Battery Innovation Programme: Battery skills initiatives

Who can apply

Your project

Your project must:

• have a grant funding request of between £440,000 and £1.2 million

• be 36 months in duration

• start by 1 December 2026

• end by 30 November 2029

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.

If your project’s total grant funding request falls outside of our eligibility criteria, you must provide justification by email to support@iuk.ukri.org at least 10 working days before the competition closes. We will decide whether to approve your request.

If you have not requested approval or your application has not been approved by us, you will be made ineligible. Your application will then not be sent for assessment.

Lead organisation

To work alone or lead a collaborative project your organisation must be:

• an academic institution

• a research and technology organisation (RTO)

• a charity

• a not for profit

• a public sector organisation

If you are not a single applicant then you must collaborate with other UK registered organisations.

More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules.

Project team

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:

• business of any size

• academic institution

• charity

• not for profit

• public sector organisation

• 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 IFS. They are responsible for entering their own project costs 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.

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 project costs.

Number of applications

An academic institution, research and technology organisation (RTO), charity, not for profit or public sector organisation can only lead on one application but can be included as a collaborator in two further applications.

If an organisation is not leading any application, it can collaborate in 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 cannot use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.

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 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 £3.7 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.

The balance between your total eligible project costs and the amount of grant awarded must be funded by the organisation receiving the grant.

For industrial research projects, you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:

• 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 organisation participation

The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 100% 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 100% 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

1. Research organisations using the Je-S system must submit their costs through the Je-S system which calculates the 80% FEC figure.

2. On IFS, only the 80% FEC output should be entered at 100% funding.

3. Applicants do not need to show the remaining 20% on the finance table.

To find out more see our: Cost Guidance for Academics.

Your proposal

The aim of this competition is so UK registered organisations can apply for up to £3.7 million to establish or scale regional skills initiatives for battery manufacturing and its supply chain. This funding is provided through the Battery Innovation Programme, funded by Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and delivered by Innovate UK.

Your project must show how you will:

• establish or scale an initiative

• build on existing assets

• meet regional need

• accelerate workforce growth

• deliver models and KPIs

• ensure accreditation, define job roles and qualifications

• demonstrate strong partnerships

• address evolving skills needs

• embed EDI

• present a sustainable, nationally aligned model

Your project must focus on skills at levels 2 to 3 for Establish, and levels 2 to 5 for Scale for the production workforce in battery manufacturing. This includes skills for battery manufacturing, electrochemical cells and materials, cross‑sector applications, the battery value chain, and second use and recycling.

Your project can also address skills needs for battery R&D technicians, workforce for battery technology scale‑up, maintenance and engineering roles in battery manufacturing, and quality control and assurance roles within battery production environments.

Your eligible project costs can include:

• physical training assets: equipment, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, mock clean rooms and dry rooms

• digital assets: software, data

• facility access

• trainers and ‘train the trainer’ provision

• STEM outreach and EDI activity; collaboration with existing STEM programmes is in scope, but creating or delivering new, project specific STEM programmes is out of scope

• international outreach aligned with the Battery Innovation Programme priority countries

• training and outreach consumables

All initiatives must be established and delivering training within the funded period.

Portfolio approach

We want to fund a variety of projects across different technologies, markets, and locations. We call this a portfolio approach.

Specific themes

Your project must fit into either the Establish or Scale theme:

Establish

You must establish a new regional training initiative, delivering level 2 and level 3 national qualifications, enabling learners to train and work across the UK. Your proposal must demonstrate strong insight into current and future regional battery workforce needs, co‑developed with industry and grounded in real demand.

You must align with regional electrification strategies, show support from influential partners, and present a consortium that reflects the local skills ecosystem.

We expect your project to provide accessible facilities and trainers, leverage existing resources, collaborate with other Innovate UK initiatives, and set out a clear plan for long term commercial sustainability. A learner roadmap and contribution to national workforce development is essential.

Scale

Your project may either scale existing battery skills provision or create new, scalable provision that meets regional and commercial needs. All delivery must align with national accredited levels 2 to 5 and be commercially sustainable, strengthening the UK battery workforce pipeline.

Your project must clearly address identified skills gaps and, where appropriate, collaborate with existing provision in innovative and commercially viable ways. Your proposal must be commercially focused from the outset, demonstrating the ability to deliver and grow rapidly in years one and two, and to achieve commercial outcomes from year three onwards.

