Resources

A practical guide to a highly competitive AI funding competition

If you are planning to apply for Innovate UK’s AI Champions: Frontier AI Phase 1 competition, this guide will help you understand what the fund is looking for and how to build a stronger application.

Created by FI Group by EPSA, this downloadable guide explains the scheme’s core requirements, the assessment focus, common weaknesses and the practical signals that separate credible applications from those that are unlikely to progress. The competition is aimed at single UK-registered SME applicants, for projects starting at TRL 3 or below, with eligible costs between £150,000 and £250,000 over 3 to 6 months.

What the guide covers

Eligibility and scope

Understand who can apply, what makes a project eligible, and where bids commonly fall out of scope. The guide explains the key constraints around applicant type, project structure, TRL starting point and the requirement for AI to be the core technical innovation.

What assessors are really looking for

Learn how assessors review technical need, development and validation, IP and defensibility, team capability, market route, risks and value for money. The guide translates the assessment logic into practical application advice.

How to build a more credible technical case

The strongest bids do more than describe an idea. They show a named baseline, numeric targets, validation thresholds, defined datasets and a clear compute plan. Our guide shows how to structure that case more convincingly.

Common reasons applications score poorly

Weak theme alignment, vague validation, unclear IP, unsupported market claims and procedural mistakes can all damage an application. The guide highlights the failure modes applicants should address early.

How to approach the application more strategically

The competition is structured through the Innovation Funding Service and assessed by independent reviewers. Our guide explains how to shape a Phase 1 proposal that reads as feasible, evidence-led and commercially relevant.

Understand the £300 million capital grant fund for offshore wind and electricity networks manufacturing.

Planning a new facility or expanding UK manufacturing capacity for eligible critical components? This guide explains how the Great British Energy Supply Chain Fund works, what is in scope, how applications are assessed, and how to build a stronger case for assistance.

What’s inside the guide

What you’ll learn

• who can apply, including the Companies Act 2006 requirement
• which critical components are in scope
• what counts as eligible CapEx and what is excluded
• how the four-stage application process works
• how to approach minimum necessary funding and value for money
• the key round deadlines and delivery window
• the commercial issues that can strengthen or weaken your application

Stay ahead of key EU funding deadlines with our 2026 First Semester European Grants Calendar.

This practical, easy-to-use guide provides a clear overview of upcoming European grant calls, helping you plan submissions, allocate internal resources, and align your innovation strategy with funding opportunities.

Designed for businesses, research organisations, and innovation-driven teams, this calendar keeps you informed and prepared throughout H1 2026.

Download your copy now and ensure you never miss a strategic funding opportunity.

Innovate UK DRIVE35 2026 CFO Guide: funding, eligibility and bid strategy

Download a CFO-ready view of DRIVE35, before you commit resources

DRIVE35 is a competitive Innovate UK grant competition for late-stage, pre-production automotive innovation. The scheme is built for delivery credibility and value for money, not just technical merit. Download this guide to pressure-test eligibility, model the cash and match-funding profile, and avoid common bid failures.

↓  Scroll to the bottom of the page to download  ↓

What this guide helps a CFO do

If you are deciding whether to back a DRIVE35 bid, you need clarity on cash exposure, governance, and compliance readiness. This guide focuses on the core finance questions that typically derail bids late, including match funding evidence, subsidy constraints, and cost traceability to milestones.

You will get:

• A 60-second eligibility screen to validate consortium and funding guardrails
• The non-negotiables: grant cap, match funding, commercial spend mix, viability checks
• A finance-led view of what “value for money” means in practice
• The bid and due diligence pathway, including the APC interview and post-award assurance expectations

Key facts at a glance

• Competition window: Opens Monday 5 January 2026, closes Wednesday 18 March 2026 (11:00am UK time)
• Total funding available: Up to £33 million
• Grant request limit: Up to £25 million and no more than 50% of total eligible project costs
• Delivery profile: Late-stage, pre-production, with a credible route to commercial deployment
• Compliance context: Subsidy Control framework and financial viability checks apply

