National Materials Innovation Programme: CR&D Rd1
Funds UK-registered businesses collaborating on industrial research into advanced materials, covering up to 70% of project costs from a £12 million pool.
Even scoring above Innovate UK's funding threshold doesn't guarantee an award here: the programme also applies a 'portfolio approach,' deliberately spreading grants across different themes, technologies, markets, business sizes and regions, so a well-scored project can still miss out if it doesn't add diversity to the funded mix. No single enterprise can receive more than £3 million in grant fundi…
Innovate UK wants collaborative industrial research that speeds the translation and adoption of advanced materials innovation across the UK's eight priority growth sectors. Projects must sit within one of four themes -- Future Healthcare Solutions, Structural Materials Innovation, Power Electronics and Connectivity, or Metamaterials and Metasurfaces -- and address at least one of their listed sub-themes. Every project needs a named industry end user and a credible route to UK commercialisation and net zero impact.
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