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Funding

We have listed below some of the key funding calls (mainly grants) that are applicable to companies in UK healthcare. For more information, please contact us.

Past funding calls can be viewed using these links:

2025

2024

Upcoming Funding Calls
​Pre-announcement: Research and partnership hubs for a healthy society

Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Opens: 15 July 2025

Closes: 4pm, 21 October 2025

Sector: Healthcare & Life Sciences

Apply for funding to establish a large-scale multidisciplinary research hub drawing on expertise across the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and health research community to support people to live healthier lives and prevent ill health. Proposals should address long term research challenges in the priority area(s) of prevention, early diagnosis and self-management of health.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding. This funding opportunity will have a two-stage assessment process consisting of an outline stage and a full proposal stage The full proposal stage will be assessed through expert peer review and interview.

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Hub challenge areas

The hubs that are funded through this funding opportunity will be critical mass investments that are expected to form connections to the wider health technologies research and innovation ecosystem. They will have a core mission and sets of activities and objectives in one or more of the following areas:

  1. Prevention and population health
    This priority looks to focus on the need for novel techniques that optimise health, prevent, and ultimately help eliminate disease.

  2. Supporting people to manage their own health
    This priority focuses on a shift in services out of hospitals and into the community and home.

  3. Novel techniques for early diagnosis
    Hubs addressing this priority area are expected to develop novel techniques that optimise patient-specific illness prediction and early and accurate diagnosis.

More information here.

Mental Health Award: Transforming early intervention for anxiety, depression and psychosis in young people

Funder: Weelcome

Opens: 28 July 2025

Closes: TBC

Sector: Healthcare

​£200,000 for the Foundation Phase and £5 to £8 million for the Impact Phase.

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This first phase of the funding call will provide teams with £200,000 to build their teams and develop their detailed proposal for their research study over 12 months. This research proposal must be for a definitive effectiveness study and assessment of strategies for implementation and scaling of a psychological and/or a social intervention. The proposal must capture multiple outcomes that are relevant to people with lived experience and implementing partners, including mental health outcomes, functional outcomes and full economic evaluation.   
 

Projects will be chosen for the Foundation Phase based on:

  • the existing evidence of efficacy for the intervention

  • potential for being taken to scale, with the cost of the intervention low enough to be sustainable in the proposed context

  • potential for sustainable partnerships between research teams and implementing partners

  • outline plans for real-world testing of the effectiveness and implementation of the intervention


Teams taking part in the Foundation Phase will be invited to be part of a learning network to participate and share learning in key areas relevant to developing, implementing and scaling psychological and/or social interventions. Wellcome will work closely with teams during this Foundation Phase as they develop their full research proposals. 

More information here.

Healthcare Innovation Fund

Funder: British Heart Foundation

Opens: September 2025 (TBC)

Closes: November 2025 (TBC)

Sector: Healthcare

The lead applicant or investigator must be employed by an NHS organisation or UK academic institution.

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Applications are invited from teams who have been identified and supported by UK’s regional innovation boards, like:

  • Health Innovation Networks (HINs) in England

  • Innovation Hubs in Scotland

  • Cardiac Network Board in Wales

  • Cardiology Network in Northern Ireland.

Your project can include working with other partners, such as the third sector and industry, where you think it will benefit people with cardiovascular disease.
 

It's important that your project considers patient involvement at all levels, from scoping to steering groups. 

More information here.

Current Funding Calls
Research for Patient Benefit - March 2025

Funder: NIHR

Opened: 12 March 2025

Closes: 1pm, 9 July 2025

Sector: Healthcare & Life Sciences

The NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme is inviting outline applications for research proposals that are concerned with the day-to-day practice of health service staff, and that have the potential to have an impact on the health or wellbeing of patients and users of the NHS. This is a two stage process.

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As a researcher-led programme, RfPB does not specify topics for research but instead encourages proposals for projects that address a wide range of health service issues and challenges.

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The programme aims to fund high quality quantitative and qualitative research with a clear trajectory to patient benefit. It particularly encourages applications that have a strong element of interaction with patients and the public and that have been conceived in association with a relevant group of service users.

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There are three strands to the RfPB.

1. Researcher-led - currently focusing on West Midlands and East Midlands.

2. NIHR/ NICE rolling funding opportunity.
3. James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnerships - focus is on digital technology in mental health care

More information here.

Gap fund for early-stage development of new healthcare interventions

Funder: MRC

Opened: 7 May 2025

Closes: 4pm, 9 July 2025

Sector: Healthcare & Life Sciences

Total fund of £3m, each award (FEC) will be between £50,000 and £300,000. The funding is at 80% of the FEC and 100% of permitted exceptions.  Duration of 6-18 months per project.. 

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Apply for funding to generate critical data that builds confidence in developing a new or repurposed medicine, medical device, diagnostic test, or other medical intervention.