Who should download this

This guide is written for decision-makers who are accountable for funding risk, delivery assurance, and audit readiness, including:

• CFOs and Finance Directors
• Heads of Tax and Group Controllers
• Programme Directors and PMO leads responsible for milestone delivery
• Consortium leads coordinating OEM, Tier 1 and SME participation

The eligibility and funding guardrails to validate first

Before any work starts, you should validate the constraints that routinely cause bids to fail at sift or during assessment:

• The consortium must include a vehicle manufacturer or Tier 1 supplier to an OEM, plus at least one UK SME claiming grant funding
• Grant share is capped at 50% of total eligible project costs, and projects must be at least 50% match funded
• At least 70% of total project costs must be incurred by commercial organisations
• The lead must be a UK-registered business and a grant-claiming recipient, with delivery governance and a near-final collaboration agreement expected by interview stage

Common pitfalls the guide helps you avoid

Innovate UK assess delivery credibility and value for money as heavily as the technology. The guide highlights recurring failure modes, including:

• Weak consortium fit, including missing OEM or Tier 1 coverage and unclear partner roles
• Thin value for money narrative, where UK outcomes are not quantified and “minimum required” grant is not evidenced
• Cost and funding misalignment, including ineligible costs, breached caps, unproven match funding, and budgets not anchored to milestones

How FI Group supports DRIVE35 bids

Applying to DRIVE35 is technically demanding and commercially scrutinised. FI Group supports the end-to-end process, from fit assessment through financial modelling, submission, and APC interview readiness, with a focus on compliance, evidence quality, and audit-ready delivery.

Support typically covers:

• Confirming DRIVE35 fit (scope, TRL/MRL targeting, theme alignment, guardrails)
• Structuring the consortium, governance, and partner responsibilities
• Building an auditable budget aligned to milestones and funding rates, including modelling the 3.5% APC industrial contribution impact
• Writing and reviewing IFS answers for scoring alignment and Subsidy Control defensibility
• Preparing the APC interview pack, economic response, and evidence set for due diligence

 

The funding problem facing finance leaders in 2025

Throughout 2025, many CFOs have expressed the same frustration. Despite strong innovation pipelines, the pool of UKRI funding calls that are genuinely open to any technology has been narrow, sporadic and highly thematic. Even where there is a fit, finance teams are left to decode complex rules on grant rates, matched investment and “value for money”, with little time to decide whether a competition is worth the distraction.

Growth Catalyst 2025 is one of the few cross sector Innovate UK opportunities that is large enough to move the needle on runway, cost of capital and investor confidence. It also comes with a higher evidential bar, a formal Investor Partner requirement and a tight window between opening and deadline.

This downloadable guide is written specifically for CFOs, Finance Directors and Heads of Tax who need to make a clear, defensible call on Growth Catalyst without getting lost in scheme jargon.

What you will learn (and use immediately)

By downloading the guide, you will gain a structured way to answer three core questions:

• Does Growth Catalyst meaningfully change our runway and cost of capital, or is a standard equity round cleaner?
• Can we evidence serious investor intent at the level Innovate UK expects, not just informal interest or soft commitments?
• Is this the right moment to commit scarce internal resource to a competitive, investor led grant process?

Rather than repeating the competition brief, the guide reframes Growth Catalyst through a finance lens, so you can decide quickly whether to proceed, park or decline.

Inside the guide

The resource distils Growth Catalyst into a practical decision tool, including:

• A 60 second eligibility screen for finance teams, focused on technology scope, maturity and investor readiness
• A breakdown of grant rates, project sizes and investor multiples, translated into capital stack language
• A simple framework to model runway, dilution and burn multiple with and without Growth Catalyst
• An overview of the assessment criteria and scoring lenses, so you see what assessors will actually reward
• A checklist for aligning your Investor Partner conversations with Innovate UK expectations

You can use the guide as a standalone reference for internal discussion, or as a starting point for deeper modelling with your board and investors.