Only proposals with proven industry demand should apply. Your application must justify why other public funding routes are unsuitable and why industry contribution is not feasible before year three. Technical colleges are encouraged to develop and strengthen pathways into employment.

Projects we will not fund

The Battery Innovation Programme will not fund new level 2 and 3 regional training facilities under Scale that duplicate the ask within Establish. All projects must be UK based.

We cannot fund projects that are: 

• dependent on export performance: giving a subsidy to an organisation on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of its products to another country 

• dependent on domestic inputs usage: giving a subsidy to an organisation on the condition that it uses a set percentage of UK components in their product

14 May 2026

Online briefing event: register to attend

Briefing slides will be available to download from Supporting Information after the event

1 July 2026

Invite to interview

7 September 2026

Interview panel starts

10 September 2026

Interview panel ends

24 September 2026

Applicants notified

1 December 2026

Project start from

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 three sections:

1. Project details.

2. Application questions.

3. Finances.

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.

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.

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 and the theme you are applying under. If your project is not in scope, it will not be sent for assessment. We will tell you the reason why.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

2. Application questions

The assessors will score all your answers apart from questions 1 to 8. 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. Your answer to each question can be up to 400 words long.

You must not include any website addresses or links (URLs) in your answers. Any website addresses or URLs included, will not be viewed or opened.

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.

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.

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.

Question 7. Project theme (not scored)

Which theme does your project align with?

You must choose one of the following options:

• Establish

• Scale

Question 8. Delivery location (not scored)

Indicate the geographical areas where your project will be delivered and explain your presence or rationale for selecting these areas.

Indicate which of the following geographical areas your project will be delivered in:

• North West England

• South West England

• Yorkshire and Humber

• North East England

• East Midlands

• West Midlands

• South East England

• East of England

• London

• Scotland

• Wales

• Northern Ireland

Your response to this question will not be scored but it will be used as part of the portfolio approach.

The lead organisation must demonstrate the necessary local networks to deliver in the chosen geographical area.

Question 9. Need or Challenge

What regional battery workforce needs and skills gaps have you identified for your proposal, being clear whether it is an Establish or Scale themed project?

How does current training provision, industry engagement and existing initiatives inform the required training and job roles?

Explain:

• the main motivation for the project

• whether you have identified any similar initiatives, including those close to market or in development and any current limitations

• 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

• how the project aligns with regional priorities, such as local economic growth plans, local skills improvement plans, skills strategies, DWP job centres, the Growth and Skills Levy and Skills England; include data or research demonstrating demand for tech roles in your local area

You can submit one appendix to support your answer. It can include Letters of Support, diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF and can be up to five A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 10. Vision

What is your vision for your project’s training initiative?

Explain:

• what your training initiative consists of, its purpose and activities

• how the initiative supports and contributes to the wider electrification landscape

• your vision for outreach and your approach to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and STEM collaboration

Question 11. Approach

How will your project address the identified skills needs and deliver high quality, industry aligned training to enhance UK capability?

Explain how:

• your proposed training provision responds to the skills gaps you have identified, including its relevance to priority roles and skill levels within the sector

• your project will strengthen and expand UK training capability, ensuring alignment with current and emerging industry requirements

• your planned delivery approach will support effective implementation, including delivery methods, operational structures, and any partnerships

• you will promote careers within the battery sector, including how EDI principles are integrated into all aspects of design and delivery

• how you will ensure that individuals secure jobs as a result of your project

• the freedom you have to operate

• how this project fits with your current product, service lines or offerings

• the nature of the outputs you expect from the project, and how these will help you to target the need, challenge or opportunity identified

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 12. 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 industry partners, local authorities or subcontractors, who you will need to work with to successfully carry out the project

• the current relationships between project partners and how these will change as a result of the project

• the SMEs and industry partners you are planning to engage with and if they have made any commitments already

• any roles you will need to recruit

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 13. Business model and outcomes

What is your business model during the funded period?

How will the training become financially self sustaining to achieve long term sustainability:

• after the funded period for an Establish proposal

• by year three for a Scale proposal

What direct impact will your project have on UK battery workforce development and how will you measure this?

You must submit one appendix to support your answer. This must include your business model and road map during the funded period and your business model with road map for the continuation of the training after this period. It must be a PDF, up to six A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

You can also submit an additional appendix, with a financial model for management of the project after the funded period to support your answer. It must be a PDF, up to four A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 14. Added value and impact

How will this public funding help you to accelerate or enhance your approach to developing your training initiative?

