Innovate UK Growth Catalyst

Grant funding for late-stage R&D projects, through Innovate UK’s proven Investor Partnerships funding model.

In Short

Project Costs Project Costs

Feasibility studies: £50,000 to £300,000 Industrial research: £100,000 to £1million Experimental development: £250,000 to £2million

Project Start & Finish Project Start & Finish

Feasibility studies: 6 to 12 months Industrial research projects: 6 to 24 months Experimental development:12 to 24 months

Application Deadline Application Deadline

3rd February 2026

Themes

The scope of this competition comprises six of the industry growth sectors identified in the Government’s Industrial Strategy:

  • Advanced Manufacturing (incl. Battery technology)
  • Clean Energy Industries
  • Creative Industries
  • Defence and Security Technologies
  • Digital and Technologies
  • Life Sciences

It also seeks applications from late-stage innovative companies working in foundation industries (typically cross-cutting industries that enable the above high-growth sectors).

Eligibility

To be eligible for Growth Catalyst, your business must be a UK-registered company aiming to scale fast, with an identified and committed private investor (from the approved Investor Partners list) named in the application. Depending on the research phase, project costs can range from £50,000 up to £2 million, with grant support if matched by private investment: feasibility or industrial research projects must be combined with private investment at least equal to the grant, and experimental development projects require private investment at least twice the grant amount.

Our Approach

The UK team has a strong track record in securing some of the most competitive national and European grants on behalf of its clients, with a full understanding of how a project should be presented to stand the highest chance of success. Each year in the UK alone, we are responsible for the submission of more than 100 funding applications across all sectors and priority areas. Based on this extensive experience, through careful project selection and using key insight into how a project should be best positioned, we consistently achieve success rates that are more than 5 times the typical success rates for UK national schemes and EU programmes.

Here are some of our experts

Start your application today!

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