Sovereign AI R&D Procurement Scheme
The Sovereign AI R&D Procurement Scheme provides contracts worth £250,000 to £10 million for UK-registered startups and SMEs developing novel AI capabilities against government challenges. Current challenges cover NHS productivity, defence AI integration, compute efficiency and safe AI-agent adoption. Projects must involve pre-commercial R&D undertaken in the UK, generally spanning TRL 4–8. Suppliers retain ownership of the intellectual property developed and are encouraged to commercialise their solutions.
Next deadline
Date to be confirmed
What it funds
The Sovereign AI R&D Procurement Scheme provides contracts worth £250,000 to £10 million for UK-registered startups and SMEs developing novel AI capabilities against government challenges. Current challenges cover NHS productivity, defence AI integration, compute efficiency and safe AI-agent adoption. Projects must involve pre-commercial R&D undertaken in the UK, generally spanning TRL 4–8. Suppliers retain ownership of the intellectual property developed and are encouraged to commercialise their solutions.
Who it suits
UK-registered startups and SMEs developing strategically important AI capabilities in the UK. There are no minimum turnover, trading-history, net-assets or cash-reserve requirements.
- AI & software
- Life sciences & health
- Defence & security
- Late stage & scale-up
Programme specifications
Considering Sovereign AI R&D Procurement Scheme?
Talk through your project with a specialist and find out whether this is the right competition before you invest time in an application.