AI Champions: Frontier AI Phase 1

Key Features

UK registered SME businesses can apply for a share of up to £3 million to deliver feasibility studies for frontier artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) technologies with a clear route defensible scale-up. This is funded by Innovate UK.

Programme:     Innovate UK

Award:     Share of up to £3 million

Opens: 17th Mar 2026

Closes: 29th Apr 2026

TBAT

Interested in applying?

Book a 1-2-1 consultation with our Grant Funding expert today

Click here

Grant Overview

Innovate UK are investing up to £3 million on Frontier AI. This a 3-phase stage-gated funding pipeline approach, supporting the next wave of UK AI Champions.

Grant Scope

The aim of this competition is to advance development of state-of-the-art AI and machine learning in the UK. Funding is available to UK SMEs for technical feasibility or ambitious AI and ML innovations that could deliver step-change improvements in capability and enable new products, platforms or services.

Projects can focus on one or more of the following specific themes:

  • AI-Enabled Health and Life Sciences
  • Advanced Materials with AI
  • Secure AI for National Security & Defence
  • Fundamental AI

Please see full competition details for breakdown of specific themes.

Eligibility Criteria

When applying for funding, your project must have total costs of between £150,000 and £250,000 with projects lasting between 3-6 months. Projects must start by 1st August 2026 and end by 31st January 2027. Funding organisations need to carry out project work in the UK and exploit project results from or in the UK. Projects must also start on the 1st of the month – even if the 1st of the month is a non-working day.

Lead: to work alone organisations must be an SME registered in the UK.

Subcontractors: Subcontractors are not allowed in this competition.

Number of applications: Businesses can only lead on one application.

Previous applications: Previously submitted applications cannot be used in this competition.

Grant Exclusions

The following projects cannot be funded:

  • Projects not sufficiently providing a quantified addressable market
  • Projects not sufficiently providing clear background IP ownership or rights
  • Projects sufficiently providing a specific defensibility route
  • Projects not aligning with the competition theme or specific priority areas
  • Projects not sufficiently providing a named baseline with metrics and numeric targets for validation
  • Projects not addressing the scope of the competition
  • Projects that are primarily literature review studies, requirement gathering, without substantive experimental R&D
  • Projects proposing routine integration, deployment, orchestration or productisation of existing AI tools or third-party models without novel AI or ML development
  • Projects not delivering measurable and specific objectives
  • Projects that are primarily routine integration or deployment of existing AI tools without substantive technical innovation
  • Projects without clear technical novelty and feasibility challenge
  • Projects that do not result in defensible foreground IP
  • Projects focussing primarily on non-AI, ML R&D and development
  • Projects not developing fully autonomous targeting
  • Projects with the primary purpose of development of hardware

Grant Funding

Innovate UK are offering up to £3 million to fund innovation projects. Funding will be in the form of a grant.

If your organisation’s work on the project is commercial or economic, funding requests must not exceed the below limits.

For Feasibility Studies and Industrial Research in Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:

Category 1 Feasibility studies

  • 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 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

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

Full competition details

Interested in applying for this competition?

Book an appointment to speak to one of our advisors to discuss your eligibility to apply for this Grant Funding opportunity.