Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund

LSIMF Round 7

Supports United Kingdom life science manufacturing teams through LSIMF grants for facility and process innovation.

The Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF) is a DSIT programme operated by the Office for Life Sciences, a joint DSIT/DHSC body, offering up to £520 million in capital grants through to 31 March 2030 to strengthen UK manufacturing capacity for life sciences products. Round 7, the current quarterly window, opened 1 May 2026 and closed 29 May 2026 at noon; Round 8 opens 3 August 2026 and closes 31 August 2026, with quarterly rounds continuing until the fund is exhausted. The fund covers a maximum of 25% of total eligible project costs, with typical awards in the 10–20% range; a £100 million project, for example, would typically receive between £10 million and £20 million. The minimum total eligible project cost is £8 million, and there is no published per-project monetary cap beyond the intervention rate.

Eligibility is restricted to wholly private-sector, UK-registered companies or establishments; universities, charities, and public bodies are ineligible. Applicants must hold at least two years of audited accounts and demonstrate a track record in manufacturing medicines or medical devices, or in successful product development. Eligible manufacturing categories are human medicines (APIs and finished products), medical diagnostics, and MedTech devices meeting MHRA regulatory standards. Veterinary medicines, herbal products, nutritional supplements, raw ingredients, and standalone consumables are explicitly excluded. Projects must be primarily capital investment, must be UK-based, and must satisfy an additionality test demonstrating the grant is necessary for the project to proceed at current scale or timeline. Single company or same-group structures only — consortia are not permitted.

The assessment runs in three parts: an Expression of Interest for basic eligibility screening, followed by Application Form 1 with a Health Resilience Assessment and expert panel interview, then Application Form 2 covering financial and economic due diligence for advanced applicants. Contact is LSIMF@officeforlifesciences.gov.uk. Winning applications must demonstrate how the project increases domestic manufacturing capacity or enhances flexible, scalable emergency deployment capability, while also generating substantial GVA and high-wage employment. The scheme undergoes annual review, so criteria and windows are subject to change each year.