National Materials Innovation Programme: Feasibility studies Rd 2

Key Features

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £2 million for feasibility studies. These studies aim to speed the translation of advanced materials innovations in three prioritised high growth themes and one strategic opportunity theme.

Programme:     Innovate UK

Award:     Share of up to £2 million

Opens: 4th May 2026

Closes: 24th Jun 2026

TBAT

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Grant Overview

Innovate UK are investing up to £2 million into materials innovation projects. This funding is part of the National Materials Innovation Programme which was announced as part of the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan in the UK’s modern Industrial Strategy.

Grant Scope

The aim of this competition is to speed the translation of advanced materials innovations toward industrial adoptions in three prioritised high growth themes and one strategic opportunity theme.

Projects must focus on one of the following themes:

High growth opportunity themes

  • Theme 1. Future healthcare solutions
  • Theme 2. Sustainable structural systems
  • Theme 3. Power electronics and connectivity

Strategic opportunity theme

  • Theme 4. Metamaterials and metasurfaces

 

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this competition, projects must a grant funding request of between £50,000 and £100,000 with projects lasting no more than nine months. Projects start from 1st November 2026 and end by 31st July 2027. A letter of support for the project from an end user working in one of the eight growth driving sectors listed in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy must be provided.

Lead: To work alone or lead a collaborative project, organisations must be a UK registered business of any size. Academic institutions, research and technology organisations, charities, not for profit or public sector organisations cannot lead a project or work alone.

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.

Subcontractors: Subcontractors are allowed in this competition and are limited to no more than 30% of the project’s total eligible costs. Subcontractors 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 can only lead on one application but can be included as a collaborator in two further applications. Should a business not be leading an application, it can collaborate in any number of applications. Academic institutions, charities, not for profit, public sector organisations or RTOs can collaborate on any number of applications.

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

Grant Exclusions

Innovate UK will not fund the following projects:

  • Projects not described by any of the themes and sub-themes listed in the scope
  • Projects that focus on chemical or raw materials synthesis, rather than adoption of materials innovations in an end application
  • Projects focussed on the development of digital tools and technologies to support or enable materials innovation
  • Projects that focus solely on the defence sector
  • Projects that do not demonstrate a clear and realistic sector and application for opportunity for later adoption
  • Projects that do not provide a letter of support as described in the eligibility and scope section.

Grant Funding

Innovate UK have allocated up to £2 million to fund innovation projects in this competition. Funding will be in the form of a grant.

For feasibility studies in the RD&I scheme you can receive funding for eligible project costs of:

Category 1. Feasibility studies

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

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