Innovate UK Business Connect Grants

Innovate UK Business Connect is the network arm of Innovate UK rather than a separate funder. Competitions listed under its name are usually the same competitions Innovate UK runs, published through the network that promotes them, so check the Innovate UK listing before you apply twice. Its own value is in brokering project partners and running events.

Innovate UK Business Connect has 13 open funds listed here, 2 of which accept applications all year.

Checked daily. Last updated 11 November 2026.

No published award history for Innovate UK Business Connect. Some funders do not publish their grants data.

What Innovate UK Business Connect funds

Counted across the 13 open funds on this page.

Professional & Scientific Services (10)Manufacturing (4)Education (2)Energy & Utilities (2)Health & Social Work (2)Information & Communication (2)

No deadline listed

Check the funder's current application window before you apply.

No deadline listed

New standard for construction SMEs: PAS 1958

Innovate UK Business Connect

Funding amount not listedConstruction

Innovate UK funds PAS 1958 as part of its BridgeAI programme. BSI, a BridgeAI partner, developed it. There is no cash award, so no amount and no deadline appear on the funder's website. The standard helps you find your way through existing data and information standards for construction. Its stated aims are to improve understanding of how those standards connect, save time, and support better data and information management and decision-making. It suits individuals in organisations who are responsible for or influence data and information management at any stage of the asset life cycle. Standards developers, data or information-based bodies, specialist groups and software developers are also named. BSI hosted a launch webinar on 24 March, where attendees could engage with experts and ask questions. Treat this as a guidance resource, not a funding source.

No deadline listed

ARIA: TA1 Integrated Robot Bodies and TA2 Foundational Technologies – Concept papers

Innovate UK Business Connect

Funding amount not listedManufacturing, Information & Communication, Professional & Scientific Services

ARIA funds teams to build robot bodies with new forms of locomotion, with up to £15m per team over 4 years in TA1 Integrated Robot Bodies and £1m to £2m per project (maximum £4m) in TA2 Foundational Technologies. Applicants can be based anywhere, and UK benefit is one of six evaluation criteria. Concept papers are optional but strongly encouraged: five A4 pages for TA1, three for TA2. ARIA will say by 14 December 2026 whether it encourages a full proposal. The full proposal deadline is 1 February 2027. TA1 expects 6 to 8 teams in Year 1 at £1m to £2m each, falling to 1 to 3 teams by years 3 and 4. TA2 projects run up to 30 months, with 5 to 10 awards expected. Proposals should normally target at least a tenfold improvement over the projected state of the art, or a capability current robots lack. Any locomotion mode is in scope, including walking, flying, swimming and burrowing.

More grants

Deadline · 20 Nov 2026

BBSRC ICURe Explore January 2027

Innovate UK Business Connect

Up to £35,000Professional & Scientific Services

Innovate UK Business Connect offers BBSRC ICURe Explore, giving bioscience researchers and technicians in UK universities, BBSRC-funded institutes and approved public sector research enterprises up to £35,000 for a 12-week, full-time market exploration programme. Up to £20,000 pays the Entrepreneurial Lead's salary. Up to £15,000 covers market discovery activities and a business advisor. Applications opened on 1 September 2026 and close at 11:59pm on 20 November 2026. Applicants must have completed ICURe Discover. Funded teams get 4 days of bootcamp training, 3 months of market engagement and a pitch to a panel of bioscience investors, funders and mentors. Ideas must be biological in nature or involve a biological entity, process or challenge. Examples named by the funder include agriculture and food, healthy ageing and engineering biology. Priority goes to teams building on a previous BBSRC or other UKRI grant. Projects that have already been through ICURe Explore cannot apply.