​

The concept for the product should be backed by prior funding. Projects should focus on one high-risk step, not multiple, to ensure efficient management. This step must address the crucial missing evidence needed to rapidly de-risk onward development or determine failure.

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To apply, you must be based at a research organisation eligible for MRC funding.

The Gap Fund bridges the smaller Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and the larger Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme (DPFS).

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You can apply for academically led translational projects that aim to undertake a single-step package of work that will bridge the gap between the inception of a new idea and substantive funding through schemes such as the DPFS to:

  • help prevent disease

  • help improve speed and accuracy of diagnosis of disease

  • develop new treatments for disease

  • help to improve outcome monitoring of patients receiving treatment

  • help to improve the management of diseases and conditions

All human diseases and medical interventions are eligible for support, both in the context of UK healthcare and addressing global health issues.

More information here.

​Developmental pathway funding scheme: stage one

Funder: Medical Research Council

Opened 20 March 2025: 

Closes: 4pm, 16 July 2025

Sector: Healthcare & Life Sciences

Apply for funding to develop and test novel therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics and other interventions. Your project can start and finish at any stage on the developmental pathway from early development, through pre-clinical refinement and testing to early-phase clinical studies and trials (up to phase 2a).
 

You must be based at a research organisation eligible for MRC funding.

There is no limit on the amount of funding you can apply for, but it should be appropriate to the project. MRC usually funds 80% of a project’s FEC.

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You can apply for academically-led translational projects that aim to either:

  • improve prevention, diagnosis, prognosis or treatment of significant health needs

  • develop research tools that increase the efficiency of developing interventions

All diseases and interventions are eligible for support. You can also address global health issues.

More information here.

Mental Health Award: Leveraging longitudinal data to transform early intervention in mental health

Funder: The Wellcome Trust

Opened: 23 April 2025

Closes: 22 July 2025

Sector: Healthcare

£2m - £5m per project lasting 3-5 years.


This call will fund projects (led by a research organisation) that utilise existing longitudinal datasets and integrate experimental research to predict the onset or progression of symptoms of anxiety, depression or psychosis. You can explore thousands of longitudinal datasets through the Atlas of Longitudinal Datasets. Longitudinal datasets include, but are not limited to: 

  • cohorts

  • electronic health records 

  • data from experimental research collected over time

Projects will have the potential to enrich existing longitudinal datasets, including linkage to other sources, harmonisation and collection of additional data. Establishing entirely new cohorts will be out of scope. 

More information here.​

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Australia-UK platform studies in areas of unmet clinical need

Funder: NIHR

Opened: 24 October 2024

Closes: 10am, 23 July 2025

Sector: Healthcare & Life Sciences

The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australia and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) UK are inviting applications for ambitious platform studies in areas of unmet medical need. The platform must be internationally collaborative, with joint leads based in Australia and the United Kingdom. 

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This call is for either Phase 2 or Phase 3 focused platforms, where there is a pipeline of technologies which justifies a platform approach. This call will not support funding for studies aiming to run platforms seamlessly from phase 2 into phase 3.

  • Phase 2 platforms should focus on establishing the efficacy of multiple interventions in a defined patient group or circumstance (which may include sub-groups). The study must focus on interventions with convincing human clinical proof of concept which suggests they may be efficacious. By robustly evaluating efficacy, the study should have the potential to inform future Phase 3 (comparative and cost-effectiveness) trials.

  • Phase 3 platforms should aim to efficiently generate high-quality evidence around the clinical and cost-effectiveness of multiple interventions in a defined patient group or circumstance. The focus must be on candidate therapies which have demonstrated some clinical efficacy but which require further testing in a multi-centre, pragmatic trial to compare against current best practice.

Interventions must have an appropriate level of supporting evidence for the phase of the platform, although it is recognised that there may be some variation in the amount of evidence for the interventions across a platform.

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For the purposes of this call, unmet medical need arises where individuals have a serious health condition where there are limited satisfactory options for prevention, diagnosis or treatment to support improved health outcomes. Applications are welcomed across all areas of health which meet these criteria. 

Areas of particular interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Childhood, brain and prostate cancers

  • Stroke and traumatic brain injuries

  • Neurodegenerative diseases

  • Cardiometabolic conditions, including obesity
     

The total funding available through this funding opportunity is in the region of $30 million AUD/ £15.5 million GBP with contributions from each funder.

  • for the Australian-based component the maximum grant amount that can be requested is up to $5 million AUD over 7 years, with a total contribution of up to $15m AUD.

  • for the NIHR UK-based component, there is approximately £2.6m per award over 7 years, with a total contribution of up to £7.8 million GBP.   

MRFF, NHMRC and NIHR are aiming to fund 1 to 3 platforms for up to 7 Years. 

ore information here.

