Life Sciences Transformational R&D Investment Fund (TRIF) Pilot

Your Company

To be considered eligible for the TRIF Pilot, your company must meet the following requirements:

• Be a UK-registered and wholly private sector business. 

• Operate as a product developer, contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), or generics manufacturer. 

• Provide two years of audited accounts for the applicant company or parent entity. If unavailable, you must demonstrate that the remaining project funding has been secured. 

• Show a track record of successfully developing or manufacturing medicines or medical devices, either in the UK or internationally. 

Your Project 

To be eligible for the fund, your R&D project must: 

• Have a total cost (including eligible capital and non-capital costs) of at least £100m. 

• 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)

• Be dependent on the grant to proceed. Projects that would otherwise not occur, be delayed (by three years or more), scaled down, or relocated overseas without the grant may be eligible. 

R&D Focus Areas

Applications are invited to support projects that are engaged in R&D activities within the following key areas:

·       Human Medicines: This includes projects that focus on the development and innovation of pharmaceuticals, encompassing both active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished drug products intended for human use.

·       Medical Diagnostics: Projects aimed at advancing tools, systems, or methods for the identification and monitoring of diseases. This area covers the R&D of diagnostic technologies that support timely and accurate disease detection.

·       MedTech Products: This covers the creation and enhancement of medical devices specifically related to human health. Eligible projects may involve the design, testing, or improvement of medical devices.

 Ineligible Projects:

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

• Veterinary medicines

• 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)

Objective 1: Health Resilience and Innovation

Health resilience is defined as the ability of the UK to withstand and recover from health emergencies, including pandemics, long-term healthcare challenges, and system shocks such as disruptions to supply chains. In this context, innovation refers to the development and implementation of new technologies, processes, and products that serve to improve health outcomes, enhance manufacturing capabilities, and accelerate access to clinical trials for UK patients.

Your R&D project should support or demonstrate how it will strengthen health resilience and foster innovation in the UK by achieving one or more of the following:

·       Drive the creation of new or expansion of existing UK R&D capacity, supporting innovation in Life Sciences and ensuring the UK is better equipped to respond to emerging healthcare challenges. This could include areas such as: drug discovery and development; medical device design and feasibility; preclinical or clinical research; enhancing manufacturing processes and production efficiency.

·       Enhance flexibility in R&D facilities, capabilities and technologies, enabling rapid redeployment or scaling during health emergencies. This could be through investment in areas such as: optimising or accelerating clinical research or product testing; deploying new AI or digital research approaches; testing or deploying innovative materials or technologies; advancing manufacturing.

By focusing on these impact areas, your project will help reinforce the UK's health resilience and drive forward innovation in Life Sciences, supporting both immediate and long-term national health and economic priorities.

Objective 2: Creating Economic Opportunity

To ensure the impact of R&D initiatives extends beyond healthcare improvements, projects should clearly demonstrate their contribution to the UK economy. This can be achieved through several key avenues:

·       Substantial Contribution to Gross Value Added (GVA):

Projects are expected to deliver significant economic value by engaging in high-impact R&D activities that enhance the overall productivity and output of the UK economy.

·       Creation of High-Wage, High-Skilled Jobs:

Efforts should focus on generating employment opportunities that require advanced skills and offer competitive wages. Special emphasis is placed on creating such opportunities across the UK, particularly in regions that have untapped potential or that already host established Life Sciences clusters.

·       Generating R&D spillover benefits:

R&D investment often generate economic benefits by enabling knowledge transfer across firms, sectors and regions. These spillover effects enhance productivity, stimulate new business formation and strengthen the UK’s innovation ecosystem, particularly when linked to collaborative clusters and high-potential technologies.

The TRIF Pilot will run until 31 March 2028 or until all of the funding has been allocated; applications will run on a roling basis. 

If your application is successful at Stage 1, independent panel interviews will take place monthly.

The TRIF Pilot is currently accepting Expressions of Interest (EOIs). To participate, select the button above and fill out the online form through the portal. If you meet the TRIF eligibility criteria, you will receive an email, and a guidance session may be scheduled if helpful. Afterwards, you will be requested to submit Application Form 1, which serves as the formal EOI.

