Innovate UK
Innovate UK is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government. For more information visit UK Research and Innovation’s website.
We drive productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas, including those from the UK’s world-class research base. To apply click here
Closing date - ongoing
Creative England Creative and digital investments
Creative England understands the needs of SMEs, particularly those in the creative sector. We know how difficult it is to access finance from traditional sources and that in order to take your business to the next stage, you need a cash injection to make your growth plans a reality.
That’s why we offer loans to creative, digital businesses at competitive rates.
Creative England supports and invests in digital creative companies to finance business growth. This helps to fuel the fastest growing sector in the UK economy by financing business expansion and new products, leading to the creation of new high-quality jobs and Intellectual Property (IP). To apply click here
Closing date - ongoing
Gigabit Voucher
Gigabit vouchers can be used by small businesses and the local communities surrounding them to contribute to the installation cost of a gigabit-capable connection. Businesses can claim up to £2,500 against the cost of connection either
individually or as part of a group project. Residents can benefit from the scheme with a voucher worth £500 as part of a group project. To apply click here
Closing date - ongoing
Interreg VA France: Low Energy Offices
The France (Channel) England Programme has five Specific Objectives. If your project idea falls under one of these objectives and is in the eligible region, then please contact us with your idea to see if we can help.
Objectives are : Innovation, Social Innovation, Low Carbon Technologies, Natural and Cultural Heritage, Coastal and Transitional Water Ecosystems. To apply click here
Closing date - ongoing
CITB Construction skills fund
Apply for a grant or project funding, and learn how CITB supports training for the construction industry. To apply click here
Closing date - ongoing
Forward Enterprise Fund
The fund offers a combination of different type of support, depending on the needs of your enterprise. If successful the Forward Enterprise Fund will work with you to design a package of support to help your organisation develop and
grow. Support could include a mix of:
Business Support : Pre-investment business support gives you the chance to work with specialist advisers to grow your business and become investment-ready.
Crowdfunder Support: You can get support to set up a crowdfunding campaign through Crowdfunder to raise capital for your business.
Loans: You can access loans to assist your business in its development. To apply click here
The Reach Fund
The Reach Fund is a grant Programme that helps charities and social enterprises raise investment. This programme is funded by Access - The Foundation for Social Investment and is open to organisations in England. To apply click here
The Start-up Series: £150,000 of Equity Investment Funding
We aim to pick one business every month to receive investment from an EIS & SEIS fund.
Startups.co.uk are in partnership with experienced investment promoters Worth Capital. The series throws the doors wide open for companies to submit their applications from the 1st to the 14th of every month. From an initial simple
application, businesses will be assessed through multiple stages and winners will be offered investment at a fair valuation in exchange for an equity stake in their business (subject to due diligence carried out by the Fund Manager). To
apply click here
Closing date - 14 May 2019
£5000 Small Business Grants Initiative - Monthly Competition
The Small Business Grants initiative from SmallBusiness.co.uk is a free-to-enter monthly competition that gives small businesses a chance to win a £5,000 grant to invest in their company’s growth. This is a private business grant and does not have to be paid back.
Eligible businesses can apply for FREE via our Grant Application form. Every month, a shortlist of leading entries will be sent to our panel of independent judges who will decide on the winner, considering factors such as turnover growth, innovation, aspiration, key projects completed, contracts won and partnerships forged. To apply click here
Closing date - Monthly Competition
Goldman Sachs - 10, 000 Small Business Programme
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is an investment to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing greater access to education, capital and business support services. 10,000 Small Businesses is funded by
Goldman Sachs and the Goldman Sachs Foundation. To apply click here
Closing date - Ongoing
The Immersive Technology Investment Accelerator
As part of the ISCF Audience of the Future Challenge, a new competition, the Immersive Technology Investment Accelerator, opens to companies on Monday 20 May. Up to £2m is available for UK creative and tech businesses to undertake R&D
projects that enable immersive content to be created faster, more efficiently or in new ways through simultaneous grant funding and venture capital investment. The competition is open to UK-based small and medium businesses working with
immersive technologies. To apply click here
Opening date - 20 May / Closing date - 3 July
SME support to evaluate innovative medical technologies: Round 4
The Office for Life Sciences (OLS), working with Innovate UK has made £1.5 million available for micro (<10), small (<50) and medium (<250) sized enterprises (SMEs) to evaluate products that address current NHS priorities.
The competition provides support for SMEs that are developing innovative medical devices, diagnostics and regulated digital technology to create an evidence base for products tested in a real world clinical setting by making funding
available. Projects can apply for one of two funding opportunities.
1. Planning and preparation for a study, for which total eligible project costs can be up to £50,000.
2. A study to collect clinical performance and cost-effectiveness data, for which total project costs can be up to £250,000. Find out more and to apply click here
Closing date - 3 July 2019
Innovate UK: Grants for developing technologies towards zero-emission vehicles
The need to reduce UK carbon emissions has created new industries and opportunities.
£25 million is available through an Innovate UK and Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) competition to support pre-production projects that can enhance the UK’s long-term capabilities and supply chain in zero-emission vehicles. To apply click here
Closing date - 10 July 2019
Funding to help SMEs develop Low Carbon Vehicle Technology
Our Core Competitions are a £1 billion commitment from Government and industry to accelerate the development of low carbon technology from research to the point of commercialisation here in the UK, safeguarding and creating jobs andattracting foreign direct investment.
With three competitions running a year, there is ample opportunity to apply for match-funded financial support complemented by technological support and strategic business advice from our team of handpicked specialists. To apply click here
Closing date 10 July 2019
The Creative Enterprise New Ideas Fund
The Creative Enterprise New Ideas Fund is a programme designed to help screen-based businesses move away from working project-to-project and develop more sustainable businesses.
Through the Fund, Creative England is able to offer small seed funding to sole traders, start-ups and small firms for their creative business ideas. The programme aims to support untapped talent and allow talented people to find finance
for their ideas.
Investments of between £500 and £15,000 are available for emerging and new screen-based storytelling business proposals, including new business ideas, business proposals and business costs. To apply click here
Date: Applications accepted on a rolling basis
Strength in Places Fund
Led by UK Research and Innovation, Strength in Places Fund (SIPF) is a new competitive funding scheme that takes a place-based approach to research and innovation funding, to support significant local economic growth.
UKRI is pleased to confirm that details of Wave 2 are now available.
Objectives of the fund
The high level aims of the Strength in Places Fund are:
• To support innovation-led relative regional growth by identifying and supporting areas of R&D strengths that are:
• driving clusters of businesses across a range of sizes that have potential to innovate, or to adopt new technologies;
• in order that those clusters will become nationally and internationally competitive.
• To enhance local collaborations involving research and innovation. Building on the underpinning regional economic impact role of universities, research institutes, Catapults and other R&D facilities (such as Innovation and Knowledge
Centres - IKCs); and engaging those businesses at the forefront of delivering economic growth through innovation within the identified economic geography. To apply click here
Date: Opens in late May 2019