Innovate UK

Innovate UK is the UK's national innovation agency and a council of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), headquartered in Swindon. It provides competitive grant funding and expert support to UK-registered businesses to accelerate the development and commercialisation of new products, processes, and services. Funding is disbursed through rolling competitions covering a wide range of sectors aligned with the UK Industrial Strategy, including advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, defence, digital technologies, and life sciences, with a stated focus on deep tech businesses. Individual competitions typically offer total pools ranging from £2M to £25M+; the mean UKRI grant awarded in a competitive process in 2022–23 was approximately £0.5M. Innovate UK's core budget was approximately £970M in 2024/25, with a £4.8bn grant budget planned for 2026–2030. Applications are submitted via the Innovation Funding Service portal (apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk) and competitions open and close on a rolling basis throughout the year. Innovate UK also offers innovation loans and business support through its Business Connect network.