Welcome to Grant Watch, a monthly look at some of the most exciting grant funding opportunities available to UK innovators.
July is here (though it looks like the weather hasn’t got the memo!) That means it’s time for another tranche of exciting funding opportunities brought to you by the latest edition of GrantTree’s Grant Watch.
The opportunities we’ve chosen cover a wide array of technologies and industries, from self-driving cars to AI-powered healthcare. So take a look and see if anything looks right for your business.
Nothing suitable? Don’t worry. These competitions are just a fraction of the funding opportunities available to UK innovators.
For more opportunities, check out UKRI’s Funding Finder or Innovate UK’s more succinct Innovation Funding Service tool.
And to keep up to date with the latest government funding opportunities for your business, make sure you subscribe to GrantTree’s newsletter.
Established by the Department of Health and Social Care, the £140 million AI in Health and Care Award is looking to accelerate the testing and evaluation of promising AI technologies that address ‘unmet priorities’ in the field of healthcare.
The award is split into three competitions, the first two of which have closed, and five phases, each one targeting technologies at different stages of development.
Competition 3 is currently open and will support technologies in the ‘development & clinical evaluation’, ‘real-world testing’, and ‘initial health system adoption’ stages of development. You can only apply to one phase per product.
Opened – 17 June 2021
Closes – w/c 23 November 2021
Project size: Total eligible costs must be between £250,000 and £4 million
Innovate UK’s £18 million Biomedical Catalyst will provide grant funding to companies developing innovative healthcare products, technologies and processes.
To qualify for funding, your project can address one of several areas, including, but not limited to:
- Disease prevention and diagnosis
- Management of chronic health conditions
- Tailored treatments and cures
Your project must also have total eligible costs of between £250,000 and £4 million. It must also start on or after 1 April 2022 and last between 12 and 36 months.
Your company must be a UK-registered SME that will carry out and exploit its development work in the UK.
Opened – 7 June 2021
Closes – 26 August 2021
Project size: Total eligible costs must be between £25,000 and £1 million.
The Department of Transport and Center for Connected Autonomous Vehicles are collaborating with Innovate UK to offer up to £1.5 million in funding to up to three projects in the automated vehicle space.
Supporting projects related to both passenger and freight services, this competition is designed to advance technologies and processes that take us towards the safe use of autonomous vehicles on public roads.
To be eligible for this grant, your project must:
- Have total eligible costs between £25,000 and £1 million
- Start by 1 October 2021
- End by 31 March 2022
- Last between 3 and 6 months
Opened – 28 June 2021
Closes – 28 July 2021
ReLondon is offering Circular Pilot Grants worth £10,000 and £15,000 to help London-based SMEs trial circular economy initiatives as part of their post-pandemic recovery.
The scheme, which is endowed by the Mayor of London’s Green New Deal fund, is open to companies with annual revenues over £100,000, that employ three or more people, and that have a circular economy pilot that can commence in or around October 2021.
You don’t need to have worked with circular economy models previously to win a Circular Economy Grant. But you must be committed to trialling a new approach that can drive green growth in London.
ReLondon is especially interested in hearing from SMEs owned by underrepresented demographics and operating the hospitality, retail, and entertainment sectors.
Opened – 17 June 2021
Closes – 18 July 2021
Innovate UK is offering grants of between £200,000 and £4 million to companies developing innovative projects that support the organisation’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Programme.
Your solution must have the potential to significantly impact the UK Plastics Pact targets and address issues related to the recycling and sustainability of plastic packaging in consumer products.
To qualify for this grant, your project must:
- Improve the sustainability of the plastics supply chain
- Make a significant contribution towards the targets of the UK Plastic Pact
- Utilise at-scale innovation design
- Embed a ‘whole systems’ approach to plastic packaging sustainability
Opens – 18 May 2021
Closes – 8 September 2021
Project size: Projects running for 6-18 months must have total eligible costs of between £25,000 and £500,000. Projects running for 19-36 months must have total eligible costs of between £25,000 and £2,000,000.
The SMART competition is Innovate UK’s primary open funding call. Offering a share of up to £25 million in sector-agnostic funding, SMART grants are available to businesses working on any game-changing and commercially viable innovation that could significantly impact the UK economy.
Because they are open to companies in all industries, SMART grants are also competitive, receiving thousands of applications from startups and scale-ups all across the country. So make sure you are eligible for a SMART grant before you begin the application process.
Opens – 28 May 2021
Closes – 25 August 2021
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