UK-Germany Bilateral Collaborative R&D: Round 5
Funding
£100,000 – £350,000
Deadline
1 December 2026
Location
England
Applications
Deadline: 1 December 2026
Overview
Innovate UK and Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) are investing up to £2.4 million on the UK side in business-led collaborative R&D between UK and German SMEs. Projects must focus on industrial research in clean energy, life sciences or engineering biology. UK SMEs request between £100,000 and £350,000 in grant, covering up to 70% of project costs depending on business size. Each project must include at least one unlinked German SME applying under Germany's ZIM programme. The German partner is funded separately by AiF Projekt GmbH, and both funders must independently select the project. Innovate UK estimates about a 10% chance of success. Projects must last 12 to 24 months, start on 1 August 2027 and end by the end of June 2029. Work must happen mainly in the UK and Germany, contributions must be balanced, and no one country or partner can account for more than 70% of total costs. Applications opened on 28 September 2026 and close at 11am on 1 December 2026. Official source: https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/opportunities/uk-germany-bilateral-collaborative-rd-round-5/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 19 October 2026.
Requirements to check
Who can apply:
Key requirements:
- Closes 1 December 2026
- £100,000 to £350,000
The lead must be a UK-registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) working with at least one separate, unlinked German SME that applies to the ZIM programme. Other UK partners can be businesses of any size, academic institutions or research and technology organisations (RTOs).
This summary may not include every exclusion. Check the full eligibility rules, including who and what the funder will not support.
The lead must be a UK-registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) working with at least one separate, unlinked German SME that applies to the ZIM programme. Other UK partners can be businesses of any size, academic institutions or research and technology organisations (RTOs).
Regions
No published award history for Innovate UK Business Connect. Some funders do not publish their grants data.
Full details from Innovate UK Business Connect
UK registered SME’s can apply for a share of up to £2.4 million for the purpose of developing innovative proposals with Germany. You must collaborate with at least one German SME applying under the equivalent German ZIM programme.
The UK side applies through Innovate UK's Innovation Funding Service using the Find out more and apply link, before 11am on 1 December 2026. Your German partner applies separately to AiF under ZIM. List only UK partners in the IFS application. For scope questions, email support@iuk.ukri.org or call 0300 321 4357.
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Create free accountLast updated: 19 October 2026