GrantRadar

Innovate UK (UKRI), part of UKRI's Engineering Biology Programme

Engineering Biology Investor Partnerships Round 1

Innovate UK grants of £250,000 to £2 million for UK-registered SMEs to take close-to-market engineering biology products and services through 24-month experimental development projects. The grant covers up to 45% of project costs for micro and small firms (35% for medium), and is paid only if the company also secures aligned equity or convertible-loan investment of at least twice the grant, led by an investor from Innovate UK's approved investor pool, with heads of terms by 29 July 2027. Single applicants only; Innovate UK puts the chance of success at about 20%. Closes 11am on 2 December 2026; the total pot is £8 million.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£250,000 – £2,000,000
Deadline
45 days left
2 December
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Single applicants only: a UK-registered micro, small or medium-sized business (SME), registered in the UK as an SME by the time the award is contracted, carrying out the project in the UK and intending to exploit the results from or in the UK
  • The company must be able to complete aligned investment, through new shares or convertible debt, of at least twice the grant, led by an investor from the programme's investor pool, with heads of terms agreed by 29 July 2027
  • Grant requests must be £250,000 to £2 million and projects must last 24 months; requests outside these limits need justification emailed to support@iuk.ukri.org at least 10 working days before the close
  • Each SME can submit only one application to this round
  • Subcontractors are allowed (overseas ones only with a detailed case for why UK ones could not be used)
  • Innovate UK encourages applicants from under-represented groups and from regions outside London, Oxford and Cambridge

What it funds

Experimental development projects that support the development and adoption of engineering biology technologies and the commercialisation of late-stage, close-to-market projects, where the core innovation is in engineered biological systems, for example:

  • Biosensors and diagnostics
  • Biomanufacturing systems
  • Biocatalysis and chemical production
  • Engineered biomaterials
  • Metabolic engineering
  • Nucleotide synthesis
  • Engineered proteins and enzymes
  • Cell and microbe engineering
  • Synthetic biology platforms
  • Gene editing and genome engineering
  • AI and computational biology
  • Applied to one or more of: health; agriculture and food; chemicals and materials; low carbon fuels; waste and environment; cross-cutting technology and service development
  • Work on viability or scale-up, such as validation, manufacturing or regulatory progression, where it is directly enabled by the engineering biology innovation
  • Up to 45% of eligible project costs for micro or small organisations and up to 35% for medium-sized organisations

The aligned investment (equity or convertible loan, at least twice the grant) can be used across the company and for costs Innovate UK does not fund; the grant supports the project only.

What it will not fund

  • Projects not carried out by SMEs
  • Projects not original in scope or duplicating someone else's work
  • Clinical development of any biologic, vaccine or engineering-biology-derived small molecule
  • Projects not focused on engineering biology
  • Clinical trials or preclinical evaluation of therapeutics
  • Fundamental research
  • Projects not part of a company's growth plan
  • Projects unable to prove potential for return on investment and growth
  • Large capital infrastructure
  • Projects dependent on export performance or on using a set percentage of UK components
  • Projects whose investment has already been secured, or where the grant would make no significant difference to the investment

How to apply

  1. Review the investor pool on the Innovate UK Business Connect site and, ideally, open a dialogue with a lead investor (you can apply before speaking to one, but it is strongly encouraged)
  2. Start an application on the Innovation Funding Service
  3. Complete the project details (summary, public description and scope, 400 words each), the application questions (up to 400 words each), finances and Project Impact sections
  4. Upload the appendices, including a one-page investment profile that will be shared with all the investors in the programme
  5. Submit by 11am UK time on 2 December 2026; you can reopen and resubmit up to the deadline
  6. Innovate UK tells applicants by 15 January 2027 whether they are eligible for grant funding
  7. Reach heads of terms with a lead investor from the pool by 29 July 2027; final decisions are notified on 17 August 2027 and projects start by 1 December 2027

Innovate UK Business Growth can help prepare the one-page investment summary. Contact support@iuk.ukri.org or 0300 321 4357 with questions, and at least 15 working days before the deadline for reasonable adjustments.

Have ready

  • Innovation Funding Service application with project details, application questions, finances and Project Impact answers
  • One-page investment profile (PDF, one A4 page): funding received, ask or use of funds, team, traction, problem and solution, market, business or revenue model, financial projections and contact details
  • Project plan or Gantt chart (PDF, up to two A4 pages)
  • Risk register (PDF, up to two A4 pages)
  • Appendix for the approach and innovation question (optional, PDF, up to two A4 pages)
  • Team summary appendix (optional, PDF, up to two A4 pages)
  • Evidence that the primary innovation is engineering biology, such as patents, proprietary strains, engineered cell lines, protected know-how or licences to background IP

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