Novel non-pharmacological approaches for diagnosis and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Funder: NIHR

Opened: 23 January 2025

Closes: 1pm, 5 August 2025

Sector: Healthcare

The MRC-NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme is inviting applications to evaluate the efficacy of novel non-pharmacological approaches to improve the diagnosis, treatment and/or management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adults.

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Under this funding opportunity, the EME Programme is interested in evaluating novel non-pharmacological approaches that focus on improving the diagnosis, treatment, and/or management of ADHD in children and adults. The funding opportunity will consider applications that target the core symptoms of ADHD, as well as those that focus on associated conditions, e.g. emotional dysregulation and common co-morbidities. For this funding opportunity, applications with significant industry involvement beyond monetary or in-kind contributions are particularly welcome.

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All proposals submitted must describe an evaluation of an intervention or technology, which falls within the remit of the EME Programme. Applications are expected to detail the clinical need, scientific rationale and proof of concept for the intervention. Specifically, there must be convincing human, clinical evidence to suggest that the approach may be efficacious and beneficial to the proposed study outcomes. For proposals evaluating a diagnostic technology, this might be a promising signal in terms of sensitivity, specificity or predictive values in the target population.  

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Areas of interest include (but are not limited to):

  • psychological interventions 

  • non-invasive brain stimulation (including peripheral nerve and sensory stimulation)

  • digital therapeutics

  • neurofeedback and cognitive training

  • technology to increase the speed and accuracy of diagnosis

  • remotely delivered interventions (where the intervention is scientifically novel)

  • transdiagnostic mechanistic approaches to treatment

  • precision medicine

  • exercise, e.g. use of VR exercise and exergaming

  • immersive extended reality, including virtual reality and augmented realised intervention approaches

  • role of remote measurement and wearables in assessment and management

  • combining AI/machine learning and biomarker approaches to assessment and diagnosis

More information here.

​Hospital at home/virtual wards: integration opportunities, improving service delivery and evaluating impact

Funder: NIHR

​​The Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme is interested in funding research on hospital at home (also known as virtual wards) acute care services for adults or children and young people. This funding opportunity covers optimising service design, improving service equity and delivery, evaluating the impact on health and social care, and innovations in service integration. 
More information here.

Opened: 6 May 2025

Closes: 1pm, 5 August 2025

Sector: Healthcare

Fewer lives lost: Research consortium to prevent cardiovascular disease

Funder: NIHR and BHF

Opened: 29 May 2025

Closes: 1pm, 13 August 2025

Sector: Healthcare & Life Sciences

As part of the NIHR Inequalities Challenge, they are looking to fund a research consortium to prevent cardiovascular disease.
 

This is a 2-stage, commissioned funding opportunity. To apply for the first stage you should submit a consortia application. The NIHR will then appoint consortia organisations and the co-leads of the consortia. The second stage will involve the development of a shared work business plan by all successfully selected consortium members appointed at the first stage.

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To achieve membership of the consortium, organisations will need to have a track-record of world-leading research within an area relevant to tackling cardiovascular inequalities as well as a strong track record of developing research capacity. Applications must be led by a university. While organisations are eligible to apply as a single organisation they are strongly encouraged to apply as a small collaboration with other organisations (approximately 2 to 4 members in total) which could include a mixture of: less established organisations, industry, practice, community, local authority, charity, and third sector, especially involving organisations where the need is greatest and where populations have been historically under-served by research. Applications will be assessed on the skill set of the proposed consortia. Only 1 bid is allowed from each organisation, whether as lead, co-applicant or collaborator.

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To support the evaluation of effective interventions to optimise blood pressure and minimise the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, specific areas of interest for the NIHR Inequalities Challenge include:

  • early detection and optimal management of hypertension and raised cholesterol particularly in higher risk groups specifically the Core20PLUS population groups and younger age groups (dynamically responsive to current and future UK population needs specifically multimorbidity)

  • equitable and affordable supported self-management and personalised prevention, leveraging wearables and other digital health technologies to reduce health inequalities including related issues such as data integration, access and digital poverty

  • innovative public health messaging and education including supporting sustained behaviour change to improve health outcomes specifically facilitating adherence and continuation of medication    
     

Over 5 years, funding of up to £50m will be available to support the consortium. This will be split across research and capacity building. In addition, the consortium will be expected to use its funding to involve organisations external to the consortium, where appropriate.
 

Funding for research projects will be up to 80% FEC. Funding for capacity building will be up to 80% including FEC if proposing any PhD or post-doctoral awards. If proposing any studentships or pre-doctoral level awards, funding will be at 100% of direct costs but no FEC. These will be negotiated via the stage 2 process. A portion of the overall funding will be allocated to the successful consortium for the administration of the NIHR Inequalities Challenge.
 

The indicative budget over 5 years (to be confirmed as part of stage 2):

Budget over 5 years:

  • 25/26: £5m

  • 26/27: £10

  • 27/28: £12.5m

  • 28/29: £12.5m

  • 29/30:  £10m

More information here.

