GrantUp

FAQs

Grant funding questions, answered straight

36 questions founders ask before they commit: eligibility and match funding, how grants are paid and taxed, who owns the IP, how assessors score, and what working with us costs. Every answer has its own link, so you can send one straight to a colleague.

Working with GrantUp

How do your fees work? Are you no-win-no-fee?

Most engagements are fixed fee per submission, scoped to the competition and the stage you are at: an Innovate UK outline is a smaller piece of work than a full stage two application or an EIC Accelerator submission. You get the number on the first call, before any work starts, with no percentage of the award and no charge for the consultation itself.

We also offer a no-win-no-fee option for qualifying companies, typically where the technical and commercial case is already strong and the competition is a good fit. It is not a headline gimmick; it is a selective way to share risk when the project genuinely stacks up. We discuss both models on the free call and recommend the one that makes most sense for your stage and budget.

What happens if the application is unsuccessful, and can we resubmit?

Innovate UK and UKRI competitions are genuinely competitive, and no honest advisor can promise a grant offer letter. What we can do is make sure a decline is down to competition for limited funds rather than something fixable: a weak project summary, unclear go/no-go milestones, or a commercial case that does not stand up.

If an application is unsuccessful we go through the assessor feedback with you line by line and give you an honest view on whether resubmission to the next round is worth it. A meaningful share of our wins are resubmissions where the first attempt was written without support, and a second pass usually needs far less founder time than the first.

How much of my time does this take?

Expect roughly 6 to 10 hours of founder or technical lead time across a typical Innovate UK grant application, mostly a technical kick-off call, one or two review rounds, and sign-off. We handle the drafting, project planning, costings narrative and compliance checks against the competition brief.

Registering on the Innovation Funding Service and gathering company financials sits on your side because it is tied to your organisation, but we tell you exactly what to prepare and by when, since these are the most common cause of a missed deadline.

Why not write the application in-house?

Plenty of founders do, and some win. The cost is usually several weeks of the technical lead's attention during a period when they should be building the business, plus a learning curve on assessor scoring criteria that differ by competition and funder.

Our team has written and won applications across Innovate UK grant competitions, mission-led competitions, Horizon Europe and sector-specific programmes, and members of the team have sat on assessment panels themselves. That is the difference between guessing what assessors score highly and knowing it.

Why not just use an AI grant-writing tool?

Because assessors are sector specialists and generated text reads exactly like generated text: plausible structure, vague technical detail, and a thin treatment of risk. It is the fastest way to look identical to every other applicant to the same competition.

We are not a platform. Your application is written by a named specialist with relevant sector experience who is accountable for it, and we do not run the same template across multiple applicants to the same call.

What do you handle and what do you need from us?

We handle the writing, project planning, costings narrative, alignment to the competition brief, and coordination with any consortium partners, plus a full review of assessor feedback if you need to resubmit.

You provide the technical detail on your innovation, company financials and Innovation Funding Service registration, and sign-off at each review stage. We sign your non-disclosure agreement before any technical detail changes hands, and we do not work with two companies competing for the same competition topic in the same round.

Eligibility and readiness

Are we eligible as a UK SME?

Most Innovate UK competitions require you to be a UK-based organisation, often carrying out the project work in the UK, with a small or medium-sized enterprise typically defined as under 250 staff and turnover or balance sheet thresholds set out in the competition guidance. Some competitions are open only to SMEs, while others require a consortium including at least one business.

Our 30 second eligibility check covers the main gates for the live competitions we track, and we confirm the detail specific to your case on the call.

Can we apply pre-revenue, or before we have raised investment?

Yes. Grant funders back the project rather than your revenue line, and early-stage companies win regularly. What they do test is whether you can fund your share of the costs and survive long enough to deliver the work plan, which is why they look at your accounts and cash position alongside the technical case.

If you are very early, feasibility studies and smaller mission-led competitions are usually a better first target than a large collaborative round, and a grant win often makes the next investor conversation considerably easier.

Do we need university or industry partners?

It depends on the competition. Single-company competitions exist across Innovate UK and sector programmes, while collaborative rounds require a consortium with a defined lead and clearly justified roles for each partner. Horizon Europe collaborative calls almost always require partners in multiple countries.

