Deadline: September 10, 2025
UK registered businesses can now apply to resolve productivity and competitiveness issues by working with scientists at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL).
The focus of this competition is to help businesses address their existing analysis and measurement problems, which are problems that can be best explored by scientists and cutting-edge facilities available in the UK. Your proposal must describe a measurement or analysis problem where you are seeking a solution to improve your business’s productivity or competitiveness and provide an estimate of the value to your business of solving it. Problems must be related to an existing process, product or service owned or used by a company, linked to the measurement or analysis of some quantities or properties, and not effectively solvable by simple ‘off the shelf’ methods or techniques. Problems must not be purely software related, must not be resolvable through widely available methods, and must not fall outside measurement or analysis scopes.
This is stage 1 of a two-stage competition. At this stage, applicants must clearly define and submit their analysis or measurement challenge but will not receive direct funding. If successful, applicants will be invited to brokerage consultations with NPL experts to explore potential solutions and develop joint project proposals for stage 2. At stage 2, projects that progress will be eligible to apply for grant support with project sizes ranging between £15,000 and £100,000.
Stage 2 applications will be subject to Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) rules, which allow up to £315,000 funding in a three-year rolling period. Businesses applying must ensure compliance with eligibility requirements, including working with UK-based NPL facilities, intending to exploit project results from or in the UK, and ensuring project delivery between 1 January 2026 and 30 September 2026 over a duration of 3 to 9 months.
To be eligible, applicants must be UK-registered businesses and can submit only one application. Previous applicants may re-apply if their proposal was assessed but unsuccessful, provided sufficient changes have been made. Applications involving activities that violate UK sanctions, unsupported animal research practices, or activities restricted under De Minimis regulations will not be considered.
Stage 1 of the competition closes on Wednesday 10 September 2025 at 11:00am. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Innovate UK in advance for accessibility support or guidance regarding the process.
For more information, visit GOV.UK.