Children and young people’s mental health

Funder: NIHR

Opened: 18 March 2025

Closes: 1pm, 15 August 2025

Sector: Healthcare

NIHR's Public Health Research (PHR) Programme is looking to fund research which evaluates the effectiveness of interventions in supporting the promotion and protection of the mental health of babies, children and young people. This is a 2-stage funding opportunity. To apply for the first stage you should submit an outline application. If invited to the second stage, you will then need to complete a full application.

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There is a webinar on Tuesday 3 June 2025, 1:30pm to 2:45pm. Register here.

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Research question: Which interventions are effective and cost effective in supporting the promotion and protection of the mental health of babies, children and young people?

This funding opportunity is predominantly interested in the evaluation of interventions that operate at a population level rather than at an individual level.

More information here.

'Late' TA2 Phase 1 applications

Funder: ARIA

Open: 

Closes: 17 August 2025

Sector: ALL

In TA2, ARIA will award £18m to a non-profit entity to develop critical machine learning capabilities, requiring strong organisational governance and security standards.

Phase 1, backed by £1M, will fund up to 5 teams to spend 3.5 months to develop full Phase 2 proposals. Phase 2 — which will open on 25 June 2025 —will fund a single group, for £18M, to deliver the research agenda. TA2 will explore leveraging securely-boxed AI to train autonomous control systems that can be verified against mathematical models, improving performance and robustness. The workflow will involve forking and fine-tuning mainstream pre-trained frontier AI models to create verifiably safeguarded AI solutions.

 

For those applicants that do not meet the Phase 1 application deadline (30 April 2025), to make TA2 funding as accessible as possible to as many strong applicant teams, we will accept (shortened) Phase 1 proposals until 17 Aug 2025. These proposals will not be eligible for Phase 1 funding and will be reviewed against the same Phase 1 evaluation criteria. If successful, these teams will be invited to meet with the Safeguarded AI Programme team, including the Scientific Director to discuss their thinking.

 

To apply, follow the same instructions as for Phase 1, but limit the submission to 3 pages instead of 4 pages.

Email clarifications@aria.org.uk to get an individual application link. More information here.

Polyphonic™ AI Fund for Surgery QuickFire Challenge

Funder:Johnson & Johnson MedTech

Open

Closes: 22 August 2025

Sector: Healthcare

​Researchers and innovators in the Surgical Data Science field worldwide are invited to submit ideas for AI technologies that have the potential to improve surgical decision-making, strengthen data management & governance processes, and drive surgical efficiency across the connected operating room (OR).

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Selected applicant(s) will have the opportunity to receive grant funding up to $100,000 and mentorship from experts across Johnson & Johnson.* Awardees may also be eligible to receive computing tools and technologies to help advance their innovations, including access to: GPUs and related software for accelerated computing, cloud platform and application services, Machine Learning (ML) and AI modeling toolkits and other Software Development Kits (SDKs). 

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Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and awardees will be announced quarterly through the end of 2026.

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Innovators around the world are invited to submit ideas for AI technologies with the potential to enhance surgical care and improve patient outcomes across the following categories: 

  • Surgical decision support: Perioperative AI that augments delivery of care throughout the procedure, reduces cognitive load and has the potential to serve as a surgeon co-pilot.

  • Data management & governance processes: Efforts pursuing breakthroughs in data infrastructure, privacy & consent management, labeling frameworks, and regulatory research.

  • Surgical efficiency: AI that boosts coordination across care teams, amplifies care team proficiency and improves patient management all towards enabling seamless delivery of perioperative care.


Specific surgical areas of interest include: Soft tissue surgery including but not limited to colorectal, bariatric, thoracic, urology, gynecology and general surgery. 

More information here.

Innovation Grant

Funder: University Hospitals Birmingham Charity

If you are a member of staff at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and you are interested in applying for funding from the hospital charity to benefit your patients then please contact the Grants team on 0121 371 4852 or email charities@uhb.nhs.uk. They will only consider new grant applications.

Closes: 25 August 2025

Sector: Healthcare

Neurosciences and mental health: programme

Funder: MRC

Opened: 6 May 2025

Closes: 4pm, 4 September 2025

Sector: Healthcare

Apply for funding to support a programme of research focused on neurosciences and mental health.
 

You must:

  • be employed at a research organisation eligible to apply for Medical Research Council (MRC) funding

  • have a record of securing funding and delivering research
     

There is no limit to the funding you can apply for. Applicants typically apply for £1 million or more.

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The MRC is looking to fund research in areas including, but not limited to:

  • neurodegeneration

  • clinical neurology and neuroinflammation

  • mental health

  • addictions and substance misuse

  • behavioural and learning disorders including autism

  • cognitive and behavioural neuroscience and cognitive systems

  • sensory neuroscience including vision and hearing

  • neurobiology and neurophysiology

  • underpinning support, such as neuroimaging technology, brain banking and neuroinformatics

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The MRC will usually fund up to 80% of your project’s full economic cost. Your programme can last up to five years. You must complete the pre-application stage and be invited to the full stage. This is an ongoing funding opportunity.

