Developmental pathway funding scheme: stage one

Innovate UK and India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) is funding business-led UK-India collaborations on Net Zero Technologies. Projects must present disruptive innovations with economic potential, strong business and financial plans, and a clear path to commercialization. Proposals should demonstrate mutual benefits for UK and Indian economies, effective IP sharing, and added value from cross-country collaboration. Outcomes must deliver impactful, market-ready solutions post-project completion.

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This competition encourages UK-Canada collaboration to develop innovative technologies in life sciences (e.g., biomanufacturing, agri-tech), digital technologies (e.g., AI, quantum), and sustainability (e.g., clean energy, ocean sciences). Open to organisations in both countries, it funds projects creating groundbreaking products, processes, or services across sectors. Proposals should align with previous UK-Canada R&D focuses or areas, fostering advancements in critical and emerging technology fields.

The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 6, Strand 3, funds feasibility studies and pre-deployment projects leveraging digital technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality in maritime transport. Supported by Innovate UK and the Department for Transport, up to £30 million is available for Smart Shipping projects that conduct technical and economic feasibility studies or trials, advancing the UK’s leadership in clean maritime technology under the UK SHORE initiative.

This competition seeks uncrewed systems with extended range and modular capabilities for rapid deployment within 12 months. The British Army aims to enhance operational reach with the development of an uncrewed Deep Recce Strike platform capable of operating at ranges greater than 80 kilometers. Solutions must prioritize resilience in contested environments, modularity for iterative upgrades, and reliance on allied supply chains to address evolving battlefield challenges effectively.

NIHR is seeking research proposals to develop and evaluate interventions aimed at preventing and/or managing lymphoedema following breast cancer resection. Proposals should focus on innovative approaches to address this condition, which affects many breast cancer survivors. The goal is to improve patient outcomes and quality of life through effective prevention and management strategies.

This funding opportunity supports collaborative arts and humanities research projects, enabling researchers to establish or enhance interdisciplinary and international partnerships, foster early-career researcher development, and maximise the impact of research outcomes through effective communication and knowledge transfer. Proposals should prioritize arts and humanities perspectives while integrating diverse disciplines and sectors. Projects, funded for up to five years, must align with AHRC or NSF-SBE research themes and demonstrate a proportionate commitment from project leads.

Innovate UK has selected a number of investor partners and will provide grant funding to companies that are delivering ambitious innovation projects with strong commercial potential.

This funding supports innovative construction and renovation solutions to extend building service life, enhance adaptability, and enable reuse and deconstruction. Projects should develop and validate techniques that improve resource efficiency, use CO2-storing and low-emission materials, and address all building components. Solutions must be tested in diverse environments, involve local value chains, and provide measurable outcomes. Deliverables include guidance for stakeholders, dissemination of best practices, and contributions to standardization through the Built4People network.

The LSIMF will provide capital grants across the UK and sector-wide to support investments in the manufacturing of human medicines (including active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished products), medical diagnostics (for disease identification and monitoring), and MedTech products (medical devices for human health). The fund will remain open until all funding is allocated.

Innovate UK is offering loans to SMEs for late-stage R&D projects with strong commercial and economic potential. Projects must deliver innovative products, processes, or services significantly ahead of current offerings or propose new uses or business models. Eligible projects should demonstrate clear routes to commercialization and economic impact, supporting groundbreaking innovation and advancing the competitive edge of UK enterprises.

NIHR i4i Challenge Awards support the real-world evaluation of medical devices, in vitro diagnostic devices and high-impact patient-focused digital health technologies for us in the NHS or social care system. The i4i Challenge Awards provide funding for collaborative projects with a focus on implementation research on technologies which have demonstrated safety and efficacy, and have a clear pathway towards adoption and commercialisation.

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The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 6, Strand 1, funds pre-deployment testing of novel clean maritime technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This strand supports the design, development, and testing of on-vessel and infrastructure technologies, advancing innovative solutions for cleaner maritime operations. The competition excludes Smart Shipping, focusing solely on groundbreaking clean technology trials.