Deadline · 1 Dec 2026

iX Challenge: Smart control solutions for domestic hybrid heating systems

Innovate UK Business Connect

Funding amount not listedManufacturing, Energy & Utilities, Professional & Scientific Services

Cadent, working with Innovate UK Business Connect, is seeking smart controllers for domestic hybrid heating systems that combine a heat pump and a boiler. Selected organisations may get feedback, technical discussions, workshops, trial-design activity and support from Innovate UK Business Connect. Applications close at 11:59pm on 1 December 2026. Cadent wants products, prototypes, platforms, algorithms and data services. Authorised parties must be able to update tariff values, schedules and control settings remotely, with no site visit. The controller should keep heating working if data feeds or communications fail, and offer a simple customer override. Entrants must be established businesses, academic institutions, start-ups, SMEs or individual entrepreneurs, based in the UK or planning a UK base. Finalists are told in the week commencing 11 January 2027. Pitch day is in the week commencing 1 February 2027. Solutions may be considered for future Cadent projects or NIA and SIF funding, subject to approvals.

Deadline · 8 Dec 2026

National Security & Defence Dual Use ICURe Discover - January 2027

Innovate UK Business Connect

Funding amount not listedProfessional & Scientific Services, Public Administration & Defence

This programme supports researchers and technicians working on dual-use technologies. Dual-use means technologies that can serve both civilian and defence or security purposes. You can receive up to £2,500 to carry out market discovery activities. Market discovery means exploring whether there is a real commercial or operational need for your technology. The programme is part-time, so you can take part alongside your existing work. The deadline to apply is 8 December 2026.

Deadline · 11 Dec 2026

iX Challenge: Developing cost-effective polyols from UK waste-carbon for digital mass manufacturing

Innovate UK Business Connect

Funding amount not listedManufacturing

This is a commercial challenge rather than a cash grant. Photocentric, a UK-based maker of photopolymer resins, 3D printers and advanced manufacturing systems, wants a scalable, cost-effective way to make clean polyols from UK waste-carbon. The polyols would be used in resins for its JENI additive manufacturing system. The challenge runs through the Innovate UK Business Connect Innovation Exchange programme. The page does not state a funding amount. Instead, selected applicants work directly with Photocentric to evaluate, test and develop their solutions. Photocentric can offer data, facilities, testing environments, technical expertise and access to its in-house laboratory and chemistry capabilities. Other benefits may include prototype or pilot support, event invitations and investor introductions. The initial commercial opportunity is about 1,000 tonnes of polyol a year, with scope to grow. You can focus on feedstock purification, conversion to polyol, polyol purification, or a mix. Partial solutions are welcome. Solutions should typically be at TRL 4 or above, though earlier stage ideas are considered. You need to be able to produce at least 1 kg of polyol for lab testing. Target specifications include moisture below 0.35%, contamination below 0.1% and molecular weight typically between 200 and 16,000. The challenge opened on 20 October 2026 and closes on 11 December 2026 at 5:00pm. Finalists will be told on 27 January 2027 and pitch day is 10 February 2027, though these dates may change because of the festive period. One caveat: solutions based only on virgin fossil feedstocks or purpose-grown biomass are unlikely to be suitable. Your existing background IP stays with you. Official source: https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/opportunities/ix-challenge-developing-cost-effective-polyols-from-uk-waste-carbon/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 28 October 2026.

Deadline · 14 Dec 2026

EPSRC Clean Energy ICURe Discover - January 2027

Innovate UK Business Connect

Funding amount not listedEnergy & Utilities

EPSRC Clean Energy ICURe Discover is an 8-week, part-time online market discovery programme for researchers and technicians at UK universities and approved public sector research establishments (PSREs) working in clean energy. It gives up to £2,500 of support for market discovery activities. Applications open on 9 November 2026 and close at 11:59pm on 14 December 2026. The programme starts on 25 January 2027 and is delivered online with the SETsquared Partnership. Topics include carbon capture, usage and storage, greenhouse gas removal, heat pumps, hydrogen, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion and wind. Participants get a pre-course briefing, 8 half-day workshops, guest speakers and an introduction to the Strategyzer Business Model Canvas. Trainers, mentors and peers give feedback. Places on each cohort are limited. Attending Discover is a pre-requisite for applying to ICURe Explore. The funder particularly welcomes applicants from universities new to ICURe, universities without HEIF funding and under-represented groups.

