Advanced manufacturing supply chain innovation FS
UK registered businesses and research and technology organisations (RTOs) can apply for a share of up to £5 million for feasibility studies. These will make supply chains more resource efficient and resilient through addressing cross cutting challenges.
- Opening date:
- Closing date:
Contents
Summary
Description
Text update 11 February 2026: wording amended for clarity.
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £5 million into supply chain innovation projects. This is subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received.
The aim of this competition is to support feasibility studies to explore new ways of making supply chains more resource efficient and resilient.
This will be achieved by addressing cross cutting challenges faced by the six Industrial Strategy’s growth driving sectors and the Advanced Manufacturing frontier industries in scope.
The cross cutting challenge that your project addresses must be applicable to at least two of the following six high growth sectors defined in the Government’s Industrial Strategy. Alternatively, it must be aligned to at least two of the advanced manufacturing frontier industries identified in the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan.
High growth sectors in scope:
advanced manufacturing
clean energy industries
creative industries
defence
digital and technologies
life sciences
Advanced manufacturing frontier industries:
automotive
batteries and energy storage
aerospace
advanced materials including, composites, metals, polymers, ceramics, glass, and smart materials
agri-tech, manufacturing and processing technologies for the agri-food value chain
space
In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process. This competition has a funding limit, so we may not be able to fund all the proposed projects. It may be the case that your project scores highly, but we are still unable to fund it.
Our experience from similar competitions suggests that you could have 20% chance of success.
We consider a range of factors when determining whether to provide funding to applicants. This includes an assessment of prior conduct, such as any outstanding payments owed to Innovate UK or UKRI. Such factors may influence the funding decision, potentially resulting in a refusal of funding or an award subject to additional scrutiny.
We also reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions. This may be in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations or broader government funding decisions.
This competition closes at 11am UK time on the deadline stated in this Innovate UK competition brief. We cannot guarantee other government, or third party sites will always show the correct competition information.
Project size
Your project’s total eligible grant funding request must be between £50,000 and £100,000.
Accessibility and Inclusion
We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.
You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.
We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this competition’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the competition deadline.
You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).
Eligibility
Who can apply
Text update 10 February 2026: RTO wording amended for clarity.
Your project
Your project must:
have a grant funding request between £50,000 and £100,000
be up to nine months in duration
start on 1 July 2026
end by 31 March 2027
Any funded organisation needs to carry out their project work in the UK and must intend to exploit the project results from or in the UK.
Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day. You must not start your project until your Grant Offer Letter has been approved by Innovate UK. Any delays within Project Setup may mean we need to delay your project start date.
You must only include eligible project costs in your application. See our overview of eligible project costs. For specific guidance, see the eligibility section in this competition.
Lead organisation
To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size or a UK based RTO. The consortium must contain at least one UK registered business of any size claiming grant funding on this application.
To work alone your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size. RTOs cannot work alone.
More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules.
Academic institutions cannot lead or work alone.
Project team
To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following:
UK registered business of any size
UK based academic institution
UK based charity
UK based not for profit
UK based public sector organisation
UK based research and technology organisation (RTO)
Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) by the lead to collaborate on a project. Once partners have accepted the invitation, they will be asked to login or to create an account in the IFS. They are responsible for entering their own project costs and completing their Project Impact questions in the application.
To be an eligible collaboration, the lead and at least one other organisation must:
apply for funding when entering their costs into the application.
include rationale for the collaboration and describe the structure in your application
ensure any one partner does not account for more than 70% of the total eligible costs
Non-funded partners
Your project can include organisations who do not claim any funding for their work on the project. Their costs will be covered from their own resources. These can include UK, EU and other non-UK organisations. Non-UK partners are permitted to carry out project work from within their home countries and exploit the results outside the UK.
Where non-funded partners have been invited to the application on IFS, their costs will count towards the total eligible project costs.
Subcontractors
Subcontractors are allowed in this competition and are limited to no more than 30% of the project’s total eligible costs.
Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.
You can use subcontractors from overseas but must make the case in your application as to why you cannot use subcontractors from the UK.
You must provide a detailed rationale, evidence of the potential UK contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you. We will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use an overseas subcontractor.
All subcontractor costs must be justified and appropriate to the total eligible project costs.
Number of applications
A business can only lead on one application and can be included as a collaborator in a further two applications. If a business is not leading any application, it can collaborate in any number of applications.
An RTO can only lead on one application and can be included as a collaborator on any number of applications.
An academic institution, charity, not for profit, public sector organisation can collaborate on any number of applications.
Sanctions
This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions. For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.
Use of animals in research and innovation
Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.
Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both that in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation.
Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process. This information will be reviewed before an award is made.
Previous applications
You can use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.
If you have previously submitted an application that reached our assessment stage, you can re-apply once more with the same proposal.
If there are minor differences to the proposal, but it is judged by us to be ‘not materially different’, the same rule applies.
We will not award you funding if you have:
failed to exploit a previously funded project
an overdue independent accountant’s report
failed to comply with grant terms and conditions
Innovate UK may withhold a grant payment at any time if you have any outstanding sums due to us in relation to other projects.
Subsidy control (and State aid where applicable)
This competition provides funding to enterprises using the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme.
The Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Scheme can be viewed on the subsidy database here: SC10780.
This is in line with the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Further information about the Subsidy requirements can be found within the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk)
Innovate UK is unable to award organisations that are considered to be in financial difficulty. We will conduct financial viability and eligibility tests to confirm this is not the case following the application stage.
EU State aid rules now only apply in limited circumstances. See the Windsor Framework to check if these rules apply to your organisation.
In the ‘Project details’ section of your application you will be asked questions to indicate if State Aid or Subsidy applies to your organisation.
Further Information
If you are unsure about your obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 or the State aid rules, you should take independent legal advice. We are unable to advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations.
You must not do anything which could cause a breach of Subsidy Control legislation applicable in the United Kingdom.
This aims to regulate any advantage granted by a public sector body which threatens to, or distorts competition in the United Kingdom or any other country or countries.
This award is classified as a Subsidy which does not form part of your Minimal Financial Assistance or De Minimis allowance.
Funding
Up to £5 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects in this competition. This is subject to us receiving a sufficient number of high quality applications. Funding will be in the form of a grant.
We reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions under exceptional circumstances, for example, in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations, or broader government funding decisions.
If your organisation’s work on the project is commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organisation normally acts non-economically but for the purpose of this project will be undertaking commercial or economic activity.
For feasibility studies in Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:
Category 1 Feasibility studies
up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation
up to 60% if you are a medium sized organisation
up to 50% if you are a large organisation
For more information on company sizes, refer to the company accounts guidance.
If you are applying for an award funded under State aid Regulations, the definitions are set out in the European Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003.
Innovate UK may revoke our decision to provide funding without notice if government commitment for this initiative is withdrawn.
Research participation
The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 70% of the total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared between them. Of that 70% you can get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:
100% of your eligible project costs if you are an RTO, charity, not for profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation
80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are a Je-S registered institution such as an academic
Eligibility criteria for claiming 80% of FEC funding
Research organisations using the Je-S system must submit their costs through the Je-S system which calculates the 80% FEC figure.
On IFS, only the 80% FEC output should be entered at 100% funding.
Applicants do not need to show the remaining 20% on the finance table.
To find out more see our: Cost Guidance for Academics.
Objectives
Your proposal
Text update 11 February 2026: wording amended for clarity.
The aim of this competition is to support feasibility studies to explore new ways of making supply chains more resource efficient and resilient.
This will be achieved by addressing cross cutting challenges faced by the six Industrial Strategy’s growth driving sectors and the Advanced Manufacturing frontier industries in scope.
The cross cutting challenge that your project addresses must be applicable to at least two of the following six high growth sectors defined in the Government’s Industrial Strategy. Alternatively, it must be aligned to at least two of the advanced manufacturing frontier industries identified in the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan.
High growth sectors in scope:
Advanced Manufacturing
Clean Energy Industries
Creative Industries
Defence
Digital and Technologies
Life Sciences
Advanced manufacturing frontier industries:
automotive
batteries and energy storage
aerospace
advanced materials including: composites, metals, polymers, ceramics, glass, and smart materials
agri-tech, manufacturing and processing technologies for the agri-food value chain
space
Your project must:
be a feasibility study
focus on solutions that are either new or not yet widely used
address improvements in supply chain resilience and resource efficiency that are transferable across sectors or industries
identify the growth-driving sectors or the advanced manufacturing frontier industries you are targeting
clearly identify the critical cross-cutting challenges being addressed and demonstrate how your project addresses these critical challenges
address supply chain validation through involvement of at least one end user in the project
The involvement of the end user can be in the form of, but is not limited to:
being on a project advisory board
being a non-funded project collaborator or a funded project collaborator
In this competition, we will not accept letters of support from the end user.
The end user is the organisation, in a later step along the supply chain, that will use or benefit from the cross-cutting challenge being solved by the innovation.
Within your application you must:
demonstrate a clear route to scale in the UK
assess commercial, technical and operational viability of your innovation
explain how this project delivers growth to your company as part of future UK resource efficient and resilient supply chains in UK manufacturing
Portfolio approach
We want to fund a variety of projects across different high growth sectors in scope, advanced manufacturing frontier industries, and technologies. We call this a portfolio approach.