More information here.

Swiss-UK investigator-led randomised controlled clinical trials in areas of unmet clinical need

Funder: NIHR

Opened: 2 April 2025

Closes: 9 September 2025

Sector: Healthcare & Life Sciences

The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the NIHR are looking to fund investigator-led randomised controlled clinical trials in areas of unmet clinical need.These should address research priorities in areas that can only be effectively tackled through collaborative cross-country efforts. Trials must be delivered through sustainable collaborations with joint leads based in Switzerland and the UK.

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This funding opportunity is for late phase 2 or phase 3 applied randomised controlled clinical studies which address areas of unmet need both in Switzerland and the UK, and where there are benefits to conducting studies in multiple sites in Switzerland and the UK. Examples might include research in areas where the relevant population in each country is limited, such as for rare diseases; conditions with rare subgroups; studies evaluating precision medicine approaches in small populations; or other hard to recruit ​studies which require expanded recruitment beyond the UK or Switzerland alone.
 

For the purpose of this funding opportunity, unmet medical need arises where individuals have a serious health condition with limited satisfactory options for prevention, diagnosis or treatment to support improved health outcomes. Applications are welcomed across all areas of health which meet these criteria.

More information here.

Impact of Cancer and Cancer Care on Human Biology and Health

Funder: Medical Research Foundation

Open

Closes: 12pm, 10 September 2025

Sector: Healthcare & Life Sciences

The Medical Research Foundation is inviting applications from researchers to support people impacted by cancer, helping them to live well with and beyond treatment.

Applications are expected to be between £300,000 and £500,000 over a maximum of a 3 to 5-year period. There will be up to £3,000,000 available
 

Research areas could include, but are not limited to:

  • the biological basis of cancer treatment side effects - such as those caused by immunotherapies;

  • improving long-term and late effects of treatment - such as increased risk of secondary cancers, cardiac issues and stroke in later life, particularly in paediatric cancer patients;

  • cancer treatment side effects - such as neurological complications, mouth ulcers, fatigue, pain and nausea;

  • identifying risk or predictive factors on cancer therapy efficacy and side effect severity - such as the role of the microbiome;

  • improving consequences of cancer treatment - such as infertility, endocrine deficiencies, organ removal, and impacts of major surgery;

  • palliative care during cancer treatment and recovery;

  • rehabilitation therapies before, during and after cancer treatment and recovery - including physiotherapy and occupational therapy;

  • psychological and mental health effects of cancer and cancer survivorship.

More information here.

Knowledge Transfer Partnership: 2025 to 2026 round three

Funder: Innovate UK

Opened: 16 June 2025

Closes: 11.00am, 17 September 2025

Sector: ALL

​The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme allows a UK registered business or not for profit organisation, (the ‘business partner’) to partner with a ‘knowledge base partner’, which is either a UK higher education (HE) or further education (FE) institution, research and technology organisation (RTO) or Catapult.

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Each application must be led by a knowledge base, working with a business partner and supported by a Knowledge Transfer Adviser.Each application must be led by a knowledge base, working with a business partner and supported by a Knowledge Transfer Adviser.

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​A project’s total eligible costs are £8,500 per month. Projects must be between 12 and 36 months. A portion of the knowledge base partners' costs will be funded by Innovate UK. The remainder of the eligible project costs are paid by the business partner

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Your application must be for a specific, strategic innovation project that tackles one or more challenges faced by the business partner.

It can be any kind of project and must show:

 

  • why the business needs this Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)

  • what new knowledge is required by the business

  • what new capabilities will be embedded as a result of the KTP

More information here.

RPSC Highlight Notice: Children's Social Care

Funder: NIHR

Opened: 4 June 2025

Closes: 1pm, 17 September 2025

Sector: Social Care

This is a researcher-led funding opportunity. The Research Programme for Social Care (RPSC) is accepting Outline Applications for their Children's Social Care highlight notice funding opportunity. 
 

RPSC aims to fund research that generates evidence to increase the effectiveness of social care services, provides value for money and benefits people who need or use social care services, and carers. In this call, research will cover Children’s Social Care only. This is a two-stage funding opportunity. To apply for the first stage, you should submit an Outline Application. If invited to the second stage, you will then need to complete a Full Application.

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Proposals could include

  • Evaluations of what works, which could be feasibility or pilot studies or randomised trials. We would also consider funding quasi-experimental impact evaluations

  • Preparatory work for trials/larger studies

  • Studies on how to use regularly collected administrative data to inform decisions and provision

  • Economic evaluation of services

  • Improving how impact is measured

  • Improvements to gathering the voices of children and parents/care-givers when running children’s services

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The RPSC Programme does not have a budget limit for individual projects. PSC research teams need to propose a budget that is appropriate for the proposed work packages, project duration, resources, public involvement, equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, and collaborations. Please note that value for money will still be one of the key criteria of assessment.

