STFC Bridging for Innovators

STFC Bridging for Innovators

Supports United Kingdom university and deep tech teams by bridging research outputs to follow-on funding.

Bridging for Innovators (B4I) was a programme administered by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) under UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) that provided businesses with in-kind access to STFC's portfolio of world-class scientific facilities — representing more than £2 billion in government investment — to help companies overcome specific product, manufacturing, or process innovation challenges. Eligible facilities included neutron sources for atomic-scale materials characterisation, high-intensity and ultra-fast lasers, particle accelerators, X-ray beamlines, high-performance computing, space technologies, electronics, and 3D printing capabilities. Physical delivery sites spanned STFC campuses at Harwell, Daresbury, and Edinburgh, with regional hubs at the University of Birmingham (Midlands) and TWI Technology Centre in South Wales.

The programme was open to UK businesses of all sizes — from start-ups to large corporates — seeking to address a defined innovation challenge using STFC's big-science infrastructure. No cash grant was provided; the benefit was entirely in-kind facility access. The expression-of-interest deadline was 29 June 2020, and the programme closed fully on 31 March 2021.

B4I has no active successor programme as of 2026. Industrial engagement with STFC's facilities now flows through separate mechanisms: the Hartree Centre for high-performance computing and AI, ISIS Neutron and Muon Source commercial access, Diamond Light Source industrial access routes, and the BBSRC-STFC DeepTech Catalyst Bio for biological applications. Businesses seeking facility access should contact the relevant STFC facility directly or through the STFC Industrial Advisory Committee route.