Research categories
We will fund feasibility projects, as defined in the guidance on categories of research.
Projects we will not fund
We are not funding projects that are:
not focusing on cross cutting issues faced by the Industrial Strategy’s growth driving sectors in scope for this competition or the 6 advanced manufacturing frontier industries
focussed on only one of the Industrial Strategy’s growth driving sectors or only one advanced manufacturing frontier industry
failing to demonstrate end user involvement within the project
We cannot fund projects that are:
dependent on export performance, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of bread to another country
dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it uses 50% UK flour in their product
Dates
2 February 2026
Live briefing event: watch the recording
Briefing slides are now available to download from Supporting Information.
29 April 2026
Applicants notified
1 July 2026
Project start on
How to apply
Before you start
You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.
Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to make sure:
that all the information provided in the application is correct
your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria
all sections of the application are marked as complete
if collaborative, that all partners have completed all assigned sections and accepted the terms and conditions (T&Cs)
You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.
What we ask you
The application is split into four sections:
Project details.
Application questions.
Finances.
Project Impact.
Accessibility and Inclusion
We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.
You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.
We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this competition’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the competition deadline.
You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).
1. Project details
This section provides background for your application and is not scored.
Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers.
Application team
Decide which organisations will work with you on your project and invite people from those organisations to help complete the application.
Application details
Give your project’s title, start date and duration.
Research category
Select the type of research you will undertake.
Project summary
Describe your project briefly and be clear about what makes it innovative. We use this section to assign the right experts to assess your application.
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Public description
Describe your project in detail and in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information. If we award your project funding, we will publish this description. This can happen before you start your project.
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Scope
Describe how your project fits the scope of the competition. If your project is not in scope, it will not be sent for assessment. We will tell you the reason why.
You must include information on the chosen growth driving sectors or the advanced manufacturing frontier industries you are targeting. You must also include information on involvement of at least one end user in the project. If that information is not clear, you will be considered out of scope.
Your answer can be up to 600 words long.
2. Application questions
The assessors will score all your answers apart from questions 1 to 6. You will receive feedback for each scored question. Find out more about how our assessors assess and how we select applications for funding.
You must answer all questions.
You must not include any website addresses or links (URLs) in your answers. If you do, your application will be made ineligible.
Question 1. Applicant location (not scored)
You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and any partners or subcontractors working on your project.
We are collecting this information to understand more about the geographical location of all applicants.
Your answer can be up to 100 words long.
Question 2. Animal testing (not scored)
Will your project involve any trials with animals or animal testing?
You must select one option:
Yes
No
We will only support innovation projects conducted to the highest standards of animal welfare.
Further information for proposals involving animal testing is available at the UKRI Good Research Hub and NC3R’s animal welfare guidance.
Question 3. Permits and licences (not scored)
Will you have the correct permits and licences in place to carry out your project?
We are unable to fund projects which do not have the correct permits or licences in place by your project start date.
You must select one option:
Yes
No
In the process of being applied for
Not applicable
Question 4. International collaboration (not scored)
Does your proposed work involve any international collaboration or engagement?
You must provide details of any expected international collaboration or engagement. You must include a list of the names and the countries, any international project co-leads, project partners, visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in. You must also include details of any subcontractors or service providers.
If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration or engagement, your answer must confirm this.
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Question 5. Export licence (not scored)
You must indicate whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance.
You must select one option:
Yes
No
Question 6. Trusted Research and Innovation (not scored)
You must explain if your proposed project work relates to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) Principles, including:
a list of any dual-use (both military and non-military) applications to your research
a list of the areas where your project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act
whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance and the status of any applications
a list of any items or substances on the UK Strategic Export Control List
If your proposed work does not relate to UKRI’s TR&I Principles, your answer must confirm this.
We may ask you to provide additional TR&I information at a later date, in line with UKRI TR&I Principles and funding terms and conditions.
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Question 7. Need or challenge
What is the business need, technological challenge, or market opportunity behind your innovation?
Explain:
the main motivation for the project
the business need, technological challenge or market opportunity
whether you have identified any similar innovation and its current limitations, including those close to market or in development
any work you have already done to respond to this need, for example, if the project focuses on developing an existing capability or building a new one
the wider economic, social, environmental, cultural or political challenges which are influential in creating the opportunity, such as incoming regulations
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Question 8. Approach and innovation
What approach will you take and where will the focus of the innovation be?
