Research and Development Grants

There are research and development grants available for new products and services. These grants have one purpose: to encourage innovation.

Grant for Research and Development Scheme

The Grant for Research and Development scheme applied only to England. The scheme closed in 2011 and was replaced by Smart grants, now run by Innovate UK: check GOV.UK for current details. The regional governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have similar schemes for their respective areas.

In England, individuals, and small and medium-sized businesses, could apply for the grant. The grant covered five types of project. With each of these, the grant did not pay for the full costs.

The first type of project relates to Development Project Grants. These were for prototypes of technologically advanced products and processes. Grants were up to £250,000.

Exceptional Development Project Grants were for technologically advanced products or processes that had strategic importance within an industry. The amounts of the grants were up to £500,000.

Micro Project Grants were for straightforward development projects that took no more than a year to complete. The grant limit was £20,000.

Proof of Market Grants helped fund research into the commercial possibilities of new technological ideas. The maximum grant was £20,000.

Research Project Grants were for enquiries into the commercial and technical viability of a new piece of technology. These grants went no higher than £100,000.

Applicants should check current funding opportunities through Innovate UK or local enterprise partnerships.

Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Innovate UK, formerly the Technology Strategy Board and now part of UK Research and Innovation, administers these grants. They apply to the whole of the UK.

Collaborative Research and Development Grants fund research into new products and services. They also help offset the costs of bringing a new product to the marketplace.

They differ from other government research and development grants in two ways. Applicants must take part in a competition for funding, and the projects must have at least two collaborators. One or more of the latter must be a businessperson.

The share of research and development expenses the grants cover depends on the size of the organisation and the type of project: check the Innovate UK competition pages on GOV.UK for current rates. For details of the competitions, contact Innovate UK.

Grant Eligibility Finder

Tell us what you need funding for and we will match you with the types of UK grant most likely to accept your application.

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Innovation Vouchers

The government’s Business Link agency offered Innovation Vouchers to assist small and medium-sized businesses in England. Business Link closed in 2012, and the Innovation Voucher scheme later run by Innovate UK has also ended. Businesses could use the vouchers to get expert help for the development of new processes, services and products. Check GOV.UK for current support of this kind.

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

European Grants

The EU has a scheme called the Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. The current programme is Horizon Europe.

FP7 ended in 2013 and Horizon Europe is organised differently. Within FP7 were four areas. The EU refers to these as Capacities, Cooperation, Ideas and People.

The Capacities programme supports research and innovation in a number of key areas. Co-operation gives money to research that involves joint working across different countries. The Ideas scheme funds many types of concept-based research around Europe. And the People programme provides grants for research training.

The European Commission, and the Horizon Europe website, has more details. The UK is an associated country to Horizon Europe: check GOV.UK for how UK applicants take part.

EUREKA

EUREKA is another European-based grants initiative. Its aim is to encourage joint research and development projects. The goals of these projects should be innovative services, processes or products.

Funding for projects comes from national funding bodies, Innovate UK in the UK, and the rates vary: check GOV.UK for current figures. Others receive help in the form of expert advice and partnerships. One benefit of EUREKA is the chance to place a research and development idea on its website. This acts as an advert among potentially interested parties. The site also has further information on the grant application process.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Grant Eligibility Finder lets you tell us what you need funding for and we will match you with the types of UK grant most likely to accept your application. Try it now →