Deadline: 17-December-2025
The National Materials Innovation Programme: Feasibility Studies competition invites UK registered businesses to apply for a share of up to £2 million to accelerate the translation of advanced materials innovations across key industrial sectors.
The focus areas of this competition are the six key high growth opportunity themes and one strategic opportunity theme, namely: Net zero energy solutions; Future healthcare; Structural innovations; Advanced surface technologies and materials durability; Next generation electronics, telecommunications and sensors; Consumer products, packaging and specialist polymers; and the Strategic opportunity theme of Metamaterials and metasurfaces.
This initiative, launched under the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, aims to prime the materials community, foster collaboration, and speed up the transition of new material innovations from research to industrial adoption. Projects must demonstrate a clear path for translating material innovations into practical industrial applications, identifying specific sectors, potential uses, and foreseeable barriers to adoption. Applicants must also show how their innovations will contribute to the UK’s net zero goals through energy reduction, emissions control, or resource efficiency improvements.
Eligible projects must request between £50,000 and £100,000 in grant funding, start by 1 May 2026, end by 31 January 2027, and last no longer than nine months. Each project must include a letter of support from an end user within one of the eight growth-driving sectors identified in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy (IS-8). Lead applicants must be UK registered businesses, though collaborations can include academic institutions, RTOs, charities, and other partners. Subcontractors are allowed up to 30% of the total eligible costs, and overseas subcontractors can only be used if justified with evidence.
Funding will be provided as grants covering up to 70% of eligible costs for small businesses, 60% for medium-sized, and 50% for large enterprises. Research organisations undertaking non-economic activities may share up to 30% of the total project costs and receive up to 100% of their eligible expenses, or 80% of full economic costs for academic institutions using the Je-S system.
Innovate UK will apply a portfolio approach to ensure diversity in funded projects across regions, business sizes, technologies, and market applications. Projects that do not align with any of the specified themes, focus on raw materials synthesis, or target the defence sector without clear civil applications will not be eligible for funding.
For more information, visit GOV.UK.
