Loans of up to £25 million to help UK micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) progress highly innovative late-stage research and development (R&D) projects with strong commercial potential.
The deadline for applications is 11am on Wednesday 4 March 2026.
Who it is for
This competition is open to single applicants only. To be eligible, you must
- be a UK-registered micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
- carry out your project from or within the UK
- intend to exploit the results from or within the UK
- provide evidence that your business is suitable to take out a loan
- start your project by 1 May 2026
Your project must also focus on one or more of the following themes
- net zero
- health and wellbeing
- next generation digital technologies
- one of seven technology families identified in the UK Innovation Strategy
Your project must have a clear route to commercialisation and economic impact. It can last up to five years, covering R&D and pre-commercialisation, and may include prototyping, piloting, testing, or validation in real-world conditions.
Support you can get
You can apply for a loan of between £100,000 and £5 million to fund highly innovative, close-to-market research and development (R&D) projects that
- deliver new or significantly improved products, processes, or services
- propose innovative, original uses of existing products, processes, or services
- involve new or innovative business models
Loans can cover up to 100% of eligible project costs.
For experimental development projects which are nearer to market, you can get funding for your eligible project costs of
- up to 45% if you are a micro or small organisation
- up to 35% if you are a medium-sized organisation
Support organisers
Contact
Innovate UK
support@iuk.ukri.org
Phone
0300 123 3066
Next Steps
on the Innovation Funding Service website
Published
09 January 2026
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