Grant strategy
FOAK Builder: support for UK climate tech SMEs explained
Explore the currently open FOAK Builder opportunity for UK climate tech SMEs, what its in-kind support offers and how to prepare a focused expression of interest.
A currently open route for climate tech SMEs
Innovate UK’s Climate Tech FOAK Builder programme-entry expression of interest is currently open. UK SMEs apply as single applicants, with in-kind support of up to £315,000 available if a FOAK Support plan is agreed. For an innovative UK business preparing a first-of-a-kind climate technology deployment, this is an opportunity worth checking. The immediate task is to explain your deployment challenge and the support needed to move it forward, rather than assume you are applying for a cash grant.
Successful expressions of interest may be invited to a Phase 2 grant application. That possibility is not a grant award or a guarantee of funding. This opportunity is also separate from Contracts for Innovation: FOAK26, so do not borrow requirements from that competition. Start by checking the current programme guidance and application questions. Use our directory of live UK business funding competitions to compare alternatives if your immediate requirement is cash for a defined R&D project.
Understand what the support offer actually means
The key distinction is between support delivered in kind and money paid to your company. The supplied opportunity summary describes an agreed FOAK Support plan, with in-kind support valued at up to £315,000. Do not treat that ceiling as a cash budget, guaranteed allocation or amount every applicant receives. Before preparing your expression of interest, establish which forms of support the programme can provide and whether they address the barriers facing your proposed deployment.
Build a short support-needs statement before writing the application. Describe the deployment you want to achieve, the obstacle preventing it and the decision that external support would help you make. For example, you might need to resolve uncertainty about site integration, customer requirements or a route to investment. These are examples of issues to investigate, not confirmed eligible services. Check each need against the programme’s actual offer before making it central to your case.
Check whether your business and project fit
The stated applicant route is for a UK SME applying alone. Confirm that your company meets the programme’s SME and UK eligibility requirements before committing writing time. Applying as a single applicant does not mean ignoring customers, site owners or delivery partners in your evidence. It means you should not assume a consortium application is permitted. Make clear which organisation is applying and distinguish its responsibilities from any external relationships relevant to the proposed deployment.
A useful internal fit test is whether you can describe a specific climate technology deployment and explain why it needs first-of-a-kind support. A broad ambition to grow a sustainable business is not enough to build a focused application around. Identify the technology, intended use, deployment setting and unresolved barriers. Then check the official scope for maturity requirements and exclusions. Our grant eligibility checker can help structure an initial review, but the competition’s own rules remain decisive.
Build the evidence assessors need to understand your case
Use the published assessment criteria as your writing framework. The supplied listing does not specify scoring weights, so avoid relying on a generic Innovate UK scoring template. As a preparation exercise, assemble evidence explaining the climate problem, your technical approach and the significance of the proposed deployment. Separate what you have already demonstrated from what remains uncertain. Where you discuss environmental benefits, state your assumptions, comparison baseline and calculation method rather than presenting unsupported impact claims.
Make the need for support equally concrete. Explain what is currently blocked, why your team cannot resolve it through its existing resources and what would change if the proposed support were delivered. Useful evidence could include test results, documented customer discussions, site requirements and a deployment risk register, where available. Label indicative interest accurately: a conversation is not a purchase commitment. Give assessors a traceable account of progress rather than a collection of optimistic statements.
Prepare a focused expression of interest
Create a working evidence pack before drafting. Include a concise technology description, relevant test evidence, a deployment outline, customer or site information, a team responsibilities summary and your support-needs statement. Map each item to an actual application question and flag missing evidence early. Assign one person to control the final version. Our guide to writing a grant application provides a useful structure for clear answers, although this initial submission is an expression of interest for programme entry.
Work backwards from the closing time shown in the live application portal, allowing time for eligibility checks, internal approval and submission. Keep your deployment costs separate from the value of any prospective in-kind support. Do not assume that a possible later grant will cover expenditure you are planning now. Before submitting, ask someone outside the project to explain back what you are deploying, what prevents progress and how the requested support would address that obstacle.
Where to go next
Begin with a short decision note: whether you meet the applicant requirements, whether your deployment fits the published scope and whether the available support addresses a real barrier. If any answer is uncertain, resolve it before investing in a full draft. Keep the programme-entry decision separate from any future grant decision. Grants are competitive awards, and an invitation to a later application stage would still require you to meet that stage’s requirements and assessment process.
To review the opportunity with GrantUp, book a 15-minute grant scope and eligibility assessment. Bring a short project summary, your current evidence of technical progress and a clear description of the deployment barrier. The discussion can help you decide whether to pursue FOAK Builder, clarify the questions you need to check against the live guidance and identify gaps to address before writing. The aim is a practical application decision, not an assumption that every climate technology business should apply.
Ready to turn this into a funded proposal?
Book a free 30-minute consultation with a senior grant consultant. We will check your eligibility, match you to the right program, and map out your submission timeline.
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