Innovate UK Contracts for Innovation (CfI)
Supports United Kingdom innovators with procurement-based prototype contracts and demonstration development for practical use.
Innovate UK Contracts for Innovation sits under Innovate UK within UK Research and Innovation and uses pre-commercial procurement rather than a standard grant competition. FOAK26, the current call in the record, is co-funded with the Department for Transport and is designed to buy prototype development, field testing, and demonstration work across themed challenge areas. The call carries £4.3 million in total funding, opens on 11 May 2026, and closes on 24 June 2026. Awards are contracts, not grants. Organisations of any size can apply, including those based in the EU, EEA, or internationally, but the award goes to a single legal entity. Subcontractors are allowed, while individuals are not. That makes the route a fit for teams that can move quickly from a prototype into a public demonstration contract and manage a single contracting counterparty. The strongest applications are usually the ones with a clear test plan, a credible delivery path, and enough operational maturity to carry a government procurement award through to demonstration.
Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.