UK-Switzerland Collaborative R&D

UK-Switzerland Collaborative R&D

Funds UK businesses doing joint R&D in specific technology areas with Swiss partners through Innovate UK bilateral competition rounds.

UK-Switzerland Collaborative R&D (CR&D) is a bilateral grant programme administered by Innovate UK, the UK's innovation agency and part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), in partnership with the Swiss funding body Innosuisse. Each competitive round awards grants to UK-registered businesses running R&D projects jointly with Swiss implementation partners. Round 3 has a total UK fund of £3 million, distributed across selected projects. No per-project award range is stated in the source; the pool is the only amount published.

Innovate UK covers the UK side of eligible project costs; Swiss partners apply simultaneously under the Innosuisse programme on the Swiss side. The precise cost-share rate and project duration are not stated in the Round 3 source.

To lead a project, your organisation must be a UK-registered business of any size. The consortium must include at least one grant-claiming UK-registered micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise (SME), at least one Swiss implementation partner (applying under Innosuisse), and at least one research institute. The requirement for a Swiss partner means this is a consortium-only opportunity — a single UK company cannot apply alone.

Round 3 opened on 1 July 2026 at 9:30am UK time and closes on 3 September 2026 at 11:00am UK time. Applications are submitted via the Innovate UK funding service. The source does not describe a multi-stage assessment process or publish scoring criteria beyond standard Innovate UK CR&D practice.

Key practical note: a Swiss implementation partner must be lined up before applying, as they must submit a concurrent application under Innosuisse. Projects must cover specific technology areas defined for this round — those areas are not listed in the source text, so applicants should check the full competition brief on the Innovate UK funding service.