Explain:
how you will respond to the need, challenge or opportunity identified
how you will improve on any similar innovation that you have identified
whether the innovation will focus on existing technologies in new areas, the development of new technologies for existing areas, or a totally disruptive approach
the freedom you have to operate
how this project fits with your current product, service lines or offerings
how it will make you more competitive
the nature of the outputs you expect from the project, for example reports, demonstrator, know-how, new process, product or service design, and how these will help you to target the need, challenge or opportunity identified
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
You can submit one appendix to support your answer. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.
Question 9. Team and resources
Who is in the project team and what are their roles?
Explain:
the roles, skills and experience of all members of the project team that are relevant to the approach you will be taking
the resources, equipment and facilities needed for the project and how you will access them
the details of any vital external parties, including subcontractors, who you will need to work with to successfully carry out the project
if your project is collaborative, the current relationships between project partners and how these will change as a result of the project
any roles you will need to recruit for
address supply chain validation through involvement of at least one end user in the project
Your answer can be up to 500 words long.
You can submit one appendix, with a short summary of the main people working on the project to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.
Question 10. Market awareness
What does the market or markets you are targeting look like?
Describe:
the target markets for the project outcomes and any other potential markets, either domestic, international or both
the size of the target markets for the project outcomes, backed up by references where available
the structure and dynamics of the target markets, including customer segmentation, together with predicted growth rates within clear timeframes
the target markets’ main supply or value chains and business models, and any barriers to entry that exist
the current UK position in targeting these markets
the size and main features of any other markets not already listed
If your project is highly innovative, where the market may be unexplored, describe or explain:
what the market’s size might be
how your project will try to explore the market’s potential
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Question 11. Outcomes and route to market
How are you going to grow your business and increase long term productivity as a result of the project?
Explain:
your current position in the markets and supply or value chains outlined, and whether you will be extending or establishing your market position
your target customers or end users, and the value to them, for example, why they would use or buy your product
assess commercial, technical and operational viability of your innovation
your route to market, demonstrate clear route to scale in the UK
how you are going to profit from the innovation, including increased revenues or cost reduction
how the innovation will affect your productivity and growth, in both the short and the long term
how you will protect and exploit the outputs of the project, for example through know-how, patenting, designs or changes to your business model
your strategy for targeting the other markets you have identified during or after the project
If there is any research organisation activity in the project, describe:
your plans to spread the project’s research outputs over a reasonable timescale
how you expect to use the results generated from the project in further research activities
Your answer can be up to 500 words long.
Question 12. Wider impacts
What impact might this project have outside the project team?
Describe and, where possible, measure the economic benefits from the project such as productivity increases and import substitution, to:
external parties
customers
others in the supply chain
broader industry
the UK economy
Describe and, where possible, measure:
any expected impact on government priorities
any expected environmental impacts, either positive or negative
any expected regional impacts of the project
Describe any expected social impacts, either positive or negative, on, for example:
quality of life
social inclusion or exclusion
jobs, such as safeguarding, creating, changing or displacing them
education
public empowerment
health and safety
regulations
diversity
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Question 13. Project management
How will you manage your project effectively?
Explain:
the main work packages of your project, indicating the lead partner assigned to each and the total cost of each one
your approach to project management, identifying any major tools and mechanisms you will use to get a successful and innovative project outcome
the management reporting lines
your project plan in enough detail to identify any links or dependencies between work packages or milestones
You must submit a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Question 14. Risks
What are the main risks for this project?
Explain:
the main risks and uncertainties of the project, including the technical, commercial, managerial and environmental risks
how you will mitigate these risks
any project inputs that are critical to completion, such as resources, expertise, and data sets
any output likely to be subject to regulatory requirements, certification, ethical issues and other requirements identified, and how you will manage this
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
You must submit a risk register as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.
Question 15. Added value
How will this public funding help you to accelerate or enhance your approach to developing your project towards commercialisation? What impact would this award have on the organisations involved?
Explain:
what advantages public funding would offer your project, for example: appeal to investors, more partners, reduced risk or a faster route to market
the likely impact of the project outcomes on the organisations involved, explain how this project delivers growth to your company as part of future UK resource efficient and resilient supply chains in UK manufacturing
what other routes of investment or means of support you have already engaged with and why they were not suitable
how any existing or potential investment or support will be used in conjunction with the grant funding
what your project would look like without public funding
how this project would change the R&D activities of all the organisations involved
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
Question 16. Costs and value for money
How much will the project cost and how does it represent value for money for the team and the taxpayer?
In terms of your project goals, explain:
your total eligible project costs
the grant you are requesting
how each partner will finance their contributions to your project
how this project represents value for money for you and the taxpayer
how it compares to what you would spend your money on otherwise
the balance of costs and grant across the project partners
any subcontractor costs and why they are critical to your project
Your answer can be up to 400 words long.
