Funding of up to £15 million for UK‑registered organisations to develop near‑term, testable solutions for secure, resilient and sustainable networks.
This competition opens on 1 April 2026 and closes at 11am on 3 June 2026.
Who it is for
This competition is open to single applicants.
To lead a project, you must
- be a UK-registered organisation of any size
- carry out your project in the UK and intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
- work alone or with the subcontracted skills and expertise of others from business, research organisations, research and technology organisations, or the third sector (charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups)
Your project must
- start by 1 September 2026
- end by 31 August 2027
- last between three and 12 months
- have total costs of between £200,000 and £2 million (inclusive of VAT)
Support you can get
This competition is part of the Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) R&D Programme. It aims to develop near-term, testable solutions that advance the UK capability in the following areas
- secure and resilient networks
- sustainable networks
You can receive funding between £200,000 and £2 million (inclusive of VAT). Eligible costs are covered in full (100%) and are not subject to subsidy control requirements.
Innovate UK expects to award up to 20 contracts.
Support organisers
- Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)
- Innovate UK
Contact
Innovate UK
Phone
0300 321 4357
Next Steps
on the Innovation Funding Service website
Published
01 April 2026
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