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Secure the funding you need to innovate and grow your business with our round-up of the best grant opportunities coming up in the next couple of months. Our curated selection of the latest funding schemes includes grant opportunities for health & care, social impact, sustainability, and digital innovation.
Emerging Technology:
Autonomous Sensor Management and Sensor Counter Deception – Phase 2
Funding for collaborative sensor innovations that strengthen defence intelligence and surveillance.
What is it? This Phase 2 competition, run by the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) on behalf of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), seeks innovative solutions that enable autonomous sensor management and counter deception in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR). A total of £1 million is available, with funding expected for two collaborative projects.
Who is it for? UK organisations able to collaborate on defence and security-focused R&D, particularly in digital technologies, electronics, robotics and AI, sensors, and security and defence.
Deadline: 10th February 2026
TechLocal: Connecting Local Talent to Local Tech Jobs
Funding for UK organisations to develop local initiatives that connect people into entry-level tech roles.
What is it? TechLocal is a collaborative funding competition led by Innovate UK and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), offering a share of up to £7.6 million. It supports impactful local projects that help people secure entry-level roles in frontier technologies, while enabling SMEs to adopt these technologies through access to skilled local talent.
Who is it for? UK-registered organisations working in collaboration, delivering projects in one or more UK regions and addressing local skills needs in frontier technology sectors such as AI, cyber security, quantum, engineering biology, semiconductors, or advanced connectivity.
Deadline: 18th March 2026
Robotics Adoption Programme: Skills Development
Funding to develop vocational robotics skills courses in the UK.
What is it? This Innovate UK competition, co-funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, offers a share of £2.5 million to support projects that create or enhance vocational training programmes in robotics. The aim is to build the UK’s workforce capability in robotics and automation.
Who is it for? UK-registered organisations including businesses, research and technology organisations, academic institutions, charities, not-for-profits, and public sector bodies, applying individually or collaboratively.
Deadline: 25th March 2026
Sustainability:
Naturesave Trust: Marine Conservation Grants
Funding for projects that protect and restore marine environments across the UK.
What is it? The Naturesave Trust supports charities, community groups, and organisations working to conserve and restore marine habitats and species. Projects can focus on habitat restoration, species recovery, litter prevention, sustainable marine management, volunteering, education, citizen science, or influencing policy. Innovative approaches to marine conservation and strengthening connections between people and the ocean are encouraged.
Who is it for? UK-based charities, community groups, and organisations (excluding government-funded organisations and schools).
Deadline: 26th February 2026
Rewilding Innovation Fund
Grants for rewilding projects to restore ecosystems across Britain.
What is it? The Rewilding Innovation Fund supports projects that remove barriers to rewilding, from early planning and feasibility studies to community engagement and innovative technologies. Funding of up to £15,000 can help projects unlock further investment or scale up their impact on land and sea. Since 2021, over £970k has been awarded to 79 initiatives.
Who is it for? UK-based organisations or landowners in England, Scotland, or Wales, who are members of the Rewilding Network and managing at least 40 hectares of land or any size of marine project. Local networks or clusters of landowners can also apply.
Deadline: 28th February 2026
Increasing EV Charging Capacity on the Strategic Road Network
Funding to develop and demonstrate innovative EV charging solutions for longer journeys.
What is it? This Innovate UK competition offers funding for collaborative projects that increase public ultra-rapid EV charging capacity on England’s Strategic Road Network (motorways and major A-roads). Up to £3 million per project is available to support real-world trials of whole-system solutions that overcome grid and operational constraints, address charging “cold spots”, and improve reliability and accessibility for EV drivers.
Who is it for? UK-registered organisations working collaboratively across sectors such as energy, transport, infrastructure, electronics, and place-based innovation, with projects delivered in eligible regions of England.
Deadline: 25th March 2026
Social Impact
The Screwfix Foundation Grants
Small grants for charities supporting people in need.
What is it? The Screwfix Foundation provides grants of around £5,000 to support projects involving the repair, maintenance, improvement or construction of buildings used by people in need. Funding must be used within 12 months and recipients must provide a completion update. Applications are reviewed quarterly by the Foundation’s Trustees.
Who is it for? Registered charities or not-for-profit organisations in the UK or Republic of Ireland that support people facing financial hardship, sickness, distress or other disadvantages.
Deadline: 10th February 2026
Small Charity Week
Match-funding campaign to support small UK charities.
What is it? Small Charity Week, run by Big Give, Global’s Make Some Noise, and NCVO, is a seven-day online campaign that helps small charities raise unrestricted funding. Charities receive match funding from “Champion” donors, doubling public donations made through Big Give’s platform. The campaign also provides marketing support, training, and guidance to maximise impact.