Where partners are needed we help you scope who genuinely strengthens the bid, since assessors mark down consortia that look assembled to tick a box rather than to deliver the work.

What if the project has already started?

Grants fund future work. Costs incurred before your project start date are usually ineligible, and starting work before an offer letter can put the award at risk, so the safest route is to scope the grant project as the next phase rather than the work you are already doing.

Existing progress is not wasted. It becomes the evidence base that de-risks the proposal, which is exactly what assessors want to see behind an ambitious plan.

How much funding can we realistically get?

Typical ranges run from tens of thousands for a short feasibility study, to a few hundred thousand for single-company industrial research, up to several million for large collaborative or Horizon Europe projects. The grant covers a percentage of eligible project costs rather than the whole budget.

The realistic answer depends on your project scope, company size and the competition you target. We size the project to the competition rather than the other way round, because inflated budgets are a common reason for a low score on value for money.

Can we apply for more than one grant at a time?

Yes, provided each application covers distinct work and you can deliver everything you promise. Funders check for duplicate funding of the same activity, and your award total is also assessed against subsidy control thresholds.

Running a sensible pipeline across two or three competitions a year usually beats putting everything into a single round, and we plan that pipeline with you rather than chasing every open call.

Choosing a funder

What grant funding is actually available to UK companies?

The main routes are Innovate UK and wider UKRI competitions, mission-led and sector programmes such as the Aerospace Technology Institute, Advanced Propulsion Centre and the Defence and Security Accelerator, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships for university collaboration, plus European routes including Horizon Europe, the EIC Accelerator and Eurostars, which UK companies can access.

Our grants directory lists the programmes we track with what each one funds, who it suits and when the next round is expected.

Innovate UK or Horizon Europe: which should we target?

Innovate UK suits UK-focused projects, has shorter windows and faster decisions, and can be single-company. Horizon Europe suits larger, longer collaborative projects with international partners, funds a higher share of costs for many participant types, and runs on a much longer timetable from call to contract.

For most first-time applicants a domestic competition is the pragmatic starting point, with Horizon Europe or the EIC as the follow-on once you have a delivery track record.

How competitive are these competitions?

Success rates vary widely by competition and are often in the low tens of percent, with the most popular open competitions considerably tighter. Rates published by funders in their competition results are the only reliable guide, and we will tell you when a specific call looks like a poor bet for your project.

The largest single improvement is usually choosing the right competition. A strong application to a well-matched call outperforms an excellent application to the wrong one.

How do Innovate UK assessors actually score applications?

Applications are marked independently by two or more assessors against published criteria, usually covering the strength of the innovation, the size of the market opportunity, and the project's route to commercial and economic impact, each scored on a defined scale with written justification.

The applications that score well answer the assessor's question directly rather than reading like a pitch deck: specific technical risk and how it will be de-risked, credible costings tied to the work plan, and a commercial case backed by evidence rather than assertion. We write to that structure because we have seen both sides of the scoring sheet.

Why do good projects still get rejected?

The recurring causes are a project that is excellent research but a poor fit for the competition scope, innovation described in general terms rather than against the current state of the art, risk treated as a formality, costings that do not map to the work packages, and a commercial case with no evidence of customer demand.

Almost all of those are fixable before submission, which is why the scoping call matters more than the writing.

Money, tax and IP

What about match funding and intervention rates?

Innovate UK grants are not usually 100% funded. The intervention rate is the proportion of eligible project costs the grant covers, and the rest is match funding you need to be able to demonstrate you can put in, typically from your own resources or investment. Rates depend on your company size and the type of research: small businesses can often claim up to 70% for feasibility studies and around 45% for industrial research, with many competitions funding around 70% of costs for SMEs.

We model the match funding requirement with you before you commit to applying, so there are no surprises if you are shortlisted and there is a real funding gap to close.

Do we give up equity or repay the money?

Grant funding is non-dilutive and not a loan. You keep your shares and there is nothing to repay, provided you deliver the project as agreed and comply with the grant conditions. The EIC Accelerator is the notable exception, since it offers an optional equity investment component alongside its grant.

