Funding and finance open
to ideas from any
technology or market
sector
Funding and finance focused on specific
priority themes and challenges
R&D Grant
Business Stage
Value
Funding
Contribution
100%
Frequency
Sector
Comment
Innovation
Voucher
Seed, start-up
Up to £5k
Every 3
months
Any
Light touch application process – 3 questions
Selection at random via lottery process
SMART
Seed, start-up,
early growth,
small and
medium sized
Proof of market £25k
Proof of concept £100k
Prototype – up to
£250k
Around £67k
Up to 60%
Six funding
rounds per
year
Any
For high growth potential SMEs to access commercial viability of a project. For innovative and commercial
promising ideas (9 months to 24 months).
Six funding
rounds per
year
Any
Access to academic or research with the right expertise (6 -36 months).
Improves business competitiveness and unlocks innovation capability
Up to 60%
Up to 35 or
45%
Up to 67% for
SME and 50%
for large
organisations
Knowledge
Transfer
Partnership
Start-up, early
growth,
Expansion (SME
and Large)
Collaborative
R&D
Early growth,
expansion
Up to £1.5m
Up to 50 or
60%
Ad hoc
Priority sectors only
Co-funds partnerships between businesses, and business and academia.
Helps create successful new products, processes and services
Feasibility
Studies
Start-ups and
micros
Up to £33k
Up to 75%
Ad hoc
Specific thematic
areas only
Prep for collaborative R&D projects (up to 4months)
Catalysts
Start-up, Early
growth,
expansion
Feasibility – up to
£150k. Early
stage/ late stage
awards up to
£2.4m
Project specific
funding varies
within cluster
Demonstrating,
testing, validation,
scaling up - varies
Up to 75%
Up to 50%
Ad hoc
Agri-Tech
Biomedical
Energy
Industrial
Biotechnology
Specific thematic
areas and geographic
locations only
Priority sectors only
Support projects from early stage through to near commercialisation
Run jointly by Innovate UK and Research Councils
Feasibility – up to
£100k
Commercialisatio
n up to up to £1m
100%
Launchpads
Start-up, early
growth
Demonstrators
Early growth,
expansion
Small Business
Research
Initiative
Start up, early
growth,
expansion
Up to 50%
Ad hoc
Varies
Ad hoc
Ad hoc
Public sector
Access to knowledge, skills, partners
RAEng Industrial
secondment
scheme
Helps move new products closer to wider application
Opportunities from innovative companies to engage with the public sector to solve an specific problems
Network enabling the UK’s innovation communities to connect, collaborate and discover new opportunities
_connect
CATAPULT
BBSRC Flexible
Interchange
Programme
Enables large-scale testing of new products and services in the real world
Brings partners together to validate ideas and overcome barriers
Knowledge
Transfer
Networks
Royal Society’s
Industry
Fellowship
Scheme
Help for academics and businesses of all sizes
12 months to 3 years
To support and strengthen high tech business clusters
Early growth,
expansion
Ad hoc
High Value
Manufacturing
Cell Therapy
Offshore Renewable
Energy
Satellite Applications
Digital Economy
Future Cities
Transport Systems
Specific thematic
areas related to the
sponsor priorities.
Network of world-leading centres that enables business to access the best research and technical
expertise, infrastructure and equipment.
Support from catapults:
Access to world-leading technology & expertise
Access to world-leading science
Access to leading-edge facilities and equipment
Skills development and support
There are a number of programmes which promote and fund industrial secondments and fellowships for
university researchers, enabling them to spend time in companies.
International Programmes For SMEs
Eurostars
Up to €360k (total
project cost of
€600k)
Up to 60%
Ad hoc
Research performing
Missions
Horizon 2020
COSME
ERDF
SME
Start up,
expansion and
growth
Project specific
funding varies
ESF
Skills
development
Project funding
varies
EAFRD
Grants for
business and
skills
development in
rural areas
Project funding
varies
Growth
Accelerator
Access to
Entrepreneurial
expertise
Start-up, early
growth,
Expansion
(SME)
50%
Up to 80% in
Cornwall
50%
Up to 80% in
Cornwall
50%
Must involve two organisations from two different countries
Take new innovative companies to countries strong in innovation.
Open up overseas markets for dynamic UK companies.
Run in partnership with UKTI
Biggest EU research and innovation programme ever with €80b of funding over 7 years.
‘Innovation in SMEs’ aims at creating a bridge between the core of the framework programme and the
creation of favourable ecosystems for SME Innovation and growth.
The EU programme for the Competitiveness Of Enterprises and SMEs running from 2014 to 2020.
Range of opportunities from finance, small grants through to large scale R&D projects, mainly linked to
smart specialisation sectors
Ad-hoc
Public sector
Ad-hoc
Public sector
Vocational skills linked to skills gaps, ranging from intermediate to higher level skills. Skills for innovation
and business growth
Ad-hoc
Public sector
Range of opportunities linked to the needs of rural businesses and the rural economy.
Up to 80% in
Cornwall
Access to Finance
Business Development
Growth through Innovation
Leadership and Management
GrowthCommunity