More information here.

EIC Transition

Funder: European Commission - Horizon

Open: 

Closes: 17 September 2025

Sector: ALL

The EIC Transition is a funding programme under Horizon Europe targeting innovation activities that goes beyond the experimental proof of principle in laboratory. It supports both the maturation and validation of novel technologies from the lab to the relevant application environments.
 

The EIC Transition offers support to SMEs, start-ups and organisations that:

  • have identified EU-funded project result(s) with promising commercial potential that could be the basis for innovation and promising new businesses

  • envision novel promising technology that is ready for the next steps towards its maturation and validation, to be further developed and validated for some specific, high potential, commercial applications

  • have conducted a preliminary market research to identify potential markets for their innovation and explored potential competitors

  • envisage building a motivated and entrepreneurial team with a mix of skills, including researchers, business people, marketers etc. to develop and drive the idea towards commercial success

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Grants of up to EUR 2.5 million to validate and demonstrate technology in application-relevant environment (starting at TRL 3/ 4 aiming at achieving TRL 5/ 6) and develop business and market readiness. 

More information here. (2024 info, yet to be updated)

James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnerships rolling funding opportunity 

Funder: NIHR

Open: 21 May 2025

Closes: 23 September 2025

Sector: Healthcare & Life Sciences

​NIHR's Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme is inviting outline applications to their commissioned workstream. Theyare interested in receiving applications that address research priorities identified by the James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnerships (PSP).

Palliative and end of life care has been affected by the pandemic and in 2025, the JLA PSP research priorities were revisited and refreshed by Marie Curie. The top priority identified was how people with dementia experience end of life and how palliative and end of life care can better meet their needs and those of carers, friends and families.

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Patient and public involvement must be included within the application and study design to ensure the research is relevant and appropriate to patients and the public.
More information here.

​Experimental medicine stage one

Funder: MRC

Opened: 17 April 2025

Closes: 4pm, 1 October 2025

Sector: Life Sciences

Apply for funding to investigate the causes, progression and treatment of human disease.

Your project must:

  • focus on a mechanistic hypothesis

  • include an experimental intervention or challenge in humans


You must be a researcher based at a research organisation eligible to apply for MRC funding. If you are taking the next step towards becoming an independent researcher, you may be eligible to apply as a ‘new investigator’.
 

There is no limit to the amount of funding you can apply for or the length of your project. The MRC will fund 80% of your project’s full economic cost.

This is an ongoing funding opportunity. There are two stage. Application rounds close every April and October.

Apply here.

EIC Accelerator

Funder: European Commission - Horizon

Open 

Closes: 1 October 2025

Sector: ALL

The EIC Accelerator is a funding programme under Horizon Europe that offers support to start-ups and SMEs that:

  • have a innovative, game changing product, service or business model that could create new markets or disrupt existing ones in Europe and even worldwide,

  • have the ambition and commitment to scale up,

  • are looking for substantial funding, but the risks involved are too high for private investors alone to invest.

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Grant: maximum €2.5 million. 

Investment component: Between €0.5M and €10M. Applicants can choose to apply for a blend of grant and equity, grant only, grant first or equity only.

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The grants application is a 3 stage process. 
The first stage is a short proposal that can be done any time.

Next is the full proposal - deadline 1 October 2025
Lastly, interview rounds: They will be held approximately 8-9 weeks after the cut-off dates. Open to single SMEs and start-ups (and individuals intending to establish a start-up/SME) established in EU Member State Countries.

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Titles of the five EIC Accelerator Challenges:

  1. Acceleration of advanced materials development and upscaling along the value chain

  2. Biotechnology driven low emission food production systems

  3. GenAI4EU: Creating European Champions in Generative AI

  4. Innovative in-space servicing, operations, space-based robotics and technologies for resilient EU space infrastructure

  5. Breakthrough innovations for future mobility

More information here.

Health Technologies Connectivity Awards: round two

Funder: EPSRC

Opened: 19 June 2025

Closes: 4pm, 2 October 2025

Sector: Healthcare & Life Sciences

Apply for funding to spend time in a different research or user environment to build new connections applicable to health technologies. Novel engineering and physical sciences (EPS) research contributing to the delivery of the health technologies strategy must comprise a proportion of the placement.
 

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funding.
 

In this scheme, researchers will develop new skills and collaborations to progress their research in health technologies. The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £500,000. EPSRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

More information here.

Unlocking Urologic Oncology Innovation QuickFire Challenge

Funder: Johnson & Johnson

Open

Closes: 3 October 2025  

Sector: Healthcare

​Innovators from across the globe are invited to submit their transformative potential solutions to improve treatment and care of patients with Bladder and Prostate Cancers.

