Regulators' Pioneer Fund

Regulators' Pioneer Fund — Round 4

Supports United Kingdom regulators with pilot innovation that improves service quality and public delivery.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The Regulators' Pioneer Fund (RPF) Round 4 is a DSIT-direct programme delivered through the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO), a DSIT-hosted body. Round 4 offered approximately £5.5 million in grants for projects running from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. Individual awards ranged from £50,000 to £1,000,000 per project, with project durations of six to twelve months. The application window opened 22 May 2025 and closed 31 July 2025; Round 4 winners were announced 22 October 2025. Round 5 is anticipated as part of DSIT's ongoing Industrial Strategy support for regulatory innovation in the 2026/2027 fiscal cycle but has not yet been formally announced.

Eligible applicants are bodies that exercise regulatory functions under the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006, as well as local authorities and combined authorities acting as lead applicants. Private companies, universities, and non-governmental charities are not eligible. Funding is restricted to non-commercial activities. The fund's priority areas for Round 4 included drones and autonomous vehicles, engineering biology, space technology, AI and digital healthcare, and government modernisation. Lead applicants may involve domestic or international partners where participation is relevant to the project purpose, but the lead remains fully responsible for delivery. Applications required a robust evaluation plan and senior organisational sponsorship, along with a commitment to share findings with DSIT.

Round 4 projects are currently in delivery through September 2026. Organisations anticipating Round 5 should monitor DSIT and RIO announcements for the expected 2026/2027 launch. Winning applications in previous rounds demonstrated ambitious, learning-focused, and experimental approaches to regulation, grounded in evidence and with a clear plan for dissemination. Organisations preparing for Round 5 should build a documented case for how the proposed project reduces regulatory barriers to business innovation or investment in one or more of RPF's priority technology sectors.