Next Wave: Breakthrough Wave 1

Key Features

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £10 million for industrial research projects to explore industrial strategy aligned Createch innovation. This funding is from Innovate UK.

Programme:     Innvoate UK

Award:     Share of up to £10 million

Opens: 23rd Jun 2026

Closes: 11th Aug 2026

TBAT

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Grant Overview

Innovate UK are investing up to £10 million to support early stage innovation in the intersection of high growth potential Createch and the Industrial Strategy Frontier industries.

Grant Scope

The aim of this competition is to support early-stage innovation in progressing beyond the proof-of-concept phase, reducing investment risks and fostering long-term growth within the Createch innovation sector.

Projects must focus on one of the following frontier industries:

  • video games
  • advertising and marketing
  • film and TV
  • music, performing and visual arts

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this grant, projects must have a total cost of between £100,000 and £500,000 with projects lasting between 9 and 12 months. Projects must start by 1st January 2027 and end by 31st December 2027.

Lead Organisation: To lead a collaborative project, organisations must be a UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise. If working alone your organisation must be a UK registered SME. Academic Institutions and RTOs cannot lead 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 RTO.

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 and other non-UK organisations. Non-UK partners are permitted to carry out work within their home countries and exploit results outside the UK.

Subcontractors: Subcontractors are allowed in this competition so long as their costs are not more than 50% of the total project costs. Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK. Overseas subcontractors can be used, but you must state why UK subcontractors could not be used.

Number of applications: Businesses can only lead on one application. Further applications by the same business will be ineligible. Businesses leading an application can be included as a collaborator in two further applications and can collaborate in up to three applications. Academic institutions, research and technology organisations, charities, not for profit organisations can be collaborators on three applications.

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

Grant Exclusions

Innovate UK will not fund the following projects:

  • Projects not outlined in the Creative Sector Plan
  • Projects including sectors such as construction, education, healthcare, without clear links to relevant frontier industry
  • Projects from organisations that are not profit driven or do not have commercial focus
  • Projects that are focussed on commission content or commissioning business as usual activities
  • Projects with lack of evidence that their proposed innovation is expected to lead to significant and positive economic impact
  • Projects that are content and not R&D
  • Projects including physical construction or infrastructure
  • Projects that are for fast moving consumer goods products
  • Projects creating secondary funding
  • Projects developing internal workflow tools that do not benefit the wider ecosystem
  • Projects developing social networking sites or community groups
  • Projects not supporting the creative industry

Grant Funding

Innovate UK have allocated up to £10 million to fund innovation projects. Funding will be in the form of a grant.

Under the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Route rules, no more than £3 million can be awarded to any one enterprise in any one competition.

For industrial research projects, you can get grant funding for your eligible project costs of:

Category 2: Industrial research projects

  • 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

The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 30% 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 30% 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 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

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.