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Deadline · 13 Jan 2027

EIT Higher Education Initiative Call for Proposals 2026

Innovate UK Business Connect

Funding amount not listedManufacturing, Professional & Scientific Services, Education

The EIT Higher Education Initiative Call, listed by Innovate UK Business Connect, offers up to €1.25 million per project over 18 months to consortia led by higher education institutions. The total budget is €40 million. UK organisations can take part because the UK counts as a Horizon Europe-eligible country. The call opened on 20 October 2026 and closes on 13 January 2027 at 3:00pm. Projects must focus on manufacturing and deep tech. Funding can cover up to 100% of costs. Co-funding is encouraged but not required. Eligible activities include innovation action plans, entrepreneurship and innovation programmes, training and mentoring, and technology transfer and start-up creation. Projects run from 1 May 2027 to 31 October 2028. Every project must contribute to all three policy objectives: STEM talent, institutional capacity for knowledge valorisation, and links to innovation ecosystems. A consortium needs at least 5 partners, 3 HEIs from 3 countries and 2 business or industry partners. A first info session runs on 4 November 2026, 2pm to 3.30pm UK time, and a matchmaking tool helps with finding partners.

Deadline · 13 Jan 2027

EIT Health: Innovation Validation Call 2027

Innovate UK Business Connect

Funding amount not listedProfessional & Scientific Services, Health & Social Work

This EIT Health call funds digital and AI-powered medical technologies that are ready for real-world clinical validation and are approaching market launch. It is open now and closes at 3:00pm on 13 January 2027. Funding can cover pivotal clinical studies, a regulatory submission such as a CE-mark dossier, product finalisation, market readiness and commercial strategy. EIT Health pays up to 50% of the total project budget, with a maximum of €850,000 per project. Your consortium must find the remaining 50% or more from other sources, such as private funding, your own resources or other grants. It suits consortia led by a commercialising company, such as an SME or a large industry player, with at least two organisations from different countries. UK entities can take part and receive EIT funding directly as part of a funded consortium. Between €400,000 and €500,000 must go to the entity commercialising the technology. Projects run for a maximum of 20 months, starting on 1 May 2027 and ending no later than 31 December 2028. Solutions must meet the definition of a digital medical device or in-vitro diagnostic device under the European MDR and IVDR rules. They must also have the potential to impact 150,000 patients or citizens in the EU. One practical caveat: projects that are already running clinical trials or gathering results are not eligible. The call is aimed at funding the clinical validation studies themselves. There is an open Q&A session on 1 December at 15.00 CET if you want to ask questions before you apply. Official source: https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/opportunities/eit-health-innovation-validation-call-2027/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 28 October 2026.

Deadline · 18 Jan 2027

EPSRC AI ICURe Discover Sprint - February 2027

Innovate UK Business Connect

Funding amount not listedInformation & Communication, Professional & Scientific Services, Education

Innovate UK Business Connect offers up to £2,500 for market discovery activities through the EPSRC AI ICURe Discover Sprint, a full-time 4-week programme for UK researchers, technicians and students whose work links directly to the Turing Fellowships or the AI CDTs. Applications close at 11:59pm on 18 January 2027. The programme starts on 23 February 2027 and runs as a hybrid course, delivered by the SETsquared Partnership. It includes a 2-day in-person bootcamp, online sessions, mentor support and workshops on customer discovery. You also get an introduction to the Strategyzer Business Model Canvas. Participants talk to customers to test whether their research has real-world demand. You must attend either Tech Show London (10-11 March 2027) or the NVIDIA GTC San José conference (14-18 March 2027). You do not need a finished idea to apply. Each cohort has a limited number of spaces. Completing ICURe Discover is a requirement before applying for ICURe Explore.