The application process has three sections:

Section 1: Application Form 1 - Expression of Interest (EOI)

We will use the EOI to evaluate your eligibility and identify projects that align with the Fund’s objectives. Eligible projects will be invited to the next stage via email.

Section 2: Objective 1 – innovation and health resilience assessment

We will assess the health resilience and innovation benefits of your project using:

(a) Application Form 1

• You will need to describe the innovation and health resilience benefits of your project. This stage is assessed by a panel of cross-government officials.

(b) Panel interview

• You will be required to give a brief 10-minute presentation on the benefits of your project, followed by a short question-and-answer session.

• The interview will be hosted by a panel of independent experts who will further assess your project’s health resilience and innovation benefits, as well as project viability and deliverability.

Section 3: Objective 2 - financial and economic assessment

(a) Application Form 2

• If you are successful following the objective 1 assessment, you 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.

(b) 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.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please email TRIF@officeforlifesciences.gov.uk.

1. 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.

The scheme provides funding in line with the UK's subsidy control obligations and commitments. Grant awards under this scheme are capped at £25 million.

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.

DSIT reserves the right to offer less than the amount requested.

2. TRIF Privacy Notice 

This notice explains how your personal data will be processed and your rights under Articles 13 and/or 14 of the UK GDPR. The purpose for which we are processing your personal data is to support our assessment of bids in the Life Sciences Transformational R&D Investment Fund Pilot (TRIF). The Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) is the Data Controller for UKGDPR purposes.

Your data

We will process the following personal data, which is collected directly during the application process: 

• Names, job titles, and contact details (including email addresses and telephone numbers) of lead contacts at applicant organisations 

• Names, job titles, and contact details (including email addresses and telephone numbers) of key project personnel 

Personal data may also be obtained from sources outside of the application process (refer to ‘How we collect your data’ below). This may include: 

• Dates of birth 

• Partial or complete addresses 

• Information regarding criminal offences, media presence of directors, significant shareholders, lead contacts, or key project personnel 

• Published sanctions data 

• Publicly available disqualification records 

 How we collect your data 

• Details given to us during the application and due diligence processes 

• Information received from partner organisations as part of completing the application and due diligence 

• Data obtained using open-source screening software applications 

• Information sourced from open records, such as: 

• Published sanctions lists naming designated individuals (e.g., HMT) 

• Publicly accessible notices about debarment and regulatory actions 

• The insolvency register 

• Company registration databases 

• The Charities Commission 

 Purpose The purposes for which your personal data is being processed are as follows: 

• Facilitating the assessment of bids within the TRIF, including conducting due diligence reviews 

• Supporting effective monitoring of scheme operations 

• Enabling evaluation of the scheme to measure its impact and inform future government policy decisions 

• Preventing, investigating, and detecting fraud 

• Ensuring compliance with sanctions legislation 

• Assessing financial risks 

• Contacting you in relation to the appraisal of your application, notifying you of the upcoming expiry of the application submission period, or requesting feedback 

 Legal basis of processing Under Article 6 of the UK GDPR, the legal basis for processing your personal data is as follows: 1(e) Public task: Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller, which includes overseeing the proper execution of TRIF to ensure funds are dispersed to eligible projects and companies and achieve highest value for money for the taxpayer. Criminal offence data is processed under Schedule 1, Part 2, Paragraph 6 of the Data Protection Act 2018, which permits processing for reasons of substantial public interest where it is necessary for the exercise of a function of a government department. 

Recipients 

Your personal information might be shared with appropriate parties to process applications, support the Life Sciences sector, monitor and evaluate the programme, and assist in preventing or investigating crimes such as fraud. The government actively supports the growth and development of the Life Sciences sector and may use the information you provide to contribute to these efforts. Data may be disclosed to other government departments, agencies, or experts who participate in assessments, monitor proceedings, manage grant funding, or enhance support for the Life Sciences sector. This includes, but is not limited to: 

• Department for Business and Trade (DBT) 

• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) 

• HM Treasury (HMT) 

• Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) 

• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) 

• Cabinet Office (CO) 

• National Audit Office (NAO) 

• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) 

• Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) 

• Trusted external R&D panel members whose expertise fall within the requirements of the public task 

• The fund’s external evaluator 

 Your personal data is stored on systems hosted by our data processors, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services. We do not actively share your data with them; they simply provide IT infrastructure support. 

