Innovation, Research and Development

The Blood Cancer Research Fund has re- opened for applications to support research into blood cancer.   The fund is available to researchers of all levels of experience, but early career researchers are particularly encouraged to apply. Two types of grants are available: project grants and pilot grants. Project grants are worth up to £300,000 over three years, while pilot grants are worth up to £30,000 over one year. The grants can be us...

Researchers who are members of the Royal Society of Chemistry, particularly those working in less well-funded institutes, those in developing countries, those with limited access to research funds and early career researchers can apply for grants of up to £5,000 to the Royal Society of Chemistry's Research Fund. The fund aims to support new research projects that show potential to advance the field of chemistry. The grants are available to su...

UK organisations can apply for a share of £800,000 in funding to develop innovative solutions to improve UK biosecurity against regulated plant pests and diseases. The SBRI: Plant Health Innovations for Biosecurity competition aims to accelerate the development of innovative solutions, technologies or practices that enhance plant health and biosecurity activities, with a focus on regulated pests, diseases and of future operational deployment....

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £2 million in funding to help advance health and life sciences. The Launchpad: Life & Health Sciences Competition, funded by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will support business-led projects that grow activities in the life and health sciences innovation cluster in Northern Ireland. Currently, two strands of this Launchpad competition are open: the De minimis or Mini...

The Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) is inviting further education, higher education and specialist libraries and information centres throughout Scotland to apply for funding for pioneering library projects. The Innovation and Development Fund will award funding to libraries that are members of the SLIC for projects and activities that encourage creative service delivery and development, including the creation of new resources,...

Organisations in Wales can apply for grants of up to £250,000 to support capital investment in equipment. The funding is made available by the Welsh Government through the SMART Capital Equipment Fund to enable businesses, research organisations, and academic institutions to purchase equipment that increases their R&D capabilities, promotes the reuse of products and materials and improves productivity through innovative technologies. Applican...

Organisations registered as charities can apply for grants of up to £500,000 to launch or scale up existing initiatives that address the UK’s most pressing health issues. The Funding is being made available through the Peter Sowerby Foundation which will support up to 5 charities. The focus for this funding round is on innovation in process, patient care or structural and systemic changes in primary healthcare. The funding round does not...

The UK government has launched a new £400,000 innovation challenge to combat bias and discrimination in artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The aim of the Fairness Innovation Challenge is to encourage UK companies to build a wider social context into the development of their models. The challenge will focus on two areas: the first will offer participants the chance to work with King’s College London to reduce bias in their generative AI m...

£4 million in funding is being made available to support arts, humanities and social science researchers to develop and bring new products, processes, services and experiences to market. The Social science, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy (SHAPE) Catalyst programme will equip individuals or teams from UK research organisations with the skills they need to explore the commercial application of their research. At least three roun...

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is making £12.5 million in funding available for agriculture and horticulture automation and robotics to improve farming productivity. In partnership with UK Research and Innovation, Defra will award match-funding of between £500,000 and £1.5 million to businesses, researchers, farmers and growers for collaborative development projects which will boost productivity, reduce labour...

To help accelerate the development of a thriving, resilient and well-connected space ecosystem across the UK, the UK Space Agency is making funding available to support the development of world-class UK space clusters. Two funding pots are available: pot A will award grants of up to £20,000 to help applicants to scope and develop locally-led High Impact Projects that will catalyse investment and deliver more jobs, skills and capabilities for...

A new £4.1 million prize for innovations to help change the lives of people living with dementia will open to applications in the autumn. Innovators will be invited to develop technologies that learn about the lives and routines of people living with early-stage dementia, employing assistive technology and machine learning to adapt as their condition progresses, and thereby helping them remain independent in their homes. The Alzheimer’s Soc...

A new £400,000 green innovation fund is offering small to medium sized enterprises up to 60% funding towards projects worth up to £25,000 to help them deliver sustainable products, processes or services which aid the transition to a low carbon economy. The Eco-I North West Capital Grant Scheme will give businesses, charities, and social enterprises based in the North West of England the opportunity to collaborate with the regions leading uni...

Individuals or small groups or organisations in the UK who have a novel technical idea which they want to try out can apply for grants of between £250 and £3,000. The fund has been set up in memory of Peter Williams by his family. Peter spent his life generating a diversity of technical ideas and experimenting to see if they might work. Some of his ideas worked and some of them didn’t but they all left our world a better and more interest...

The UK Government has launched a competition to inspire the next generation of British space scientists and engineers. The competition will call on young people aged 16 or above to design a nanosatellite to support the UK’s decarbonisation drive. Entries are being welcomed from anyone in the UK, either individually or as part of a team, to compete for the £600,000 Challenge Fund which will enable the winners to develop and manufacture their...

Alzheimer’s Research UK is to relaunch a public engagement funding scheme to help tackle misconceptions around dementia and promote the importance of dementia research. The Inspire Fund will provide grants of up to £25,000 for innovative projects that engage the public with dementia and the progress being made in research into the condition. Networking opportunities will be an important feature of the application process, with the aim of cr...

Grants of between £250 and £5,000 are available to individuals and small groups or organisations based in the UK who have a novel technical idea which they want to try. Through the “I’ve Got an Idea” Fund, the Prospectory will provide funding to cover the costs of making and/or testing a novel technical idea, that would deliver a social or environmental benefit, and is intriguing, inventive and has an element of fun. The first award ma...