Deadline · 28 Jan 2027

Healthy Soils and Water for a Sustainable Environment

Innovate UK Business Connect

Funding amount not listedAgriculture, Forestry & Fishing, Professional & Scientific Services, Environment & Conservation

Defra will invest up to £28 million in collaborative, business-led innovation projects on soil, water and environmental management in farming and growing in England. It runs through the Farming Innovation Programme, delivered by Innovate UK. Projects must have total costs of £1 million to £5 million and last up to 36 months. They must start by 1 August 2027 and end by 31 July 2030. Applications open on 19 November 2026 and close on 28 January 2027 at 11:00am. A UK registered business of any size must lead. Collaborators can also be academic institutions, charities, not for profit bodies, public sector organisations and research and technology organisations. No single organisation can claim more than 70% of total project costs. Scope areas include precision irrigation systems, farm scale water storage, green and novel fertilisers, and low cost monitoring technologies. Projects must show how they benefit farmers, growers or foresters in England. Defra has released a pre-recorded briefing, and Innovate UK Business Connect's Agrifood team can help you find a partner.

Deadline · 31 Jan 2027

Secure Innovation Security Reviews

Innovate UK Business Connect

Funding amount not listedProfessional & Scientific Services

The business pays the remaining £500, including VAT, directly to the reviewer. Applications close on 31 January 2027, and over 300 grants are available on a first-come, first-served basis. An approved security reviewer gives a high-level assessment covering protective security governance, security culture, risk management, cyber security, secure supply chains and partnerships, and incident management. Businesses also get a £300 voucher towards Cyber Essentials certification, to be used by 31 March 2027. The review includes a site visit and a 6-month follow-up review. It does not pay for putting security measures in place, and it does not include penetration testing. Applicants must work in one of the 17 sensitive areas of the economy in the National Security and Investment Act, or in a qualifying sector or frontier industry in the UK's modern industrial strategy.

Deadline · 18 Nov 2026

N-CODE Innovation Challenge: the future of neurological healthcare

Innovate UK Business Connect

Up to £30,000Professional & Scientific Services, Health & Social Work

The N-CODE Innovation Challenge wants concepts, ideas and innovations that could fundamentally change how neurological care is delivered in the NHS. It is run by N-CODE, a programme led from the University of Plymouth, and promoted by Innovate UK Business Connect. There are two routes. Industry-led proposals from UK-registered businesses can win up to £12,000 each, with 3 to 5 winners. Academic-led proposals from researchers eligible for UKRI funding can win up to £30,000 each, with 3 winners. Projects run for up to eight weeks, and winners present at a showcase event in London, expected in June 2027 (travel and accommodation reimbursed). The challenge is particularly interested in wearable technology, digital biomarkers, AI and mathematical modelling that move care from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention, for conditions such as epilepsy, dementia, stroke and functional neurological disorder. You do not need a finished solution. Proposals that would need new NHS ethics approval are out of scope. Applications close at 5pm on 18 November 2026. Official source: https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/opportunities/n-code-innovation-challenge-the-future-of-neurological-healthcare/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 19 October 2026.

Where this funding goes

England (12)National (UK-wide) (1)

Frequently asked questions about Innovate UK Business Connect funding

How many Innovate UK Business Connect grants are open right now?+

13 grants from Innovate UK Business Connect are open on GrantMatch today, of which 2 have no fixed deadline. The list is checked daily.

When is the next Innovate UK Business Connect deadline?+

The nearest deadline is 18 November 2026, and the furthest is 31 January 2027. Always check the funder's own page for the final date before applying.

How do I apply for Innovate UK Business Connect funding?+

Each grant on this page links to the Innovate UK Business Connect application page for that fund. Read the funder's own eligibility criteria before you start, since terms differ between funds.

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