.5 to 1 TRL. Each proposal must fit one of four themes: resource and data adaptive learning, causal and intervention grounded models, learned modular computation and routing, or geometric, equivariant and physics structured learning. Deliverables include a prototype algorithm architecture or subsystem, results against named baselines, ablation and negative control evidence, and a technical whitepaper. The funder puts the chance of success at 4%.
Requirements to check
Who can apply:
Key requirements:
- Closes 18 November 2026
- Up to £105,000
Who it is for
- UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprises (SMEs)
- Research intensive AI startups, deep tech SMEs, university spinouts and pre-commercial companies developing proprietary AI technology
- Projects starting at TRL 1, 2 or 3
- Projects with total costs of £50,000 to £150,000 lasting 1 to 3 months
- Work carried out in the UK, with results intended for UK exploitation
- Proposals that focus on a specific priority within at least one of the four themes
Who it is not for
- Subcontractors, which are not allowed in this competition
- A second application led by the same organisation (it will be made ineligible)
- Projects that are routine integration, deployment or productisation of existing AI tools or third party models
- Projects focused on prompt engineering, generic agent orchestration or routine GNN application
- Primarily literature review or requirement gathering studies
- Projects without a named baseline with metrics and numeric targets, or without a falsifiable hypothesis driven plan
UK-registered SMEs, aimed mainly at research-intensive AI start-ups, deep tech SMEs, university spinouts and pre-commercial companies developing their own AI technology. Each organisation can lead only one application. Projects must start at Technology Readiness Level 1 to 3 and take place in the UK.
This summary may not include every exclusion. Check the full eligibility rules, including who and what the funder will not support.
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Start freeWho is this for?
UK-registered SMEs, aimed mainly at research-intensive AI start-ups, deep tech SMEs, university spinouts and pre-commercial companies developing their own AI technology. Each organisation can lead only one application. Projects must start at Technology Readiness Level 1 to 3 and take place in the UK.
Regions
No published award history for Innovate UK. Some funders do not publish their grants data.
Full details from Innovate UK
UK registered SME businesses can apply for a share of up to £1.66 million to deliver experimental validation of prototype AI systems for novel reusable components of efficient, structured and controllable learning systems.
How to apply
Apply through the Innovation Funding Service using the Find out more and apply link, before 11am on 18 November 2026. Make sure your proposal fits at least one of the four themes. For scope questions, email support@iuk.ukri.org or call 0300 321 4357.
Frequently asked questions
How much can I get from the Innovate UK Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systems competition?
Total project costs must be £50,000 to £150,000, and up to 70% can be covered depending on business size.
When is the deadline for the Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systems competition?
Applications close at 11am on 18 November 2026. The competition opened on 12 October 2026.
Can a university spinout apply to the Innovate UK Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systems competition?
Yes, if it is a UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise. University spinouts are named as a main target group, but subcontractors are not allowed and each organisation can lead only one application.
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Create free accountLast updated: 9 November 2026