Innovate UK Grants
Innovate UK is the government's innovation agency and part of UKRI. It funds business-led research and development through competitions with fixed deadlines, and pays a percentage of eligible project costs rather than the whole amount, so you need match funding. Many competitions expect you to collaborate with another company or a research organisation.
Innovate UK has 14 open funds listed here, 1 of which accepts applications all year.
Checked daily. Last updated 11 November 2026.
No published award history for Innovate UK. Some funders do not publish their grants data.
What Innovate UK funds
Counted across the 14 open funds on this page.
No deadline listed
Check the funder's current application window before you apply.
Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)
Innovate UK
A Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) links a UK business with a university, college or research and technology organisation, including Catapults, to deliver an innovation project. Your business gains academic expertise it does not have in-house. A graduate, known as the associate, is employed by the academic partner but works in your business. They bring new skills and thinking to a specific project. Partnerships last between 12 and 36 months. Your project can focus on any type of innovation in any sector. It must aim to deliver results your business could not otherwise achieve. Partnerships are part-funded by a grant. Your business pays part of the costs, including the associate's salary and the cost of a supervisor. Businesses provide around one-third to half of the project costs, depending on their size. Typically, a small or medium-sized business might contribute £35,000 a year, and a large company more than £50,000. The opportunity is open with no closing date. There are rolling deadlines throughout the year, and you normally get a decision within 12 weeks. Independent assessors judge each application on its potential to create economic growth or societal impact. KTP suits UK-based businesses of any size that want to tackle an innovation challenge with help from academic experts. It also suits academic and research organisations that want a clear outcome from working with industry. Some costs sit outside the grant. If your company needs to buy capital equipment, you pay for this yourself. KTPs are supported by several bodies, including UKRI, Welsh Government, Invest Northern Ireland and the Scottish Funding Council, and each has specific criteria. Official source: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/knowledge-transfer-partnership/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 28 October 2026.
See all 3 rounds of Knowledge Transfer PartnershipMore grants
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Create free accountBridgeAI Deployment Catalyst: AI for Decision Critical Systems
Innovate UK
Innovate UK will invest up to £5 million in Phase 1 of the BridgeAI Deployment Catalyst, AI for Decision Critical Systems strand. UK registered SMEs can request £100,000 to £200,000 to deploy AI or ML that helps people make high risk or high consequence decisions. The competition closes at 11am on 8 December 2026. The lead must have an AI or ML solution at TRL 5 or 6 with a working minimum viable product that is not yet commercially deployed in the proposed use case. Apply as a consortium of two or three organisations, including one eligible UK registered deployer. Projects run three to five months, start by 1 April 2027 and end by 31 August 2027. Funded work includes building an evidence based deployment use case, assessing supplier and deployer readiness, collecting letters of support from other potential deployers, and running a demonstration with representative deployer data. Applicants are notified on 1 February 2027. Choosing the wrong strand makes an application ineligible.
Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP): 2026 - 2027 Round 4
Innovate UK
Innovate UK is offering up to £12.5 million for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. These are projects that connect academic institutions with businesses to drive innovation. UK registered universities, research and technology organisations, or Catapults can apply. Individual awards range from £75,000 to £750,000. The deadline to apply is 27 January 2027.
See all 3 rounds of Knowledge Transfer PartnershipProgrammes Innovate UK runs in rounds
Miss one round of these and there is another.
Where this funding goes
Frequently asked questions about Innovate UK funding
How many Innovate UK grants are open right now?+
14 grants from Innovate UK are open on GrantMatch today, of which 1 has no fixed deadline. The list is checked daily.
When is the next Innovate UK deadline?+
The nearest deadline is 18 November 2026, and the furthest is 27 January 2027. Always check the funder's own page for the final date before applying.
How do I apply for Innovate UK funding?+
Each grant on this page links to the Innovate UK application page for that fund. Read the funder's own eligibility criteria before you start, since terms differ between funds.