The obligations you do take on are reporting, evidenced claims, and delivering the funded work, and clawback only becomes relevant where those are not met.

How and when is the money actually paid?

Most UK grants are paid in arrears against quarterly claims for costs you have already incurred and can evidence, with an independent accountant's report required on larger awards. Some programmes offer advance payments, but you should plan cash flow on the assumption of reimbursement.

That timing is one reason we look hard at your cash position during scoping. A grant you cannot cash-flow is a liability rather than a win.

Is grant funding taxable, and can we still claim R&D tax relief?

Grant income is generally treated as taxable trading income in your accounts. On R&D tax relief, receiving a notified state aid or subsidy for a project usually pushes that project's costs out of the SME scheme, and the interaction changed again under the merged R&D scheme, so the combination needs planning rather than assumption.

We flag the interaction early and recommend you confirm the treatment with your accountant before committing, since the net position sometimes favours structuring the grant project separately.

What costs can the grant actually cover?

Typically labour for staff working on the project, overheads calculated on a defined basis, materials and consumables, capital equipment usage, subcontracting within published limits, and travel and subsistence tied to the project. Sales, marketing and general business costs are not eligible.

Subcontracting caps and overhead methods vary by funder and are a frequent source of lost marks, so we build the cost model against the specific competition guidance.

Who owns the intellectual property?

You do. UK funders do not take ownership of project IP, though grant conditions expect you to exploit the results and, in collaborative projects, to agree background and foreground IP terms with your partners in a collaboration agreement before the project starts.

Getting that agreement drafted early matters, because unresolved IP terms are a common cause of delay between an offer letter and the project start date.

How does UK subsidy control affect our grant?

Since leaving the EU State aid regime, UK grants are governed by the Subsidy Control Act 2022. In practice this means funders check your award against thresholds such as the Minimal Financial Assistance limit, and larger or higher-risk subsidies face additional assessment against subsidy control principles.

We flag any subsidy control considerations as part of scoping your application, particularly if you have received other public funding recently, so eligibility is not a surprise late in the process.

Timelines and delivery

How long does the process take, from competition opening to a grant offer letter?

Most Innovate UK competitions run for four to eight weeks from opening to the submission deadline, and we typically need three to five weeks of that to build a strong application, so starting in the first half of a competition window matters. Assessment and moderation then usually take eight to twelve weeks, and due diligence and contracting can add several more weeks before a grant offer letter is issued.

The practical implication: from a competition opening to funds landing is often four to six months in total, so the date you need to start work is far earlier than the deadline itself.

When should we start preparing?

Before the competition you want is open, ideally. Companies that win consistently keep a live project concept, costings and partner list ready, then shape them to the brief once the scope is published, rather than starting from scratch on the day.

If a competition you want closes in under three weeks, tell us anyway. We will give you a straight answer on whether it is deliverable or whether the next round is the better target.

What happens after a win, and can you help with delivery?

A win is followed by project setup, due diligence, the grant offer letter, then quarterly claims, monitoring officer reviews and progress reporting through the life of the project. These obligations are real work and a common source of stress for first-time recipients.

We support clients through claims, reporting and monitoring, and we plan the follow-on funding route while the current project is still running, so momentum does not stall when it ends.

Comparing us with other providers

What service standards can we hold you to on communication and delivery?

Every engagement is run by a named lead writer with a named second reviewer, so there is always more than one person who knows your bid. You get a written schedule at kick-off with every draft date, review window and internal deadline, and we work to an internal submission target that sits ahead of the funder deadline rather than on it.

If a call ever needs to move we rebook it within one working day, and you have your lead writer's direct email throughout. Every set of numbers in a final submission, costings, headcount, intervention rate and total project cost, goes through a separate finance check against your finance form before submission, and is signed off by you in writing.

What happens if something goes wrong on our project?

Tell your lead writer, and if it is not resolved the same day it escalates to a director. We would rather hear it early than read it in a review. Where we have got something wrong we fix it at our cost, including redrafting and, where the timetable allows, resubmission support at the next round.

