Opportunities – UKRI

Apply for NERC’s ICURe Engage four-week programme for those projects previously funded by NERC. The programme aims to identify potential beneficiaries and users of academic research, introduce participants to commercialisation tools, and foster entrepreneurship. Innovate UK NERC

Apply for funding for projects focused on speculative and high-risk research with the potential to deliver a step change in the sustainability of future AI systems. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation funding. UKRI-wide

Apply for funding to support the development of an open-source hardware security research platform to strengthen the UK’s capability to design, test and assure secure hardware. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding. EPSRC

Farming, growing or forestry businesses based in England can apply for a grant of £2,500, to engage an external Project Facilitator to support the development of a Full ADOPT Grant application. Innovate UK

Innovate UK, on behalf of the OLS Cancer Healthcare Goals programme, will invest up to £25.4 million, to support the clinical validation and evaluation of early cancer diagnostic technologies and devices. Innovate UK

Apply for funding to strengthen conservation and heritage science infrastructure by building sustainable capability, improving access to nationally significant facilities and driving innovation with industry partners. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for AHRC funding. AHRC

Apply for funding to deliver innovative AI supported research using UKRI social science data. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UKRI funding and have participated in the AI supported research using UKRI social science data sandpit held in Manchester on 23 to 24 June 2026. ESRC UKRI-wide

Farming, growing or forestry businesses based in England can apply for a share of up to £5 million for on-farm trial and demonstration projects, to improve adoption of new ideas or solutions in the agricultural sector. Innovate UK

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £150 million to create scale up manufacturing facilities for zero emission vehicle technologies. DRIVE35 (Driving Research and Investment in Vehicle Electrification) is a BIST-led programme aimed at transforming the UK's automotive industry. Innovate UK

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £3 million for the purpose of developing innovative proposals with Singapore. You must collaborate with at least one Singapore business applying under the equivalent Enterprise Singapore programme. Innovate UK

Apply for capital funding to renew, replace and enhance capabilities for environmental science. The funding opportunity is for existing facilities, laboratories and other national capabilities which are demonstrably available for use by the wider environmental science community. NERC

Apply for funding for projects focused on speculative and high-risk fundamental research with the potential to deliver high reward and a step change in the explainability of future AI systems. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation funding. UKRI-wide EPSRC

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £20 million to develop innovative solutions for automation and robotics in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. This funding is from the Farming Futures R&D fund. Innovate UK

Apply for funding to improve our understanding of how ecosystem change affects resilience, security and prosperity as part of the NERC-Defra co-funded Resilient Economy and Security through Ecosystem Transitions programme. You must be based at an eligible UK organisation to apply. NERC

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £3 million for project development studies to support the development of ultra long duration battery energy storage demonstrators in the UK. Innovate UK

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £14.3 million to accelerate the adoption of quantum enabled position, navigation, and timing (PNT) and sensing technologies by addressing specific technical and commercial barriers. Innovate UK

Apply for funding for academically led experimental medicine studies in humans that deepen mechanistic understanding of the causal mechanisms underlying the effects of gambling activities, products and interventions in gambling disorder. MRC AHRC ESRC UKRI-wide

Apply for funding to translate bioscience research into innovations such as products, services and solutions that generate real-world economic, societal, and environmental impact. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for BBSRC funding. BBSRC

Apply for funding to support your transition to research independence. This funding will enable you to develop your own research vision and lead a team. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding and it must be your first application to EPSRC as a project lead. EPSRC

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £13 million for building quantum computing software applications that show clear value and potential high impact on near term quantum computing systems. Innovate UK