This competition by the Department for Transport aims to develop affordable, user-friendly hardware and software solutions for coaches to comply with the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023. The solutions must provide accessible audio and visual route, destination, and location information, supporting disabled passengers. Proposals should prioritize scalability, compatibility, and affordability while incorporating innovative technologies.

The SMART: SCOTLAND grant aims to support high-risk, highly ambitious projects providing support to conduct feasibility studies. It’s only available to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) based in Scotland

The NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme invites stage 1 applications for research addressing health service practices with potential to improve patient and NHS user wellbeing. As a researcher-led initiative, it welcomes diverse proposals tackling health service challenges. The programme funds high-quality quantitative and qualitative research with clear patient benefit, emphasizing public and patient involvement and co-development with service users.

Apply for AHRC standard research grant funding to support collaborative arts and humanities projects. Projects must involve a UK-based project lead and at least one co-lead to develop and manage the research. These grants aim to foster collaborations within and beyond academia, enhance career development for researchers, and promote effective dissemination of research outcomes. Proposals can involve interdisciplinary or international partnerships and may include individual research components that demonstrably add value to the overall project.

This fund aims to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across Wales.

The Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator 4 (ARMD4) competition focuses on accelerating the transition to zero-emission vehicles by supporting late-stage R&D projects. It aims to develop and demonstrate innovative vehicle technologies, including battery systems, hydrogen fuel cells, power electronics, and lightweight materials. Projects should deliver solutions that enhance performance, efficiency, and sustainability, with a strong potential for commercialization and real-world deployment by 2026.

Apply for funding to foster UK-led research partnerships between businesses and academia, focusing on safety and toxicity in advanced therapies. Projects will co-develop tools and resources to assess and mitigate safety risks, integrating discovery and translational science to advance therapies from research to clinical application.

This Expression of Interest (EoI) competition supports projects aligning with the UK Aerospace Technology Strategy, focusing on civil aerospace applications, including dual-use technologies. Areas include zero-carbon emission technologies (battery, hydrogen, fuel cells), ultra-efficient technologies (energy efficiency, CO2, NOx, noise reduction), cross-cutting enabling technologies (aircraft lifecycle design and analysis), and non-CO2 technologies (fuel characteristics, aircraft systems, data operations).

NIHR is launching Phase 3 of the Innovation Fund to Reduce the Demand for Illicit Substances, funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in partnership with the Joint Combatting Drugs Unit (JCDU).

This grant supports innovations in maritime autonomy that enhance decarbonisation through improved vessel efficiency, advanced infrastructure, regulatory compliance, and security. It seeks solutions leveraging space data to increase autonomy, improve situational awareness, and protect systems while preparing seafarers for the evolving landscape of human-assisted operations. Focus areas include sustainability, safety, and regulatory integration.

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Arts Council National Lottery are offering funding to people in England who are creative, or work in the arts, museums or libraries. The fund supports thousands of individual practitioners, community and cultural organisations

DASA, in collaboration with Dstl, seeks innovative proposals to enhance the UK’s Microbial Forensics Capability. Key focus areas include computational tools to detect anomalies in genome sequencing data, including biological engineering evidence, and technologies to identify or analyze omic signatures for novel forensic applications. Proposals should advance tools and techniques for identifying and interpreting microbial evidence, supporting the UK’s ability to address biological threats and enhance forensic investigation capabilities.

The NIHR's Health Technology Assessment Programme seeks research proposals to evaluate the effectiveness and economic impact of technology-based interventions aimed at improving care and support for individuals with deafblindness in social care settings.

ARIA's Programmable Plants opportunity seed funding offers up to £500,000 for innovative research proposals that explore programming plants to address challenges like CO₂ removal, food security, and medicine delivery. Projects can range from early-stage research to pre-commercial science and technology.

Innovate UK and the Department of Business and Trade, through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) are supporting collaborative R&D projects to advance zero-emission vehicle technologies and manufacturing. This competition aims to accelerate industrialisation, safeguard skilled jobs, and strengthen the UK’s automotive value chain. APC provides expertise in propulsion technologies, fostering innovation and collaboration to drive the UK’s transition to a sustainable, net-zero automotive industry while maintaining global competitiveness.

