Innovate UK is offering £50,000 grants to UK businesses developing innovative solutions to decarbonise concrete.
Closing on 8 July 2026, Next generation low carbon concrete cohort entry is the first stage of a two-stage Growth Cohort programme designed to accelerate concrete decarbonisation and help companies scale their solutions to market.
Below, I have explained the key things you need to know about this competition before you apply: who is eligible, how much funding is on the table, and what the application process looks like.
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- Whether you’re a strong candidate for this competition
- Other grants you may be eligible for
- What other sources of funding we can help you secure
Book your free assessment here.
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Who is Eligible?
Your Organisation
You must be a UK-registered business of any size. This is open to single applicants only. You can’t apply with or deliver your project alongside other organisations.
You must also:
- Be active in the sustainable concrete supply chain
- Provide a letter of support from a commercial entity currently operating in the concrete supply chain
- Have solutions that have started to build traction in the construction industry
Your Project
Your project must:
- Apply for exactly £50,000 in grant funding
- Last for 6 months
- Start by 1 December 2026
- End by 31 May 2027
All funded work must be carried out in the UK, and you must intend to exploit the project results from or within the UK.
Your project must also focus on one or more of the following areas:
- Focus on alternatives to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) as a concrete binder
- Focus on improving the efficiency or optimisation of cement or concrete production
- Focus on investigating different concrete chemistry for reinforced concrete
- Focus on improving the efficiency of cement and concrete use
- Focus on recycling of cement
- Focus on using concrete to sequester carbon, or trap carbon within concrete
- Include a video pitch submitted via PitchTape (maximum 3 minutes)
How Much Funding Can I Apply For?
Unlike most Innovate UK competitions, this grant has a fixed amount and funding rate.
You must apply for exactly £50,000, with successful applicants receiving 100% funding.
How Do I Apply?
Applications open on 20 April 2026 and close at 11:00 am on 8 July 2026. You apply through the Innovation Funding Service portal.
Application Structure
The first section, Project details, is not marked, but provides your assessors with useful context regarding your project, like how it fits the scope of the competition and who will be delivering it.
Application Questions is where you’ll spend most of your time. There are 23 questions in total:
- 12 unscored administrative questions covering topics like your organisation details, permits and licences, and technology maturity
- 11 scored questions covering your business benefits, sustainability approach, team skills, customer understanding, market opportunity, and video pitch
Finances and Project Impact
Section three, Finances, is where you list your costs. A reminder that your funding request must be £50,000.
You must enter your project costs in the ‘Other costs’ category in the finance section.
The final section is Project Impact, where you’ll provide useful background information, though this section is not scored.
If You’re Successful
Applications that pass the initial assessment may be invited to an interview between 7 September and 11 September 2026.
If you’re successful, you’ll be notified by 17 September 2026.
How GrantTree Can Help
With over 15 years’ experience winning grants for UK innovators, we are perfectly placed to give you the best possible chance of success.
We offer a broad range of services to suit different budgets and levels of experience, from Full Service Write, where we prepare your application from scratch, to Grant Review, where we have an active Innovate UK assessor provide detailed feedback on how to improve your submission.
To find out more about how GrantTree could maximise your chances of success while saving you time and keeping your team focused on growth and innovation, just get in touch.