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The innovators with the best idea(s) will have the opportunity to receive grant funding from a total pool of up to $300,000, virtual access to the Johnson & Johnson global incubator network, JLABS, and mentorship from experts across Johnson & Johnson.

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Specific areas of interest include:

Therapeutics:

  • Treatment modalities that limit systemic and on-target, off-tumor toxicities, including local delivery

  • Provide organ-sparing treatment options for patients (with advanced disease)

Surgery:

  • Focal therapies including but not limited to local energy delivery

  • Technologies that improve upon endoscopic procedures such as trans urethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT)

More information here.

IHI call 11

Funder: IHI (Innovative Health Initiative)

Open

Closes: 9 October 2025

Sector: Healthcare

​Topic 1: Towards precision medicine: platform for transdiagnostic stratification of brain dysfunction (UK applicants can only go for topic 1)

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This is a 2 stage process. The grant for this is expected to be 20 million Euros. 

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The action generated by this topic is expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:  
1. A sustainable and collaborative large, multimodal data platform that can identify novel transdiagnostic candidate markers and endpoints for the symptom domains of reward/motivation (including anhedonia) and impulsivity (RM&I) in neuropsychiatric, neurodegenerative, and physical health disorders. Relevant disorders include Alzheimer’s disease (AD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and obesity (priority areas). Other relevant disorders/diseases include but are not limited to substance use and associated disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder and Parkinson’s disease. For a disorder/disease to be relevant, there must be evidence to show that reward/motivation and/or impulsivity are clinically significant symptom domains;  
2. Novel transdiagnostic candidate markers and endpoints are identified and progressed towards validation. Learnings are applied in drug discovery to increase probability of success (PoS);
3. A clear roadmap to achieve full validation of candidate markers and endpoints by regulatory and health technology assessment (HTA) bodies. Clinical best-practice guidelines are developed, and recommendations are made to the current diagnostic classifications to expedite the adoption of precision medicine;
4. A greater understanding of the biological foundations of RM&I symptom domains and their role in AD, MDD, obesity and other relevant disorders, enabling the generation of novel therapeutic approaches by industry;
5. Closer alignment between psychiatry, neurology, and physical health disciplines to enable dialogue between healthcare professionals (HCPs) and other medical specialists to optimise outcomes, particularly for individuals with complex healthcare needs and comorbidities. 

More information here and here

EIC Pathfinder

Funder: European Commission - Horizon

Opened: 21 May 2025

Closes: 29 October 2025 

Sector: ALL

There are two types of Pathfinder grants:

  • ‘EIC Pathfinder Open’ open to support projects in any field of science, technology or application without predefined thematic priorities. The overall budget for the EIC Pathfinder Open in 2025 is €142 million.

  • ‘EIC Pathfinder Challenges’ to support coherent portfolios of projects within predefined thematic areas with the aim to achieve specific objectives for each Challenge. The overall budget for the EIC Pathfinder Challenges in 2025 is €120 million.

 

Open Call: Grants up to EUR 3 million  
Challenge Call: Grants up to EUR 4 million.  

Higher amounts if duly justified.  Projects to achieve the proof of principle and validate the scientific basis of breakthrough technologies (starting from early TRLs aiming at achieving TRL3 or 4).
 

Who can apply

Consortia from EU Member States and countries associated to the Horizon Europe programme:

  • Consortia of at least three different independent legal entities

  • At least one legal entity established in a Member State

  • At least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries

  • Additionally, single applicants, small and larger consortia (two partners) for EIC Pathfinder Challenges only.
     

Your proposal must meet all the following essential characteristics:

  • Ambitions long-term vision for a radically new technology that has the potential to create new market and provide solutions for global challenges

  • High-risk/high-gain breakthrough research that provides the foundations of the technology that you envisioning

EIC Work Programme 2025 - here

More information here.

STEP Scale Up

Funder: European Innovation Council

Open

Closes: 31 October 2025

Sector: ALL

​The EIC STEP Scale Up scheme is part of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), offering financial support in the form of investments to startups, SMEs, and small mid-caps, between EUR 10 to 30 million.
 

Its goal is to scale-up  innovation in Europe’s strategic technology sectors, particularly in quantum technologies and semiconductors, thereby enhancing the EU´s economic and technological competitiveness. The EIC Step Up scheme will catalyse larger funding rounds, amplifying the impact of the initial investment.

Who can apply?

  • A single SME or small mid-cap (up to 499 employees) established within a Member State or an Associated Country.

  • An investor may submit a proposal on behalf of an eligible SME or small mid-cap as defined above,

Note: This scheme targets companies seeking major funding rounds, requiring proof of initial market interest from a qualified investor covering at least 20% of the total target funding round.