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 or reduced risk

• the likely impact of the project outcomes on organisations involved

• 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

Question 15. Outputs and plan for continuation

How are you going to grow your initiative after the funding period?

Explain:

• your self sustaining mechanisms for future continuation, including routes to market and how to profit, exploit and spread the main project outputs

• your strategy for scalability and how the idea could expand within the area or be replicated elsewhere

• if your initiative is a one off and detail the reason for this

Question 16. 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.

Question 17. 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

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 18. 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:

• learners

• 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

Question 19. 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

3. Finances

Each organisation in your project must complete their own project costs, organisation details and funding details in the application. Academic institutions must use the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) method and upload to IFS to support their costs. This is a replacement to the Je-S form which has now been decommissioned.

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.

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:

Battery Innovation Programme Battery skills initiatives - Assessor Guidance for Applicants.pdf (opens in a new window)

Interviews

If your application passes the first stage of assessment, you may be invited to attend an interview, where you must give a presentation. Your interview will take place at a designated location in London. The interviews will be held between 7 September 2026 and 10 September 2026

If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you at the interview you must email us at support@iuk.ukri.org within three days of receiving your invitation.

Before the interview and by the deadline stated in the invitation email, you:

• must send a list of who will attend the interview

• must send your interview presentation slides

• can send a written response to the assessors’ feedback

List of attendees

Agree the list with your consortium. Up to five people from your project can attend, ideally one person from each organisation. They must all be available on all published interview dates. We are unable to reschedule slots once allocated.

Presentation slides

Your interview presentation must:

• use Microsoft PowerPoint

• be no longer than 20 minutes

• have no more than 21 slides

• not include any video or embedded web links

You cannot change the presentation after you submit it or bring any additional materials to the interview.

Written response to assessor feedback

This is optional and is an opportunity to answer the assessors’ concerns. It can:

• be up to four A4 pages in a single PDF or Word document

• include charts or diagrams

Interview

After your presentation the panel will spend 30 minutes asking questions. You will be expected to answer based on the information you provided in your application form, presentation and the response to feedback.

After your interview

The panellists will individually score your application and these will be averaged for your overall interview score. This score will supersede the one you received from initial assessment unless stated otherwise in the competition brief. We will notify you whether you have been successful or not by email and you will receive feedback on your interview within a week of notification.

Background and further information

The Battery Innovation Programme (2026 to 2030) will be delivered by Innovate UK on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade.

It forms part of the UK Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, within the modern Industrial Strategy, focused on scaling breakthrough battery research into industrial solutions. The Battery Innovation Programme builds on the success of the Faraday Battery Challenge as highlighted in Dealroom’s 2024 report on UK electric vehicle battery tech. The Programme supported over 100 startups, helped catalyse a £3.2 billion ecosystem and positioned the UK fourth globally for EV battery venture capital investment. Expanding beyond automotive, it will now also target aerospace, defence, maritime, and battery storage to unlock wider industrial impact through:

• accelerating research and innovation

• strengthening supply chains

• advancing low carbon manufacturing

• enabling a circular economy

• developing skills and ecosystems

• informing policy and investment

These priorities will be enabled by cross cutting interventions, including collaborative R&D, skills development, scale up infrastructure through the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre and a network of UK assets, investor partnerships, and supporting policy.

The Programme also undertakes world class academic research, led by the Faraday Institution, which underpins and drives innovation across the UK battery ecosystem.

To keep updated of other opportunities from the Battery Innovation Programme follow the Battery Innovation Programme page on LinkedIn. Join the growing community of organisations working in the UK's battery value chain across automotive, aerospace, defence, maritime, rail and more. Sign up for battery updates, funding, collaborations and events.

Briefing recording and slides

Briefing recording and slides will be available to download here after the briefing event.

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

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.

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 jointly operated by Innovate UK, and the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) (each an ‘agency’).

Any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process concerning your application can be shared by one agency with the other, for its individual storage, processing and use.

This means that any information given to or generated by Innovate UK in respect of your application may be passed on to DBT and vice versa. This would include, but is not restricted to:

• the information stated on the application, including the personal details of all applicants

• scoring and feedback on the application

• information received during the management and administration of the grant, such as Monitoring Service Provider reports and Independent Accountant Reports

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 DBT are directly accountable to you for their holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. Data is held in accordance with their own policies. Accordingly, Innovate UK, Innovate UK Business Connect and DBT will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.

Innovate UK’s Privacy Policy

Innovate UK Business Connect Privacy Policy

Department for Business and Trade 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.