Dual-use aviation systems and autonomy

Key Features

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £10 million for the development of aviation technologies and systems that support both civil and military use cases. This funding is from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation.

Programme:     Innovate UK

Award:     Share of up to £10 million

Opens: 5th May 2026

Closes: 3rd Jun 2026

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Grant Overview

Innovate UK are investing up to £10 million to develop aviation technologies and systems that support civil and military use cases. These will be to support a resilient UK national security and defence ecosystem.

Grant Scope

The aim of this competition is to support development of, and reduce barriers to the adoptions and commercialisation or, key dual use aviation technologies. Specifically Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, Hybrid electric Vertical Take off and Landing aircraft, hybrid electric Conventional Take Off and Landing aircraft and other swarming, collaborative or autonomous aviation systems.

Projects can focus on the following specific themes:

  • Swarming technologies in support of strategically important use cases
  • Multiplatform operations to safely and efficiently delivery complex aviation operations
  • enabling capabilities that support multiple operators to have visibility of each other and relevant ground based operators
  • heavy lift and vertical take off aircraft systems
  • other themes that support relevant government missions and strategic objectives, and key stakeholder priorities; outline what these are in your application

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this competition, projects must have total costs of between £300,000 and £1.25 million with projects lasting between 8-12 months. Projects start from 1st September 2026 and end by 31st August 2027 with project work carried out in the UK, unless specifically stated and pre-approved by Innovate UK. Projects must have a maximum of five funded partners and include a UK customer or operator as a partner.

Lead: To lead a collaborative project, organisations must be a UK registered business of any size or public sector organisation. Consortiums must contain at least one UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise claiming grant funding on this application. Academic institutions cannot lead.

Project team: To collaborate with a lead, organisations must be a UK registered business of any size, academic institution, charity, not for-profit, public-sector organisation or research and technology organisation. Each partner organisation needs to be invited into the Innovation Funding Service by the led to collaborate on a project.

Non-funded partners: Projects can include organisations that do not claim funding for their work on a project. These costs need to be covered from their own resources and can include UK, EU or other non-UK organisations. Non-UK partners are permitted to carry out work from within their home counties with results are exploited outside the UK. Justification for this needs to be provided via email to support@iuk.ukri.org.

Subcontractors: Subcontractors are allowed in this competition, and they can be from anywhere in the UK. Overseas subcontractors can be used, but you must state in your application why UK subcontractors could not be used.

Number of applications: A business or public sector organisation can only lead on one application but can be included as a collaborator in a further one application. If a business or public sector organisation is not leading any application that can collaborate in up to two applications. Academic institutions, research and technology organisations, charity or not for profit organisations can collaborate on up to two applications.

Previous applications: You can use previous applications in this competition.

Grant Exclusions

Innovate UK will not fund the following projects:

  • Projects develop or use gyrocopters or High Platform Systems
  • Projects that develop or use counter Uncrewed Aircraft Systems
  • Projects only focussing on applications for civil use cases unless converting from military use case.
  • Projects only focussing on applications for defence use cases unless converting from civil use case.
  • Projects developing sub-systems only, without integration and development of the operation of the overall system being a key element of the project
  • Projects developing alternative propulsion systems or fuels such as hydrogen fuel cells, hydrogen combustion or sustainable aviation fuels
  • Projects that are developing batteries or charging systems for electric use
  • Projects that do not include a UK customer or operator or do not demonstrate the potential for business involved to achieve economic growth
  • Projects that include test or demonstration flights reliant on any regulatory approvals that are not either already granted or obtainable by a clear and supported route through the regulator within the project timeline

Grant Funding

Innovate UK have allocated up to £10 million to fund innovation projects in this competition. Funding will be in the form of a grant.

Under the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Route rules, no more than £3 million can be awarded to any one enterprise in any one competition.

For industrial research and experimental development, you can get funding for eligible project costs of:

Category 2 Industrial research projects

Funding available for your eligible project costs of:

  • up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation
  • up to 60% if you are a medium sized organisation
  • up to 50% if you are a large organisation

Category 2 Experimental development projects which are nearer to market

Funding available 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
  • up to 25% if you are a large organisation

Research Participation

Research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 30% of the total eligible project costs. Consortiums containing more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared. Of the 30% you can get funding for eligible project costs of up to:

  • 100% of your eligible project costs if you are an RTO, charity, not for profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation
  • 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are a Je-S registered institution such as an academic

Eligibility criteria for claiming 80% of FEC funding

  1. Research organisations using the Je-S system must submit their costs through the Je-S system which calculates the 80% FEC figure.
  2. On IFS, only the 80% FEC output should be entered at 100% funding.
  3. Applicants do not need to show the remaining 20% on the finance table.

For further information on this competition, please see full details.

Full competition details

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