Key Features
Organisations can apply for a share of £3 million, inclusive of VAT, to develop practical solutions that reignite the importance of play and increase access to high quality, real world play experiences, improving outcomes for children and young people.
Programme: Innovate UK
Award: Share of up to £3 million
Opens: 15th Sep 2026
Closes: 28th Oct 2026
Innovate UK alongside UKRI are investing up to £3 million in this Contracts for Innovation Competition from the UKRI Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity Mission.
The aim of this competition is to support organisations to develop practical solutions that reignite the importance of play and increase access to real world play environments and experiences which enhance the quality and impact of play by improving outcomes for children and young people.
Your project must focus on one or more of the following specific themes:
This is phase 1 of a potential 3 phase competition. Only the successful applicants from phase 1 will be invited to apply to take part in phase 2.
To be eligible for this competition, your project must have a total cost of between £200,000 and £500,000 (inclusive of VAT). Projects must start on 1st February 2027 and end on the 31st January 2028.
Applicant: To lead a project, you can be an organisation of any size based in the UK, EU, EEA or internationally. Organisations can work alone or with the subcontracted skills and expertise of others from business, research organisations, research and technology organisations, or charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups.
Contracts will be awarded to a single legal entity only. Most of the project work and key deliverables must be completed by the applicant and carried out in the UK. Most of the funding must be spent within the UK.
Subcontractors: Subcontractors can be used, but only for specialist skills.
Innovate UK are not funding the following projects:
Innovate UK have allocated up to £3 million to fund innovation projects in Phase 1 of this competition. Funding will be in the form of a contract. Contracts will be between £200,000 and £500,000 for each project of 12 months. Up to 15 projects will be funded.
Successful projects from phase 1 may be invited to a potential phase 2 to further develop their solution.
The total funding available for the competition can change. The funders have the right to:
The contract is completed at the end of phase 1, and the successful organisation is expected to pursue commercialisation of their solution.
Value Added Tax (VAT)
You must select whether you are VAT registered before entering your eligible project costs.
VAT is the responsibility of the invoicing business. We will not provide any further advice and suggest you seek independent advice from HMRC.
VAT registered
If you select you are VAT registered, eligible project costs exclusive of VAT must be entered as part of the application process. VAT will be automatically calculated and added to your project cost total. Total eligible project costs inclusive of VAT must not exceed £500,000.
Not VAT registered
If you select you are not VAT registered, you must enter your eligible project costs exclusive of VAT and no VAT will be added. You will not be able to increase total project costs to cover VAT later should you become VAT registered. Your total project costs must not exceed £500,000.
Research and development (R&D)
Your application must have at least 50% of the contract value attributed directly and exclusively to R&D services, including solution exploration and design. R&D can also include prototyping and field-testing the product or service. This lets you incorporate the results of your exploration and design and demonstrate that you can produce in quantity to acceptable quality standards.
R&D does not include:
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