Retention 

The processing period for applications and assessments generally spans six months from the date of submission. Personal data is retained in accordance with standard retention periods applicable to each specific application and assessment.

Automated decision making 

Your personal data will not be subject to automated decision making. 

International Transfers 

Your personal data will be processed in the UK and European Economic Area (EEA). Due to the Department’s IT Infrastructure, your personal data may be processed at data centres outside of the UK but will remain within the EEA. Your data will receive the same level of protection in the EEA as it does in the UK, through the safeguard of Adequacy Decisions. 

Your rights 

You have the right to request information about how your personal data are processed, and to request a copy of that personal data. You have the right to request that any inaccuracies in your personal data are rectified without delay. You have the right to request that any incomplete personal data are completed, including by means of a supplementary statement. You have the right to request that your personal data are erased if there is no longer a justification for them to be processed. You have the right in certain circumstances (for example, where accuracy is contested) to request that the processing of your personal data is restricted. You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data To exercise your rights please contact the Data Protection Officer using the contact details below. 

Contact us Data Controller 

The data controller for your personal data is the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).  You can contact the DSIT Data Protection Officer at: DSIT Data Protection Officer Department for Science, Innovation and Technology 22-26 Whitehall London SW1A 2EG Email dataprotection@dsit.gov.uk 

If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your personal data, please write to the department’s Data Protection Officer in the first instance using the contact details above. Please contact TRIF@officeforlifesciences.gov.uk if you need to update the personal details of the project lead. 

Make a complaint 

If you consider that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which is an independent regulator. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF 

Telephone: 0303 123 1113 Email:icocasework@ico.org.uk 

Any complaint to the Information Commissioner is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts. 

Updates to this notice 

If we update this privacy notice, you'll find the new version here. Check this page regularly to stay informed about our data collection, usage, and sharing practices. The ‘last updated’ date reflects any changes. If these changes affect how your personal data is processed, we will take reasonable steps to let you know. 

Last updated: January 2026

3. Regulatory Requirements

The fund is open to applications that will support 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 products.

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

Projects involving the development, manufacture, or use of investigational medicinal products (IMPs) or medical devices for clinical trials must comply with the following additional regulations:

• Clinical Trials Authorisation (CTA):Applicants must obtain a Clinical Trials Authorisation (CTA) from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before commencing any clinical trial involving IMPs in the UK.

• Good Clinical Practice (GCP):All clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards, as required by UK law and monitored by the MHRA.

• Health Research Authority (HRA) Approval:Projects involving NHS patients, staff, or resources must secure approval from the Health Research Authority (HRA) prior to the start of any clinical trial activity.

• Human Medicines Regulations 2012:All activities related to the manufacture, importation, and distribution of medicinal products for human use, including those used in clinical trials, must comply with the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.

• Medical Devices Clinical Investigations:Clinical investigations involving medical devices must comply with the Medical Devices Regulations 2002, including requirements for clinical evaluation, safety, and post-market surveillance.

• Data Protection and Confidentiality:All projects must comply with the UK (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, particularly regarding the collection, storage, and processing of personal health data.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all relevant regulatory approvals are in place prior to the commencement of any clinical trial or investigational study funded by this scheme. Evidence of compliance may be requested as part of the application process or during project monitoring.

Life Sciences Large Investment Portfolio (LSLIP) - Premarket Engagement: Are you considering new investments exceeding £250 million in the UK Life Sciences sector over the next three years, with at least one major capital investment commencing within the next 12 months?

The Life Sciences Large Investment Portfolio (LSLIP), announced in the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan, is designed to provide bespoke support for large manufacturing and research and development (R&D) investments. From February 2026, we will be conducting premarket engagement ahead of the scheme’s formal launch and invite any company with an investment portfolio exceeding £250 million (with at least one major investment commencing within the next 12 months) to contact us for further information on how the scheme will operate and eligibility: LSLIP@officeforlifesciences.gov.uk.