Funding Opportunities

Competitions: registrations now open

UK-China: precision for enhancing agricultural productivity

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £5 million to work with Chinese partners to develop new integrated precision farming tech and help achieve net-zero emissions.

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Innovate UK Smart Grants: October 2019

Opportunity to apply for a share of up to £25 million to deliver ambitious or disruptive R&D innovations that can make a significant impact on the UK economy.

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ATI programme: R&D funding for smaller business, expression of interest

UK companies can apply for a share of up to £8 million to carry out industry-led civil aerospace collaborative R&D projects.

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Bilateral UK and US offshore wind R&D programme, EoI

Express an interest in applying for a share of up to £1.5 million from the bilateral Innovate UK and US national offshore wind programme to tackle 9 challenge areas.

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Agri-tech catalyst round 9: agriculture and food systems innovation, mid stage

UK organisations can apply for a share of up to £5 million to work on agri-tech and food chain innovations in Africa.

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Application of whole genome sequencing approaches to cancer

UK businesses and research organisations can apply for a share of up to £5.4 million. This is for projects involving the application of whole genome sequencing to analyse cancers.

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Commercialising quantum technology: technology projects round 1, full stage

UK businesses can express an interest in applying for a share of up to £30 million to collaborate on quantum technology development projects.

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ISCF Future food production systems

Businesses can apply for a share of up to £20 million from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to transform food production systems, improve productivity and sustainability, and help the industry move towards net zero emissions by 2040.

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ISCF transforming foundation industries: fast start projects

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of £5 million for fast start projects to improve the resource and energy efficiency of foundation industries.

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ISCF smart sustainable plastic packaging: demonstrator projects, round 1

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £12 million for practical demonstrator projects in smart and sustainable plastic packaging.

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ISCF smart sustainable plastic packaging: feasibility studies for demonstrators

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £700,000 to develop proposals for practical demonstrator projects in smart and sustainable plastic packaging.

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SBRI funding competitions

SBRI supports a range of competitions with public sector organisations and departments. Find out more about SBRI: the Small Business Research Initiative here.

Latest SBRI competitions

SBRI: innovation in automated survey processing for railway structure gauging phase 1

Businesses can apply for a share of £720,000, plus VAT, to develop a demonstrator for automated railway structure gauging processing.

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SBRI: innovation in railway platform end and edge technology

Opportunity for businesses to apply for a share of £1.08 million, plus VAT, to develop solutions to detect and deter trespass at railway platform ends and edges.

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SBRI: modernising energy data access and information, phase 1

In this first phase applicants can apply for a share of up to £480,000 for modernising energy data access. This is being funded by Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, in collaboration with BEIS and Ofgem.

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Horizon 2020

There are also opportunities for funding through the Horizon 2020 programme which focuses on European projects in research and innovation.

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You can find all of our current open & upcoming funding opportunities here.

We’re offering 0% loans between £50,000 and £500,000 to small and medium sized businesses in Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Gravesham, Maidstone, Medway, Sevenoaks, Swale, Thanet, Tonbridge and Malling, and Tunbridge Wells.

The scheme aims to deliver investment to businesses across Kent and Medway and is funded by loan repayments from our previous Regional Growth Fund schemes (Expansion East Kent, Tiger and Escalate).

The Kent and Medway Business Fund is open to new pre-applications as of 25 June 2019.

Find Out More