For UK start-ups navigating the innovation ecosystem in 2025 and 2026, securing public grant funding remains a key lever for growth: non-dilutive capital, prestige, validation, and access to networks. With global competition heating up and the UK government doubling down on “science & technology super-power” ambitions, the grant landscape is evolving quickly.
In this blog we highlight seven public innovation grant programs that UK registered start-ups should keep on their radar this year and onwards – drawn from UK and European sources. We’ll outline what each fund offers, who is eligible, and tips to improve your application chances.
1. UKRI Technology Missions Fund
The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Technology Missions Fund is an umbrella initiative investing £320 million in “technology missions” – across artificial intelligence, engineering biology, quantum technologies and next-generation telecommunications.
- What start-ups should note: While the fund is broad, its emphasis is on “critical technologies” and commercialization/ deployment rather than pure research.
- Eligibility / scale: Projects can span early emergence to adoption; not all calls are exclusively for small start-ups.
- Tip: If your start-up addresses one of the mission areas (e.g., trustworthy AI, quantum, telecoms), make sure your application explicitly aligns with the mission-goals and shows how your innovation drives adoption and value, not just novel tech.
2. Growth Catalyst Early Stage: New Innovators
From Innovate UK (under UKRI) comes the pilot competition Growth Catalyst Early Stage: New Innovators, aimed directly at micro and small UK businesses in key frontier technology areas. (Opens in July and closed in August 2025,)
- What it offers: A share of up to £10 million in the competition, with grant funding typically between £25,000 and £50,000 for 3-6 month projects.
- Focus areas: Artificial intelligence, semiconductors, advanced connectivity, quantum technologies, engineering biology.
- Why it matters for start-ups: Specifically crafted for early-stage innovators who haven’t yet received an Innovate UK grant, this is a strong entry point.
- Tip: Ensure your start-up is UK-registered, meets the micro/small business definition, and your innovation clearly targets one of the five technology domains listed. Also, make the commercialization route explicit.
3. DRIVE35 Scale-up Fund
Another of Innovate UK’s open opportunities worth monitoring is the DRIVE35 Scale-up Fund, aimed at UK registered organizations to build manufacturing facilities for zero emission vehicle technologies. (Opens in September 2025 with no closing date).
- Scale: Up to £150 million is available (very large scale) for zero-emission vehicle manufacturing facilities.
- Start‐up relevance: While more suited to organizations scaling manufacturing operations, this could still be relevant if your start-up is in the electric vehicle / zero emission vehicle supply chain and planning a significant facility build.
- Tip: If your innovation touches the EV/zero emission vehicle space, position it within this roadmap, but be mindful of the scale and maturity expected.
4. Horizon Europe – EU flagship program
The European Union’s flagship research and innovation program, Horizon Europe, offers major opportunities for UK and European start-ups. Program duration 2021-2027.
- Scale: Budget of around €95.5 billion for 2021-2027.
- Start-up relevance: Via instruments such as the EIC Accelerator (under Horizon Europe) you can access grants up to €2.5 million + equity investment for disruptive innovations.
- UK status: The UK is regaining full participation and is strongly positioned post-Brexit.
- UK’s Research and Innovation assists UK startups to apply.
- Tip: To apply, ensure you meet the relevant call’s eligibility (often multinational consortiums, or require EU/associate country participation). For startup teams, get an EU-entity in place if needed, and allocate time for building a consortium and submission.
5. Commercializing Knowledge Assets Fund (CKAF)
From the UKRI / Innovate UK ecosystem, the Commercializing Knowledge Assets Fund (CKAF) supports the movement of knowledge assets toward commercial readiness. (Opens September and closes December 4th 2025)
- Grant amount: Grants from £50,000 up to £250,000 for viable public sector knowledge assets moving into commercial readiness.
- Start-up relevance: For start-ups working with public sector research assets (e.g., university spin-outs) this may be very relevant.
- Tip: If you have a technology or IP originating in a research institution and need support to commercialize, slot this into your funding-stack planning.
6. Resource Efficiency for Resilience & Sustainability (Feasibility Studies)
Another open competition under Innovate UK/UKRI: Resource efficiency for resilience and sustainability – Feasibility Studies (FS), (Opens September and closes November 3, 2025).
- Grant size: Up to £1.1 million total fund available (size per project will be smaller).
- Focus: Novel, sustainable, low-carbon materials and manufacturing – very relevant for cleantech start-ups.
- Tip: If your start-up is in sustainable materials / manufacturing, align your proposal to the feasibility phase and show a clear route to scale and commercialization.
7. Battery Innovation Concept Development: Round 1
The Battery Innovation Concept Development is a great opportunity run by Innovate UK in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade. (Opens October and closes December 17th, 2025).
- Grant size: Up to £20 million for innovation in battery technologies for electrification.
- Focus: Innovation in battery technologies, supporting the UK’s electrification agenda.
- Eligibility: Must be a collaborative project. The lead organization must be a UK-registered business of any size, and the consortium must include at least one UK-registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME) claiming grant funding.
Summary & Next Steps
In 2025 the grant landscape for UK start-ups is rich – but busy and competitive. The programs above illustrate a broad spectrum: from early-stage micro-grants up to major manufacturing/scale-up funds.
Key takeaways:
- Align early and explicitly with grant objectives (tech domain, mission, commercialization).
- Be clear on eligibility, funding scale and maturity expected.
- Look beyond the UK (e.g., Horizon Europe) especially for innovations with international reach or major scale.
- Prepare your business fundamentals (registered entity, UK base or EU associate partner, IP/knowledge assets, commercial route).
- Stack wisely: Combine smaller early grants with larger scale-up funding down the line.
For UK start-ups seeking to turn innovation into growth, these grants are excellent starting points. Review them, pick the fit, and build your grant funding roadmap.
How SAGE Marketing Helps Startups Accelerate Growth
At SAGE Marketing, we specialize in helping UK and global startups turn funding opportunities into real growth. Through our CMO-as-a-Service model, we provide full-scale strategic marketing leadership – developing market positioning, go-to-market plans, investor narratives, and brand strategies tailored to your goals. Whether you’ve just secured a major grant or are preparing your next pitch, SAGE helps you communicate your value, attract customers, and scale faster.
Our team of marketing strategists and storytellers has worked with startups backed by grants – transforming technical innovation into compelling market success.
