Biomedical Catalyst 2018 round 1: early stage award

Key Features

SMEs can apply for a share of up to £8 million to continue a project’s early stage development and technical evaluation, up to readiness for clinical testing.

Programme:     Innovate UK

Award:     Up to £8m

Opens: 26th Mar 2018

Closes: 6th Jun 2018

! This scheme is now closed

The aim of the Biomedical Catalyst is to support the development of innovative healthcare products, technologies and processes. These can include (but are not limited to):

  • disease prevention and proactive management of health and chronic conditions
  • earlier and better detection and diagnosis of disease, leading to better patient outcomes
  • tailored treatments that either change the underlying disease or offer potential cures

The aim of the early stage award is to create a data package that is sufficient to support the subsequent testing of your products or process in a clinical setting or other relevant environment. It can include:

  • experimental evaluation (at laboratory scale)
  • use of in vitro and in vivo models to evaluate proof of concept or safety
  • exploring potential production mechanisms
  • early stage prototyping
  • product development planning
  • intellectual property protection

Innovate UK expect projects to start from a point where their technology has been validated in a laboratory or relevant setting and finish at a point where the technology has been demonstrated in a relevant environment (but excluding any human clinical trials).

Support is available for any sector or discipline, including (but not limited to):

  • stratified healthcare
  • advanced therapies (gene and cell therapies)
  • diagnostics
  • medical technologies and devices

To lead a project you must:

  • be a UK-based small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
  • work on your own or with other UK SMEs or research organisations
  • carry out your project work in the UK

For all research organisations, the maximum level of project participation is 50% of total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation, they must share this allocation

Innovate UK expect the total project costs to range in size from £250,000 to £4 million. Projects should last between 12 and 36 months. Successful applicants will be notified of their start date by Innovate UK.

You could get funding for your eligible project costs of:

  • up to 70% if you are a small business
  • up to 60% if you are a medium-sized business