Competitions
These invite projects from any industry that demonstrate clear innovation and commercial potential. Innovate UK’s Smart Grants are a prominent example, supporting breakthrough technologies that are novel, scalable, and impactful.
These target specific sectors or challenges such as:
Competitions may be tied to the UK Government’s Innovation Strategy, Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge, or sector-specific roadmaps.
These encourage partnerships between businesses, universities, and research organisations. Projects benefit from shared knowledge, facilities, and greater access to funds. Many Horizon Europe-aligned UK competitions also follow this format.
Successful projects often receive funding covering 50–70% of eligible project costs, depending on company size and project nature.
The FI Group’s International Grants Guide 2025 is a comprehensive reference for businesses and institutions looking to leverage public funding opportunities worldwide. Covering over a dozen countries, the guide breaks down national and regional schemes that support R&D, innovation, energy efficiency, sustainability, and industrial transformation.
The FI Group’s International Grants Guide 2025 is a comprehensive reference for businesses and institutions looking to leverage public funding opportunities worldwide. Covering over a dozen countries, the guide breaks down national and regional schemes that support R&D, innovation, energy efficiency, sustainability, and industrial transformation.
While UK Government funding remains vital, UK companies can also access a range of European and international grant programmes. These schemes support larger budgets, cross-border collaboration, and global innovation goals. FI Group helps UK organisations compete successfully across these high-impact opportunities.
| TRL 2–4(Exploratory R&D) | TRL 4–6(Feasibility and Validation) | TRL 6–7(Prototype Development and Testing) | TRL 8–9(Commercial Deployment) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon Europe Pathfinder Grant | EIC Transition Grant | AUKUS Innovation Challenges | EIC Accelerator Grant |
| MSCA Grant (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions) | Horizon Europe Cluster Projects | Horizon Europe Clusters | Eurostars Grants (late-stage) |
| ESA Kick-Start Feasibility Studies | ESA Demonstration Projects | EIC Transition Grant (upper end) | ESA Incubation and Tech Transfer Programmes |
| Eurostars Grants |
We continuously monitor the UK grant landscape to flag suitable competitions for your business. Our experts assess:
Our team works closely with your internal stakeholders to craft a winning proposal. This includes:
FI Group manages the end-to-end submission process, ensuring timely and compliant entry into each competition. We help:
If your application is successful, we offer guidance on:
See more about our bid management services.
We bring together tax, grant, and R&D expertise under one roof — ensuring your grant strategy complements other funding like R&D Tax Relief.
We bring together tax, grant, and R&D expertise under one roof — ensuring your grant strategy complements other funding like R&D Tax Relief.
UK Grant Competitions are a crucial source of innovation funding for businesses looking to accelerate research, develop new technologies, and bring novel solutions to market. These competitive funding calls, often run by Innovate UK and other UK public sector bodies, provide businesses with a unique opportunity to access non-dilutive capital while validating their ideas and expanding R&D activities.
FI Group offers strategic support throughout the UK Grant Competition process from identifying the right competition to preparing compelling bids and ensuring compliant delivery. Our expertise spans sectors and technologies, enabling us to maximise your success rate in a highly competitive environment.
UK Grant Competitions are government-backed funding opportunities designed to encourage innovation by inviting businesses, academic institutions, and consortia to submit project proposals aligned with specific innovation themes or national priorities.