The Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF)

Your company

To be eligible for the fund, your company must be:

• A UK registered company 

• A wholly private sector business

• A product developer, contract development manufacturing organisation, or a generics manufacturer.

Applicants must also be able to provide two years of audited accounts for the applicant company (and/or if applicable, parent entity). If this is not available – for example because the company is not required by Companies House to submit audited accounts – we will ask for demonstration that the remaining funding required for the project to go ahead is available. You may be also asked for evidence that your company (or if applicable, parent entity) has a track record of successfully manufacturing medicines or medical devices in the UK or abroad, or that you have successfully developed a product intended for commercial scale-up.

Your project  

To be eligible for the fund, your project must:

• Have a total cost (capital and non-capital costs) of at least £8 million

• Be located in the UK

• Be primarily a capital investment

• Be a single company investment (as opposed to forming a partnership between companies or other types of organisations)

• Require only the amount of grant requested to proceed. For example, without the specific amount of funding you are requesting your project wouldn’t go ahead or go ahead at a smaller scale, go ahead overseas or would be significantly delayed (3 years or more)

Your project must be a manufacturing project for the manufacture of:

• Human medicines (this includes both the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) / drug substance and finished product / drug product)

• Medical diagnostics – for both disease identification and monitoring

• MedTech products – all types of medical devices related to human health.

The fund is open to applications for MHRA-licenced medicines, medical and diagnostic devices registered with the MHRA, and products in development where approval to market or manufacture the medicine or device in the UK is intended to be sought for commercial scale-up, for example a manufacturing project for clinical trials or investigational studies.

• Manufacturing facilities are required to work to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and the facility be intended to support clinical and/or commercial manufacture of API or drug product.

• Manufacturers of medicinal diagnostics and medical devices must confirm that their device meets or intends to meet the requirements of the Medical Devices Regulations 2002.

Projects relating to the following are not eligible for funding from LSIMF:

• Veterinary medicine

• Herbal medicines

• Nutritional supplements or vitamins

• Raw ingredients (e.g solvents, buffers and cleaning agents)

• The production of single-use consumables that are not integrated into a larger product (e.g manufacturing syringes independently from diagnostic kits)

• Secondary packaging for products or materials (e.g package inserts, labelling and boxes).

Your project must align with the objectives of the fund:

• To increase UK health resilience by strengthening the UK’s manufacturing capacity and capability. We define health resilience as the UK’s ability to withstand and recover from health emergencies such as pandemics, long-term healthcare challenges and supply chain disruption.

• To create economic opportunity through investments that will make a substantial contribution to Gross Value Added (GVA) and provide high-wage, high-skilled jobs around the UK.

For example, your project may improve health resilience by supporting or demonstrating:

• A broad spectrum increase in domestic manufacturing capacity and capability that supports UK health resilience 

• Enhanced flexibility of manufacturing capability that can be redeployed or scaled during a health emergency.

Expressions of Interest (EOI)

EOIs require you to provide a summary of your project, which will be used to assess your project’s eligibility.

These can be submitted at any time by clicking the button above. However an EOI does not constitute an application into LSIMF. We advise that you submit an EOI at least one week prior to the application window closure dates listed below to give you sufficient time to complete your formal application into LSIMF.

Applications

If your project EOI is deemed eligible you will be invited to submit an application.

LSIMF will be open to applications on a quarterly basis:

1. Round 1 will open for applications on 30 October 2024 and close on 29 November 2024 at 12 PM – this round is now closed

2. Round 2 will open on 01 February 2024 and close on 28 February 2025 at 12 PM

3. Round 3 will open on 01 May 2025 and close on 30 May 2025 at 12 PM

4. Round 4 will open on 01 August 2025 and close on 29 August 2025 at 12 PM.

Subsequent application rounds will open on a quarterly basis until all the funding has been allocated.

To ensure the fund meets its objectives and adapts to market activity, the scheme will undergo an annual review, therefore the criteria and application windows are subject to change. This page will be updated regularly with details on future application rounds.

How to apply

LSIMF is now open for EOIs. Please click the button above to complete and submit your EOI form. 

If you have any questions, please contact LSIMF@officeforlifesciences.gov.uk. 

The LSIMF application process is comprised of three parts:

• The Expression of Interest (EOI) – we will use the EOI to evaluate your basic eligibility and identify projects that align with the Fund objectives. Eligible projects will be invited to the next stage. We are open to EOIs on a rolling basis, but submission does not constitute an application into LSIMF.

• Health resilience assessment – we will assess the health resilience benefits of your project:

• • Application form 1 – application windows will open on a quarterly basis. Eligible applicants will be invited to complete application form 1. Here, you will be asked to describe the health resilience benefits of your project. This stage is assessed by a panel of cross-government officials.

  • Panel interview – applicants will also be invited to give a brief presentation on your project and it’s health resilience benefits followed by a Q&A. This will be hosted by the panel of manufacturing experts, who will further assess the health resilience benefits of the project.

• Financial and economic assessment

  • Application form 2 – applicants who are successful following the health resilience assessment will be invited to complete application form 2. Questions will cover eligibility, company and project specifics and financial information, markets and economic impacts and project risks​. You will be required to provide further documentation to evidence your company’s financial position, eligibility and project viability.

  • Due diligence - We will assess whether your grant request offers good value for money, ensure compatibility with subsidy control regulations, validate what would happen without a grant, and confirm the project’s deliverability, employment outputs and your ability to finance it. You may be required to provide further documentation to evidence your company’s financial position, eligibility and project deliverability

Throughout the application process, it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure:

• All information provided in the application is current and correct

• Your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria

• All sections of the application forms are complete

• In the event multiple colleagues are collaborating on the application, that all partners have completed their assigned section(s) and accepted the terms and conditions.

Subsidy control

All grant awards will be made under Section 7 or 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1982/52/contents.

LSIMF provides funding in line with the UK's subsidy control obligations and commitments.

This scheme is UK-wide. Applications deemed in scope of the Windsor Framework – for example because the projects are located in Northern Ireland or are deemed to affect the trade of goods between Northern Ireland and the European Union – will be subject to European Commission State aid rules, under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Other applications will be subject to the UK subsidy regime, as set out in the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

If your application is successful, recovery of funds would be required in the event of non-compliance with subsidy control requirements.

If you are unsure about your obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 or the State aid rules, you should take independent legal advice. You must always make sure that the funding awarded to you is compliant with all current Subsidy Control legislation applicable in the United Kingdom. We are unable to advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations.

Data sharing

This competition is operated by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Any relevant information produced and submitted by you during the application and grant approvals process concerning your application can be disclosed to other government bodies, for that bodies' individual storage, processing and use in assessing and processing applications to LSIMF.

This means that any information disclosed by you to DSIT, or generated by DSIT in respect of your application may be passed on to other government bodies. 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

• any further information that may be requested by DSIT and provided by you for the purpose of assessing your application

Your Application Form 1 will be reviewed, and applicants will be interviewed and scored by up to 3 independent external manufacturing experts, based on the content of your application and their skills or expertise relevant to your project. The scores awarded will count towards the total score used to make the funding decision unless you are notified otherwise. These independent assessors are engaged by the Secretary of State and are required to sign non-disclosure agreements with DSIT and declare any conflicts of interest.

DSIT 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. Accordingly, DSIT will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.

DSIT 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.