MDI Programme Innovation and Scale-up Hub

Key Features

UK registered eligible organisations can apply for a share of up to £4 million for a Manufacturing Digitalisation Innovation and Scale-up Hub to improve the targeting, quality and commercial impact of grant funded activity.

Programme:     Innovate UK

Award:     Share of £4 million

Opens: 2nd Oct 2026

Closes: 18th Nov 2026

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Grant Overview

Innovate UK, alongside UKRI’s will invest up to £4 million from the UKRI Manufacturing Digitalisation Innovation programme.

Grant Scope

The aim of this competition is to establish an Innovation and Scale-Up Hub that improves the targeting, quality and commercial impact of grant funded activity delivered through the UKRI Manufacturing Digitalisation Innovation programme.

Projects must focus on one of the following Industrial Digital Technologies:

  • Data Analytics
  • AI and Machine Learning
  • Additive Manufacturing
  • Robotics and Automation
  • Internet of Things and Connectivity
  • Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
  • Digital Twin
  • Distributed Ledger Technology including Blockchain and Immutable Data

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this competition, projects must have a grant funding request of between £3.8 million and £4 million with projects lasting 36 months. Projects must start 1st April 2027 and end by 31st March 2030.

Lead organisation: To lead a collaborative project or work alone, organisations must be a UK registered research and technology organisation or academic institution.

Project team: To collaborate with the 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 must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service by the lead collaborate on a project.

Number of applications: A farmer, grower or forester can only submit one application per competition round and receive a maximum of two Facilitator Support Grants in total across all rounds.

Non-funded partners: Projects can include organisations that do not claim any funding for wok on the project. These costs will be covered from their ow resources and can include UK, EU and other no UK organisations. Non-UK partner are permitted to carry out project work from within their home counties and exploit results outside the UK.

Subcontractors: Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.

Number of applications: Eligible organisations can only lead on one application. Any further applications by the same organisation as lead will be made ineligible. Eligible organisations not leading can collaborate in one further application.

Previous applications: Previously submitted applications can be used in this competition.

Grant Exclusions

  • Projects not focussed on sectors outside of Advanced Materials, Aerospace, Automotive, Batteries and Space
  • Projects that target solutions not Industrial Digital Technology focussed
  • Projects that have a primary exploitation route that is not focussed on manufacturing supply chain or in factory production
  • Projects that support activities focussed primarily on the needs of a single manufacturer
  • Products that support bespoke solutions with no credible route to wider adoption or duplicate existing market intelligence, testbed or scale-up support without being able to demonstrate additional value
  • Projects that provide general networking activity without a clear connection to challenge definition, grant funding interventions, technology provider growth or adoption acceleration
  • Projects that prescribe specific technologies before the industrial outcomes and requirements have been properly established
  • Projects that begin with a predetermined technology solution without evidence of a material industrial challenge
  • Projects lacking a credible approach to managing conflicts of interest, confidentiality and fair access
  • Projects that include significant capital expenditure on buildings or include a significant expenditure on facilities or equipment that replicates already existing and accessible facilities in the UK

Grant Funding

Innovate UK has allocated up to £4 million to fund innovation projects in this competition. Funding will be in the form of a grant. The overall maximum value of the grant may be increased over the life of the project where additional programme budget becomes available.

The balance between your total eligible project costs and the amount of grant awarded must be funded by the organisation receiving the grant.

For industrial research projects, you can get funding 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

Innovate UK may revoke our decision to provide funding without notice if government commitment for this initiative is withdrawn.

Research participation

The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 100% of the total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared between them. Of that 100% you can get funding for your 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 an academic institution

Eligibility criteria for claiming 80% of FEC funding

  1. Research organisations must use the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) method as the Je-S form has now been decommissioned.
  2. We pay 100% of the 80% Full Economic Cost (FEC). On IFS only enter the 80% being claimed.

 

 

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

Full competition details