Why FI Group is a strategic partner for CFOs

FI Group is a specialist advisory firm focused on R&D tax incentives and innovation funding, supporting more than 15,000 clients across 20 plus countries. Our UK team works daily at the intersection of public funding, private capital and compliance, helping finance leaders integrate schemes such as Innovate UK calls, Horizon Europe and national R&D tax relief into a coherent funding strategy. Global operations do not need global headaches. Your HQ sees the full picture. Your teams feel the local support.

As Dr Fawzi Abou Chahine, Funding Director at FI Group UK, puts it:

“Calls like Growth Catalyst can be transformational, but only if they are approached as part of a clear capital strategy, not as a one off funding chase.”

Download the Growth Catalyst 2025 CFO guide

If you are responsible for capital allocation in an innovative business and want a concise, finance led view of Growth Catalyst, this guide is for you.

Complete the form on this page to download your copy of the Growth Catalyst 2025 CFO Guide and gain a clearer basis for your next funding decision.

The CFO’s Guide to the Biomedical Catalyst 2025

Get a concise, CFO-ready playbook for Innovate UK’s Biomedical Catalyst. The guide distils scope, eligibility, TRLs, cost models, cash flow planning, and scoring criteria into practical checklists, examples and templates. It is written for busy executive teams who want to move fast, de-risk bids, and protect equity while accelerating R&D.

Why this guide matters for CFOs

CFOs in life sciences juggle runway, match funding, audit exposure, and cross-border compliance. This guide shows how to structure a non-dilutive funding plan alongside tax reliefs and international calls, so cash flow stays predictable and governance tight. It reflects the reality that incentive regimes and evidence standards differ by jurisdiction, which demands coordinated planning rather than ad-hoc bids.

What you will learn (and use immediately)

• Eligibility and scope: typical project types, TRLs, and what a compelling clinical or technical hypothesis looks like.
• Funding mechanics: common funding rates by organisation type, match funding tactics, and how to avoid disallowed costs.
• Score maximisers: crisp problem statements, route-to-patient, value for money, risk and IP strategy, plus realistic milestones.
• Budgeting and cash flow: mapping spend to phases, aligning grant claims with tax periods, and preparing for audit.
• Evidence packs: what reviewers expect for unmet need, comparative advantage, and NHS or payer adoption.
• Consortium strategy: partner roles, governance, and letters of support that actually carry weight.
• Next steps if not funded: rapid resubmission strategy and international alternatives.

Who should download

• CFOs and finance leaders managing burn and match funding for pre-seed to Series B biotechs, medtech and diagnostics.
• CTOs and Principal Investigators needing a clean evidence chain from lab to first-in-human.
• BD and Market Access leads preparing NHS or payer-led adoption plans.
• Global groups coordinating submissions across the UK, EU and the US.

Up to £3M in Funding for Cross-Disciplinary AMR Research

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has launched a major funding opportunity for 2025: the Transdisciplinary Research to Tackle AMR call. With up to £3 million available per project, this is a rare opportunity for UK research institutions to lead bold, high-impact projects that address antimicrobial resistance across human, animal, and environmental systems.

This downloadable guide from FI Group UK provides a clear breakdown of the call, including:

• Funding scope and UKRI eligibility criteria

• Key dates, budget rules, and submission deadlines

• Requirements for team structure and research disciplines

• What’s in scope and what will not be funded

• How to engage stakeholders and build a competitive bid

• Tips to maximise success and avoid common pitfalls

Who Should Download This Guide?

This guide is designed for:

• University research teams exploring AMR, One Health, or environmental microbiology

• Principal Investigators and Co-Investigators planning UKRI proposals

• Research Development Managers supporting major grant bids

• Innovation and Knowledge Exchange teams coordinating consortia

• Health and life science SMEs collaborating with academic institutions

If your institution is preparing to submit to the UKRI AMR 2025 call, this guide will save time, improve clarity, and help you plan effectively.