This funding supports transformative ideas in the Scalable Neural Interfaces space, aiming to revolutionise understanding of neurological disorders. Proposals should align with or challenge established assumptions, explore innovative brain interfaces, and push boundaries of what’s possible. Projects may range from curiosity-driven research to pre-commercial technologies, fostering bold approaches to redefine the potential and value of neural interfacing at scale.

UKRI seeks a single innovative, interdisciplinary project under its Creating Opportunities, Improving Outcomes theme to address economic inactivity in areas with high rates of ill-health, disability, and informal care. The project will investigate local systemic factors shaping inactivity, identify effective support strategies, bridge research-to-practice gaps through collaboration with policymakers and local partners, and improve access to administrative data for inactivity research.

Creative UK have partnered with Triodos Bank on the Creative Growth Finance fund to offer loans of £100,000 to £1m* to businesses that bring change, disruption and new IP to the creative industries, harness creativity with technologies and supporting businesses and are talent led.

The Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund's Round 4 Discovery Phase seeks collaborative projects to tackle key energy network challenges, including faster network development, greater heat flexibility, improved resilience, and acceleration towards net zero. This phase is the first of a three-stage competition, leading to Alpha and Beta phases for further development and large-scale demonstration of innovative solutions.

This Innovation Focus Area by DASA seeks proposals to modernize Defence Test and Evaluation by accelerating system assurance, adapting to evolving threats, and enhancing operational agility. Projects should enable faster, more frequent, and prolonged capability availability, such as mobile T&E infrastructure. Emphasis is placed on innovative methods, digital tools, regulatory alignment, and risk understanding to accelerate acceptance and assurance of new defence technologies across all domains.

You can apply for funding from ESA for the Open Call for Proposals or through specific themed opportunities. Your project must delivered R&D related to the space industry

This is a multi-sector generous loan opportunity of between £100k and £2m for UK registered, highly innovative SMEs with projects lasting up to 5 years.

The NIHR Work and Health Development Awards support research teams in preparing for large-scale projects. These awards fund collaboration building, proof-of-concept and feasibility studies, data access and linkage development, and other preparatory work. The aim is to create strong research proposals for the subsequent award phase, enabling significant and ambitious research programs to address critical work and health issues for the benefit of the nation.

This call seeks proposals for feasibility studies using space technology (SatCom, SatEO, SatNav) to advance green hydrogen as a sustainable energy source. Focus areas include energy, transportation, maritime, and smart cities, addressing challenges in hydrogen production, storage, and distribution. Projects should assess satellite-based solutions for environmental sustainability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, engaging user communities to develop proof of concept and pathways for future applications aligned with net-zero goals by 2050.

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £25 million for game-changing and commercially viable R&D innovation that can significantly impact the UK economy. This funding is from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation.

The Content Fund is a joint plan between Government and industry to drive growth, build talent and develop skills across the creative sectors.

This funding supports pilot projects to enhance diversity in NERC science, attracting a broader talent pool and showcasing diverse skillsets. Up to 20 grants will fund partnerships to develop inclusive plans, test approaches, and inspire underrepresented groups to join the environmental solutions workforce. Projects should identify and engage diverse talent, fostering equitable inclusion and contributing to a more representative NERC community.

The MRC-NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme invites applications to assess novel non-pharmacological approaches for diagnosing, treating, or managing ADHD in children and adults. Proposals should target core symptoms or related conditions and provide strong clinical rationale and proof of concept. Evaluations must focus on interventions or technologies with convincing human evidence of efficacy, including diagnostic tools with promising sensitivity, specificity, or predictive value.

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The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 6, Strand 2, funds feasibility studies into clean maritime technologies and skills to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Projects must conduct technical and economic studies focused on developing and demonstrating on-vessel technologies, infrastructure technologies, skills, or a combination of these. This strand excludes Smart Shipping, supporting innovative approaches to cleaner maritime operations and fostering sustainable advancements in the maritime industry.

NIHR are funding research into decarbonising the health and social care system as part of their commitment to achieving net zero. Proposals must generate high-quality evidence on decarbonisation through innovative or existing interventions, service models, or care pathways, with a guideline minimum funding of £200,000

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