We publish reviews openly rather than curating them. Any consultancy that has run hundreds of deadline-driven projects will have had bad weeks, and the honest question to ask any provider is not whether they have ever had a complaint but what changed afterwards. Our review process, dual staffing and pre-submission finance check all came from exactly that.

Is a fixed fee too much financial risk if we do not win?

It is a fair concern, so we manage it in three ways. First, we tell you on the free call if we do not think you should apply this cycle. Turning work away is cheaper for us than a weak submission. Second, the fee is fixed and quoted before any work starts, with no percentage of the award and no open-ended hourly meter, so your downside is a known number rather than a surprise invoice.

Third, an unsuccessful application is not a dead end. We review assessor feedback with you line by line and support a resubmission to the next round at a reduced scope and fee, because most of the technical material carries over. Many funded projects we have worked on were second attempts. If your budget genuinely cannot absorb a single fee, say so on the call and we will point you at the free checklist, canvas and guides instead.

Do you use software and AI, or is this all manual?

We use both, and we are deliberate about the split. Automation handles the parts where it is genuinely better than a human: competition scanning and eligibility screening across UK and European funders, deadline and pipeline tracking, structured evidence gathering, compliance checks against the competition brief, and version control across review rounds. That is what keeps our turnaround fast.

What we do not automate is the technical narrative, the risk framing and the commercial case, because that is precisely what assessors score and generated text is easy to spot. Wizard-style tools produce a compliant document quickly. They do not produce a differentiated one, and in an oversubscribed competition, compliant and generic still scores below funded.

Does everything depend on which writer we get?

No, and this is why we staff every project with a lead plus a reviewer. Your lead is matched to your technology, and every draft goes through an assessor-style scoring review by a second specialist against the published criteria before it reaches you. Nothing is submitted on one person's judgement alone.

We also cap the number of live applications per writer per competition round rather than taking on everything that comes in. If we cannot resource your bid properly in the time available, we say so on the first call and tell you which round to target instead.

Are you generalists, or do you have real depth in our field?

We are a group of subject matter specialists rather than a single-sector boutique. Our writers hold PhDs and postdoctoral research experience across life sciences, medtech and diagnostics, quantum and semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, energy, AI and more, and several serve as grant assessors and expert reviewers. You are briefed by someone who understands your assay, your device or your model, not a generalist copywriter with a template.

The breadth matters because the funding landscape does not respect sector boundaries. The same company may be best served by an Innovate UK competition this year, Horizon Europe or ESA next, and a defence or ARIA route after that. A single-sector agency knows one lane. If your field is one where we do not have genuine depth, we will tell you on the call.

What is your success rate, and why is it high?

Our average success rate on the applications we choose to write is above 80%. We also regularly secure the highest-scoring applications in competitive rounds. The rate is high because we are selective, not because every enquiry becomes a client.

We only take on a project when the business, innovation and competition brief are genuinely framable to the funder's requirements. If the timing is wrong, the technical case is too thin or the competition is not a good fit, we say so on the free call and point you at the right next step instead. That honesty protects your budget and keeps our win rate meaningful.

Do you help before we pay anything?

Yes. Start with a free funding fit call. We will discuss your eligibility, the current competition landscape and whether your project is a realistic candidate for the funders that matter to you before any fee is mentioned. If it is not the right time or the right competition, we will tell you then and point you at the next step.

You can also use the live grants directory, eligibility checker, R&D tax relief calculator, Grant Funding Canvas, 48-point readiness checklist and sector guides without ever speaking to us. The consultation is there for when you want a specific read on your situation.

Can you give us a reference from a company like ours?

We can, and we often do. Once we understand your sector, stage and the type of funding you are targeting, we are usually able to put you in touch with a similar client we have won funding for who is happy to share how the process worked.

Hearing from a founder in a comparable field, with the same funder and a funded outcome, is one of the fastest ways to judge whether a consultancy is the right fit. If a provider cannot offer that, ask why.

Book a free consultationCheck eligibility in 30 seconds

Still deciding? Ask us directly

Talk to us about your grant funding plans and we'll help you make it happen through effective, results-driven grant writing.

Book Free ConsultationSee our client wins