Who is it for? UK-registered charities with an annual income between £5,000 and £1 million, working to support people and communities. Charities can apply for match funding between £500 and £10,000 for specific projects or core costs.
Deadline: 11th February 2026
Health and Wellbeing
BBSRC 2025 Transformative Research Technologies (25TRT)
Funding for UK researchers developing cutting-edge bioscience technologies.
What is it? The programme offers UK-based researchers the chance to secure funding for early-stage development of novel bioscience technologies that could deliver a step-change in research capability. Projects can include technology development, proof-of-concept prototypes, bioinformatics tools, or computational approaches such as AI and modelling. Funding supports 6–18 month projects, covering up to 80% of full economic cost, with a maximum award of £225,000. Interdisciplinary and collaborative projects, including “problem owner–solution provider” partnerships, are encouraged.
Who is it for? Researchers or research technical professionals at UK research organisations eligible for BBSRC funding. Applicants can only lead one project but may co-lead multiple projects. International collaborations are welcome, provided the lead is UK-based.
Deadline: 11th February 2026
Breast Cancer UK Research Grants 2025/26
Funding for research into environmental chemicals and breast cancer risk.
What is it? Breast Cancer UK offers two funding streams: a Career Development Award of up to £200,000 for early career researchers, and a Seed Award of up to £25,000 for pilot projects or top-ups. Research must focus on the impact of environmental chemicals on breast cancer risk.
Who is it for? UK higher education institution researchers. Career Development Awards are for early career researchers with limited prior funding; Seed Awards can support researchers at any stage.
Deadline: 12th February 2026
MRC Gap Fund – Single-Step Medical Product Development
Funding to de-risk high-risk development steps for new medical products.
What is it? The MRC Gap Fund provides support for a single, high-risk development step in the creation of medicines, medical devices, diagnostics, or other medical products. Projects should generate critical preliminary data to build confidence in the development strategy, de-risk onward progression, or determine project failure. The fund bridges smaller and larger MRC funding schemes.
Who is it for? Researchers based at MRC-eligible organisations who will lead and actively direct the project, generating key data for a new or repurposed medicine, medical device, diagnostic test, or other medical intervention.
Deadline: 11th March 2026
Conflict Wounds – From Biology to Battlefield Solutions
Funding for innovative medical solutions to improve the understanding and treatment of conflict-related injuries.
What is it? This UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) competition, delivered by Dstl on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Defence Medical Services, is seeking new approaches to modelling and treating conflict wounds. The programme will fund 5 to 7 projects, with awards typically between £200,000 and £300,000 per project, from a total fund of £1.5 million. Projects can run for up to 28 months, with contracts expected to start in July 2026. Two challenge areas are open: Modelling conflict wounds, and Treating conflict wounds.
Who is it for? Organisations working in biotechnology, health, and defence and security, including businesses, research organisations and collaborators with relevant expertise. Projects must address one of the two defined challenge areas.
Deadline: 24th March 2026
Horizon Europe 2026-2027 – Health, Cluster 1
Funding for collaborative health research and innovation projects.
What is it? Horizon Europe’s Health Cluster 1 offers funding of up to €90 million across multiple calls in 2026-27, supporting projects that advance cutting-edge health research and innovation. EU contributions are typically between €1.5 million and €10 million and can cover up to 100% of project costs, depending on the call.
Who is it for? UK and international organisations can apply as part of a consortium of at least three independent legal entities from different countries, including at least one EU Member State. Eligible participants include businesses, universities, research institutes, charities, and not-for-profits.
Deadline: Various across 2026
Other
Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund – Round Five Discovery C5
Grants for collaborative energy innovation projects.
What is it? This fund provides a share of up to £30 million (excluding VAT) for collaborative Discovery Phase projects that address the Round 5 challenges. The funding supports early-stage exploration and innovation in electricity and gas systems.
Who is it for? Collaborations led by Ofgem-licensed electricity or gas distribution networks, transmission operators, or the Electricity System Operator (ESO). Only collaborative projects are eligible.
Deadline: 25th February 2026
Can’t find what you’re looking for?
If you can’t see a grant relevant to your industry, our curated grant opportunities finder contains an expansive array of the best national and local funding available across sectors.
Our team of expert consultants can help you identify different funding routes for your organisation that suits your business model and aspirations to grow. Whether you’re looking for bespoke grant funding opportunities, support with writing bids and tenders, or advice on preparing your pitch deck for investors, our experienced team can help you find an approach that’s right for you.
Speak to a member of our team today to start your funding journey.
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