Funding Opportunities

FUNDING | ACCESS ALL AREAS

We’ve made finding funding simpler and more accessible.

This resource brings together a curated list of known funding opportunities, giving you a clear starting point whether you’re exploring options or ready to apply.

It’s part of our commitment to helping you save time, stay informed, and unlock opportunities that can support your next stage of growth. Visit the new page today and see what funding could be within reach…

Current Available Opportunities


Made Smarter | North West Funding

The Made Smarter adoption programme was first piloted in the North West delivering advice and assistance and has since supported over 2000 manufacturers.

The programme is designed to assist local manufacturing SMEs to understand and overcome operational challenges through digital technologies. Made Smarter is designed to lead manufacturing into the future. Discover how Made Smarter can help your North West manufacturing.

FIND OUT MORE | Made Smarter | North West Funding


EPSRC Prosperity Partnerships

Apply for funding to support ambitious, collaborative research programmes.

Prosperity Partnerships projects must:

  • be business-led, co-created and co-delivered by business and academic partners
  • aim to create long-term prosperity for the UK, for example by bringing jobs and revenue growth, or addressing broader societal and sustainability issues.

FIND OUT MORE | EPSRC Prosperity Partnerships


Royce Industrial Collaboration Programme

The Henry Royce Institute’s Industrial Collaboration Programme (ICP) provides grant funding for research, development, and innovation sprint projects that support technology translation.

This competition is Royce’s flagship funding initiative and is designed to catalyse impactful partnerships between industry, academia, and Research Technology Organisations (RTOs).

FIND OUT MORE | Royce Industrial Collaboration Programme

Access to Finance for SMEs

Next ATI SME Programme

The ATI SME programme is a funded programme tailored to the needs of SMEs to strengthen and further encourage technology innovation within the supply chain and civil aerospace sector.

The SME Programme is coordinated and managed by:

  • Department for Business and Trade
  • Innovate UK
  • Aerospace Technology Institute

FIND OUT MORE | ATI SME PROGRAMME

UKRI Budget Allocations

DSIT allocated £38.6 billion to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and as the UK’s largest public investor in research and innovation, UKRI will align with these buckets.

Over the spending review period, UKRI plans to invest:

  • £14.5 billion for curiosity-driven, foundational research, which underpins the UK’s long-term R&D leadership
  • £8.3 billion for targeted R&D addressing strategic government and societal priorities, which will have clear objectives, measurable impacts, and an ambition to secure an average three to one leverage ratio
  • £7.4 billion to support innovative companies’ growth, helping firms to start, scale and remain in the UK, aligned with wider government levers including regulation, procurement, trade and skills

FIND OUT MORE | UKRI Budget Allocations

  • EPSRC Materials Innovation Partnerships.  Apply for funding to support ambitious, collaborative research programmes. Find Out More & Start Application
  • UKRI Translation: EPSRC Prosperity Partnerships 2027.  Find Out More & Start Application
    • AI Champions: Frontier AI Phase 1. UK registered SME businesses can apply for a share of up to £3m to deliver feasibility studies for frontier artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies. FIND OUT MORE
    • UKRI Translation: Proof of Concept.  This for NWAA members who are already plugged into the research base: FIND OUT MORE
    • Robotics Adoption Hubs. UK registered organisations can apply for up to £7.5m per project to create one-stop shops to help end-users adopt robotics and autonomous systems. FIND OUT MORE

Defence

UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) is pleased to announce the launch of a new Themed Competition: Novel Autonomy and Robotics. 
In Short:

·     UKDI has launched a new Themed Competition: Novel Autonomy and Robotics

·     Funded by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl)

·     Over £1 million funding available across 2 stages

·     Competition stage 1 closes midday 11 August 2026 (BST)
Dstl seeks early-stage novel and disruptive science and technology to advance Defence robotics and autonomous systems.

This competition will run in two parts to help innovators understand early on, and with reduced effort, if their idea is appropriate for the competition and to make the review and decision-making process more efficient.

Stage 1 of this competition is interested in early-stage science and technology ideas. It aims to test new ideas and demonstrate potential rather than maturing or developing a working system or concept.

Learn more in the competition document and good luck with your submission!

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