Innovate UK Grants Open Now: Deadlines Closing April–June 2026

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is one of the largest sources of grant funding for innovative UK businesses. They run competitive funding rounds throughout the year, and right now there are several open competitions with deadlines approaching between late April and June 2026.

This article summarises the key opportunities currently accepting applications, with a focus on what is relevant to small and medium-sized businesses. All deadlines are at 11am UK time on the closing date. Applications are made through the Innovation Funding Service at apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk.

Closing in April 2026

Frontier AI and Machine Learning Feasibility Studies

Total pot: up to £3 million. Closes: 29 April 2026.

Open to single UK-registered SMEs only — larger businesses cannot lead. This competition funds feasibility studies for frontier AI and machine learning technologies with a clear route to defensible scale-up. The emphasis is on genuine technical innovation, not just AI adoption or integration. If your business is developing novel AI capabilities rather than applying off-the-shelf tools, this is worth investigating. It opened on 17 March, so applications are already well underway.

Software Security Code of Practice

Total pot: up to £5 million. Closes: 29 April 2026.

Open to UK-registered organisations for collaborative projects that enable adoption of the government's Software Security Code of Practice. This is relevant for cybersecurity firms and software companies working on supply chain security. The aim is to drive the growth of secure and resilient software supply chains across the UK economy.

Innovation Loans Round 26

Amount: £100,000 to £5 million per loan. Closes: 29 April 2026.

Strictly speaking this is a loan rather than a grant, but it is a major Innovate UK programme worth including. Innovation Loans are available to SMEs with late-stage R&D projects that are close to commercialisation. They offer a fixed interest rate with a repayment period of up to 5 years and — crucially — no equity dilution. This makes them a strong option for businesses that need capital to bring an innovative product to market but do not want to give up ownership.

Closing in May–June 2026

Drug and Alcohol Addiction Healthcare Innovation

Total pot:£40 million combined across two linked competitions. Closes: 6 May 2026.

Two parallel tracks: contracts for innovation (£20 million) and advancing innovation (£20 million). Both fund pharmaceutical, digital, and MedTech tools to improve treatment, recovery, and prevention of drug and alcohol addiction. This is a niche but well-funded opportunity — particularly relevant for health-tech and digital health SMEs with solutions that could be applied in addiction care settings.

Digital, Automated and Robotic Technologies for Pharma

Total pot: up to £7.5 million. Opens: 13 April 2026. Closes: 27 May 2026.

Funds the development and use of digital, automated, and robotic technologies to improve the speed and efficiency of pharmaceutical process development and manufacturing. This is relevant for automation and robotics companies working in or adjacent to the life sciences sector. The competition opens on 13 April, giving applicants a full six weeks to prepare.

AgriScale — Accelerating Agri-tech Manufacturing

Two tracks running in parallel. Closes: 3 June 2026.

• Industrial Research track:up to £5 million for closing product technology gaps that are preventing commercial acceptance of agri-tech innovations
• Experimental Development track:up to £8 million for accelerating agri-tech manufacturing capabilities and scaling production

Both tracks are funded by Innovate UK and target the intersection of agriculture and technology. If your business works in agricultural technology, food tech, or precision farming, these competitions offer substantial funding for scaling up proven innovations.

AI and Foundation Models Feasibility Studies

Total pot: up to £2.5 million. Opens: 14 April 2026. Closes: 10 June 2026.

Funds feasibility studies in frontier AI and foundation models. Open to single applicants — UK-registered organisations. This is a newer competition with a slightly later deadline than the April AI competition, giving businesses more time to prepare. If you missed the 29 April frontier AI deadline or need more time to develop your proposal, this is the one to target.

Closing Later in 2026

Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 7

Total pot:up to £121 million across three strands (feasibility, pre-deployment, deployment). Closes: 15 July 2026.

Funded by the Department for Transport, this is one of the largest single competitions currently listed. It targets businesses developing innovative clean maritime technologies — from zero-emission vessel designs to port infrastructure and alternative fuels. The scale of funding reflects the government's commitment to decarbonising the maritime sector.

Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chains

Total pot: up to £2 million. Eligibility: UK-registered SMEs only.

Funds pre-commercialisation projects from manufacturing SMEs with innovative supply chain solutions. This is a smaller pot but specifically targeted at SMEs, which can mean less competition from larger consortium bids.

Robotics and Autonomous Systems Adoption

Total pot:up to £38 million. Funded by DSIT (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology).

Aims to create one-stop shops that help end-users adopt robotics and autonomous systems. Relevant for businesses building platforms, integration services, or training programmes around industrial robotics.

How to Apply

All Innovate UK applications go through the Innovation Funding Service at apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk. You will need to create an account if you do not already have one — this takes a few minutes and requires your company registration details.

Before starting an application, read the full competition brief carefully. Each competition has specific scope, eligibility criteria, and scoring guidance. Innovate UK typically runs applicant briefing webinars for major competitions — check the individual competition page for dates and registration links. These briefings are worth attending as they often clarify what assessors are looking for.

Note that Innovate UK was closed over the Easter period (2–6 April) and reopens on 7 April 2026. If you have questions about a specific competition, the support team should be available from that date.

For a broader overview of UK grants beyond Innovate UK — including Growth Hub grants, local authority funding, and devolved nation schemes — see our complete guide to UK small business grants. And if you want to find grants matched to your specific business, Subsidy Scanner tracks over 2,300 grants across 35+ official sources.

Innovate UK runs competitions throughout the year, with new rounds opening regularly. We will continue to cover new opportunities as they are announced — follow the blog or create a free profile to get notified when grants matching your business open up.