3. Finances
Each organisation in your project must complete their own project costs, organisation details and funding details in the application. Academic institutions must complete and upload a Je-S form.
For an overview on what costs you can claim, see our project costs guidance. Note this is general guidance, for specific guidance see the eligibility section in this competition. You can also view our application finances video.
4. Project Impact
This section is not scored but will provide background to your project.
Each partner must complete the Project Impact questions before being able to submit the application.
More information can be found in our Project Impact guidance and by viewing our Impact Management Framework video.
Innovate UK complies with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles.
Assessment
Your application will be reviewed by three independent assessors based on the content of your application and their skills or expertise relevant to your project. All of the scores awarded will count towards the total score used to make the funding decision unless you are notified otherwise.
You can find out more about our assessment process in the General Guidance.
Your submitted application will be assessed against these criteria:
AM supply chain innovation FS - assessor guidance for applicants .pdf (opens in a new window)
Supporting information
Background and further information
In UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, Advance Manufacturing was recognised as one of growth driving sectors.
You can review the following documents:
industrial strategy and sector strategies The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy 2025 - GOV.UK
industrial strategy sector definitions list Industrial Strategy Sector Definitions List - GOV.UK
unlocking resource efficiency Unlocking resource efficiency - GOV.UK
There are a number of specific government requirements relating to the investment and activities of businesses in certain advanced materials technology areas and in some of the IS-8 sectors.
You should familiarise yourself with the following:
National Security and Investment Act’s :17 sensitive sectors including advanced materials
Science and Technology Framework: 5 critical technologies
There may be specific information in these links to support your application, your project and beyond.
Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Scheme Information
This award is being offered under the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme in accordance with section 10(4) of the Subsidy Control Act 2022.
Projects funded must meet the following definition(s):
Category 1: Feasibility study
The evaluation and analysis of the potential of a project, which aims at supporting the process of decision-making. This is done by objectively and rationally uncovering its strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats, as well as identifying the resources required to carry it through and ultimately its prospects for success.
Briefing recording and slides
Briefing slides update 11 February 2026: amended for accuracy.
Live briefing event: watch the recording
Briefing slides are available to download:
Applicant Briefing Template Supply Chain FS.pdf
What happens if you receive a grant offer
If you have passed your initial assessment and have received an email with a grant offer, you will be asked to complete the project setup process on the Innovation Funding Service (IFS). Watch our video on what steps are there before a project starts.
We will ask for information that will allow us to undertake mandatory checks on your organisation and the eligibility of your costs, as well as review the documentation for your project.
You must follow the unique link embedded in your email notification. This takes you to your project's dedicated IFS Set Up portal, where we gather the information required to set up your project, for example your bank details. Watch our video on how successful applicants receive their funding.
If your application is unsuccessful
Text update 29 January 2026: removed wording that is not applicable.
If you are unsuccessful with your application this time, you can view feedback from the assessors. This will be available to you on your IFS portal following notification.
Sometimes your application will have scored well, and you will receive positive comments from the assessors. You may be unsuccessful as your average score was not above the funding threshold or your project has not been selected under the portfolio approach if this is applied for this competition.
Find a project partner
If you want help to find a project partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect.
Support for SMEs from Innovate UK Business Growth service
Text update 29 January 2026: wording amended for accuracy.
Innovate UK Business Growth helps innovation focused businesses make the best strategic choices and access the right resources, in order to grow and ultimately achieve scale.
Our innovation and growth specialists provide our fully funded and bespoke support to Innovate UK competition winners. Visit the service’s website to learn about how you might benefit as a winner.
Protecting your innovation
A Secure Innovation campaign has been developed to help founders and leaders of innovative startups protect their technology, competitive advantage, and reputation.
This was developed by UK’s National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
Data sharing
This competition is operated by Innovate UK.
Innovate UK is directly accountable to you for its holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. Data is held in accordance with our own policies.
Innovate UK may also share any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process concerning your application with Innovate UK’s national and regional UK third parties and partners who may contact you. For more information see how we handle grant applicant and grant holder data.
Innovate UK and Innovate UK Business Connect will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.
Innovate UK Business Connect Privacy Policy
Innovate UK complies with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles.
The Information Commissioner’s Office also has a useful guide for organisations, which outlines the data protection principles.
Contact us
If you need more information about how to apply or you want to submit your application in Welsh, email support@iuk.ukri.org or call 0300 321 4357.
Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).
Innovate UK or any of our partners will not tolerate abusive language in any written or verbal correspondence, applications, social media or any other form that might affect staff.