Intention to submit (mandatory): 3 March 2025, 4pm UK time
Competition opens: 12 March 2025
Competition closes: 29 May 2025, 4pm UK time
Applicants notified: July 2025
Project start date & duration: By 01 September 2025, 6-12 months duration
Scope
Supports early-to-mid stage commercialisation activities that validate the development of concepts that arose from research. Applications are welcomed from across all research disciplines and research council remit, including cross and multidisciplinary approaches. Collaborations between research organisations across the R&D system are welcomed. The scheme looks to support projects that are not eligible for funding applications via existing UKRI funding opportunities and projects that now require further de-risking at a larger scale. Intended project outputs should include the development of an appropriate commercialisation proposition and strategy, e.g., increasing readiness towards and investable or licensable proposition.
Specific Themes
The funding opportunity supports two types of activities which must be addressed by projects: the further development or advancement of research toward specific user needs and market uses or audiences, and the development of the commercialisation requirements needed to reach those users and markets. Examples of activities include development of prototypes, user testing and feedback, refining routes to market, users or audiences, developing intellectual property strategy, establishing or demonstrating freedom to operate, confirming market validation and product-market fit, developing regulatory or standards requirements needed to reach users and audiences, prototype demonstration. This list is not exhaustive, and your activities should be specific to your project, target market, and user/audience needs and disciplines.
Projects that will not be funded
Fundamental or curiosity-driven research, discovery research, extension or continuity of on-going work between research grants, public engagement activities and the filing of IP. Projects that are eligible and in-scope of live/upcoming UKRI council specific support.
Eligibility
- Subsidy Control and EC State Aid funding rules apply
- Only UKRI eligible research organisations can apply for this funding. Applications need to be supported by your research organisation and only a specific number of applications are eligible per research organisation (depending on the number of active research staff).
- Researchers (including postdoctoral researchers, research assistants/associates, heads of groups, fellows) and support staff (including technicians, specialists, research and innovation associates) are eligible to apply.
- Applications are welcomed from any discipline.
- International applicants based outside the UK are not eligible to apply.
Funding Rates
- FEC can be up to £250,000, with a minimum of £100,000. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.
How PNO can support you
The UK team has a strong track record in securing some of the most competitive national and European grants on behalf of its clients, with a full understanding of how a project should be presented to stand the highest chance of success. Each year in the UK alone, we are responsible for the submission of more than 100 funding applications across all sectors and priority areas. Based on this extensive experience, through careful project selection and using key insight into how a project should be best positioned, we consistently achieve success rates that are more than 5 times the typical success rates for UK national schemes and EU programmes.
For further information or to discuss a project idea please contact PNO Consultants
0161 488 3488 | info.uk@pnoconsultants.com
