Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, has selected a pool of investor partners. These investor partners have demonstrated that they have the credibility, capability, capacity and appetite to invest in innovative, technology-led businesses that align with our programmes. These programmes will focus on the future economy as described in our plan for action.
The Future Economy investor partnership programme brings together:
This approach aims to provide you with support for research and development and access to the capital investment you need to develop and commercialise your innovations.
Innovate UK provides support for your investment readiness and for engaging with suitable investors via Innovate UK Edge and Innovate UK KTN. In the first instance you should contact Innovate UK Edge for support in understanding your readiness for investment and also to look at your wider strategy for growth.
You should also contact Innovate UK KTN to establish if there are specific programmes for connecting businesses in your sector to relevant investors. Support and connections to sector specific investors may also be provided by the relevant catapult centre.
If you are an SME and would like help to find a potential investment partner, contact Innovate UK KTN’s Investment team and/or attend our briefing on 4th April.
You will need to establish a relationship and a level of investment traction with one of our approved investor partners before you apply for funding. A full list of selected investor partners is provided at Innovate UK Investor Partners – UKRI and Innovate UK KTN investor partnerships websites.
The investor partner must have confirmed with you that you are in a position to apply for grant funding as you will be asked to identify them in the application.
To be successful, your project must be independently assessed by Innovate UK as fundable and receive investment directly, led or catalysed by the investor partner.
The eligibility criteria will depend on your research category.
For feasibility studies projects:
For industrial research projects:
For experimental development projects:
To apply your organisation must:
You can only submit one application into this round of the competition.
Funding levels
You will only receive grant funding from Innovate UK if you also receive a minimum level of investment that has been led by your investor partner.
For feasibility studies and industrial research projects, Innovate UK will fund:
The investment led by the investor partner must always be at least equal to the grant funding.
For experimental development projects Innovate UK will fund:
The investment led by the investor partner must always be at least twice as much as the grant funding.
The aim of this competition is to provide you with support for research and development and access to the capital investment you need to develop and commercialise your innovations.
Your proposal must have a clear route to market, a clear link to innovation and evidence that you can create a team to deliver your proposal.
We are looking to support projects that focus on the future economy areas included in the Innovate UK plan for action. The broad theme areas are:
Innovation and ideas can come from anyone and anywhere. We want to see investments unlocked for the diverse and extraordinary talent in the UK. We are encouraging diverse applicants and inclusive project applications, pushing beyond the status quo.
We encourage innovation involving communities that are typically under-represented, including:
To support this, we also have a targeted theme on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).
Specific themes
The investor partnership programme will be focused on specific themes for the future economy areas that include:
Net Zero
Health and Wellbeing
Next generation digital technologies
Knows No Limits (equality, diversity and inclusion)
These programmes are described in more detail in the UKRI investor partnerships and Innovate UK KTN investor partnerships websites.
If your project is not focused on one of the specific themes above then it may be supported if it is in the future economy areas of net zero, health and wellbeing and digital and technologies as set out in the Innovate UK plan for action.
Join us on 4th April, 2-4pm, online, to learn more about how UK registered businesses can apply for grant funding alongside private investment from selected investor partners.
Our team is available to support your business in implementing SLA's - get in touch with one of our consultants.
phone: 0116 223 5887 or email: info@rdsconsultants.co.uk
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