Deadline Date: May 13, 2026
The Innovate UK is offering up to £25 million in funding to support the development of secure, sustainable, and sovereign next-generation connectivity technologies under its Advanced Connectivity Technologies programme.
The focus areas of this competition include Secure and Resilient Networks, Sustainable Networks, and Sovereign Telecoms Components and Applications aligned with national priorities and the Integrated Security Fund.
This funding opportunity, delivered by Innovate UK as part of UK Research and Innovation, aims to accelerate the development, demonstration, and commercialisation of advanced communications technologies that enhance national security, resilience, sustainability, and long-term competitiveness. The programme encourages projects that align with strategic national goals and contribute to strengthening the UK’s telecom infrastructure.
Eligible applicants must be UK-registered organisations, including businesses of any size, research and technology organisations, academic institutions, charities, not-for-profits, and public sector organisations. Projects must be collaborative in nature, with clearly defined roles among consortium members, and must ensure that all project activities are carried out within the UK, with an intention to exploit the results domestically.
Each project must request grant funding between £200,000 and £5 million, with a cap of £3 million for any single organisation within the consortium. Projects should run for a duration of 3 to 24 months, start by 1 September 2026, and conclude by 31 August 2028. Additionally, all projects must begin on the first day of a month and cannot commence until official approval through a Grant Offer Letter is received.
Applicants are encouraged to utilise national research and innovation infrastructure where relevant, including facilities such as the Catapult Network, EPSRC-funded Federated Connectivity Hubs, and the JOINER testbed. These resources are intended to support high-quality research and accelerate innovation outcomes.
The competition is highly selective, with an estimated success rate of around 7 percent, and funding decisions will consider factors such as application quality, alignment with programme goals, and prior conduct of applicants. Innovate UK also retains the flexibility to adjust funding allocations based on policy or broader governmental considerations.
For more information, visit GOV.UK.