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Scope of innovation

  • Digital and Deep Tech: Includes semiconductor, AI, quantum, advanced connectivity, sensing, robotics, and autonomous systems.

  • Clean Technologies: Focus on net-zero solutions like solar, wind, battery storage, geothermal, hydrogen, biogas, carbon capture, nuclear, and circular economy.

  • Biotechnologies: Includes critical medicines, DNA/RNA, proteins, cell engineering, gene vectors, bioinformatics, and nanobiotechnology.

  • For details see the Guidance Note on STEP

 

Grant funding

Budget

  • Total 2025 budget of EUR 300 million.

  • Minimum investment EUR 10 million, maximum EUR 30 million in 2025.

Equity only investments

Managed by the EIC Fund, the STEP Scale Up scheme aims to bridge the funding gap for high-risk innovations that cannot be fully financed by other investors.

More information here.

Future Leaders Fellowships: Round 10, business and non-academic

Funder: UK Research and Innovation

Opened: 23 June 2025

Closes: 11am, 5 November 2025

Sector: ALL

Previously funded project’s grant requests have been between £100,000 and £3 million. The maximum grant funding request is £3 million, any requests exceeding this will be classed as ineligible and will not proceed to assessment.

 

The aim of this competition is to:

 

  • support ambitious research and innovation to tackle difficult and novel challenges

  • support excellence in innovation, across interdisciplinary boundaries and sectors

  • develop, retain, and attract the next wave of research and innovation leaders

 

Working with a host organisation a Future Leaders Fellow will receive at least four years of funding to pursue an ambitious programme of innovation. The fellow will also have access to tailored opportunities and resources to develop their career as a future leader in their field.

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Your project must:

 

  • deliver research or innovation above and beyond the standard activities of the organisation

  • maximise the impact and influence of the proposed work

  • include a clear programme of skills development, allowing you to fully develop your leadership potential through, for example, mentoring and professional development training

  • have the full support of your host organisation

 

Your project can:

 

 

  • be made up of a single programme of work, or multiple consecutive or concurrent projects led by the Fellow, known as a ‘Portfolio Fellowship’

  • be altered once underway to react to changes in the research landscape or react to business needs

More information here.

Innovation Grant

Funder: University Hospitals Birmingham Charity

If you are a member of staff at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and you are interested in applying for funding from the hospital charity to benefit your patients then please contact the Grants team on 0121 371 4852 or email charities@uhb.nhs.uk. They will only consider new grant applications.

Closes: 30 November 2025

Sector: Healthcare

Impact Jersey Innovation Programme

Funder: Impact Jersey

Open

Closes:  Ongoing

Sector: Healthcare

Whether you’re developing a pilot, a proof of concept, or a scalable solution, the programme offers:

  • Applications open all year round

  • Flexible funding aligned to Jersey’s strategic priorities

  • 1-to-1 support to shape stronger proposals

From application guidelines to funding info and FAQs, everything you need is now live on the application page.

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Up to £500,000 will be available per quarter (with a maximum of £1 million available in 2025 and £2 million during 2026).

Impact Jersey focuses on funding a range of technology solutions to key issues and addressing strategic priorities defined by the Government of Jersey. To delve deeper into Ministerial Priorities click on pages 6 & 7 of the Impact Jersey Strategic Programme Proposal.

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Key health ones are:

  • Ageing Population - How can we help people live independently for longer?

  • Health & Wellbeing - How can we monitor and identify hazards to health and provide interventions at the earliest opportunity?

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Global Innovation Fund- Grants

Funder: Global Innovation Fund

Open, no closing date

Sector: All

The Global Innovation Fund is a non-profit, impact-first investment fund headquartered in London with offices in Washington, D.C. and Nairobi. It invests in the development, rigorous testing, and scaling up of new products, services, business process, or policy reforms that are more cost-effective than current practice and targeted at improving the lives of the world's poorest people.

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It accepts applications from organisations working in any sector in any developing country. Any type of organisation may apply. This includes social enterprises, for-profit companies, non-profit organisations, government agencies, international organisations, and research institutions in any country. It is recommended that individual innovators, entrepreneurs, or researchers apply through an affiliated organisation. 

More information.

Big Ideas

Funder: CW+

Open, no closing date

Sector: Healthcare & Life Sciences

If you're an employee of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, then you can apply for this grant.

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The programme is designed to: promote innovation, transformation and new service development; support staff in the delivery of front line patient care. Awards are usually up to £50,000.
More information here.

Catapult/RTO Grants

Funder: Innovate UK Business Growth

Open, no closing date

Sector: All

Up to £15,000 grants available for:

  • Sector specific advice on expertise;

  • Testing and/or development work;

  • Market analysis, cost modelling etc;

  • Identifying opportunities for R&D, partnership building & collaboration, and more.

More information.​

Past Funding Calls can be viewed using the links below:
2025
2024
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