Grants

Apply for funding to support theory, including modelling, simulation and related software development, observation, experiment and new technology research, relevant to all aspects of solar system science
You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding.
This funding covers up to three years of research activity starting from 1 October 2027.
For astronomy observation and theory, see the related astronomy observation and theory opportunity.

Apply for funding to support theory, including modelling, simulation and related software development, observation, experiment and new technology research, relevant to all aspects of astronomy and astrophysics beyond the solar system.
You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding.
This funding covers up to three years of research activity starting from 1 October 2027.
For solar physics and planetary science, see the related solar and planetary opportunity.

See the full opportunity details on the Innovation Funding Service.
UK registered academic institutions, research and technology organisations or Catapults can apply for a share of up to £10 million to fund innovation projects with businesses.
Eligibility summary
To lead a project your organisation must:
be a UK registered higher education or further education institution, RTO or Catapult collaborate with a UK registered business with two or more full time employees The business must contribute to the project’s costs.

Apply for funding to support ambitious research and innovation across UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s remit. You must be an early career researcher or innovator who is either:
looking to establish or transition to independence developing your own original and ambitious plans within a commercial setting You must be based at, and have the support of, a UK research organisation eligible for UKRI funding.
There is no minimum or maximum project cost. UKRI will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC).
This is a pre-announcement and the information may change.
The funding opportunity will open on 2 February 2026. More information will be available on this page then.

Apply for funding to support partnerships to carry out novel collaborative activities between a team of researchers, with interdisciplinarity encouraged where appropriate.
You must be employed by an eligible research organisation.
The grant will allow you to:
establish novel high-value collaborative activities or capabilities add value to high-quality research activities supported by existing funding, or underpin future funding in our remit build capacity in an area of unmet need Funding is available for between 18 months and five years.
You are strongly encouraged to contact us before applying for advice. Applications out of scope will be rejected.

Apply for funding to support research within the remit of the Medical Research Council (MRC).
You must be employed by an eligible research organisation.
You can involve more than one research group or organisation in the project.
There is no limit to the funding you can apply for, but it should be appropriate to the project. We will usually fund up to 80% of your project’s full economic cost (FEC).
Funding is available for between 18 months to five years.

Apply for funding to take the next step towards becoming an independent researcher.
Your research must be in the remit of the Medical Research Council (MRC).
You must have:
the skills and experience to ‘transition to independence’ the support of an eligible host research organisation There is no limit to the funding you can apply for, but the typical full economic cost (FEC) of a project is under £1 million. MRC will usually fund 80% of the FEC.
This funding usually lasts three years and covers up to 50% of your salary.

See the full opportunity details on the Innovation Funding Service.
Women founders or co-founders with UK registered businesses at the late stage start-up phase can apply for a grant of up to £75,000 and bespoke business support, to further their ambitious growth plans.
Eligibility summary
This competition is open to single applicants.
You must be a woman founder or co-founder of a UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise that is a late stage start-up.
Your project must be aligned to one of the following growth sectors:
advanced manufacturing digital and technologies life sciences

Apply for funding to undertake cutting-edge Metascience research into more effective ways of conducting and supporting research and development (R&D), including the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), how to optimise research institutions and the challenges of measuring research excellence.
You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding, however, collaborations with international researchers are strongly encouraged.
The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £250,000 or £350,000 with an international partner. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.
This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. The funding opportunity will open on 12 February 2026.

Apply for funding to pursue early-stage development of cutting-edge research technologies with transformative potential in the biosciences. You must be a researcher or research technical professional based at a UK research organisation eligible for Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funding.
You can only apply as project lead (PL) on one submitted application. You can be project co-lead (PcL ) on multiple applications.
The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £225,000. BBSRC will fund 80% of the FEC.
Applications must be between six and 18-months duration.

Submit an outline application for an AHRC doctoral focal award which seeks to unlock linguistic and cultural expertise.
AHRC will support up to 20 studentships per award over four cohorts and funding will be provided at the usual UKRI rates.
Each proposal must outline your approach to:
doctoral training and professional development increasing representation of students from underrepresented groups The first cohort of students will start in October 2028.
To be the lead applicant, you must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for AHRC funding with capacity in languages research.

Apply for between 200,000 and 1,000,000 graphics processing unit (GPU) hours on the Isambard-AI and Dawn supercomputers for artificial intelligence (AI) related research and development projects.
This research opportunity:
offers compute resource aligned with AI for Science priority areas, including material science, nuclear fusion, medical research, engineering biology, quantum technologies, and AI-driven research and scientific discovery encourages the formation of broader research teams and partnerships, fostering multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral innovation You must be a UK-based researcher from academia, industry or other organisations.
Your project can use GPU hours over a six-month project.
No funding is provided.

Apply to attend a four-day interactive interdisciplinary sandpit to develop projects on reservoir computing for national security and defence applications. Participants selected to attend must do so for all online and in-person days.
You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funding. You must complete an expression of interest to apply. Attendance at the sandpit does not guarantee UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) or Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) funding.

Apply to the MRC ‘Gap Fund’ for single-step support in developing a new or repurposed medicine, medical device, diagnostic, or other medical product.
Projects must target a high-risk development step backed by prior funding, generating critical data to de-risk onward progression or determine failure.
The ‘Gap Fund’ strategically bridges the smaller Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and the larger Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme (DPFS).
Applicants must be based at a Medical Research Council (MRC) eligible research organisation.

See the full opportunity details on the Innovation Funding Service.
UK registered micro, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can apply for a share of up to £25 million for the development of innovative solutions to health and healthcare challenges. This funding is from Innovate UK.
Eligibility summary
This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations.
To work alone or lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise.

See the full opportunity details on the Innovation Funding Service.
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £5 million for feasibility studies into UK manufacturing of zero emission vehicle technologies.
Eligibility summary
This competition is open to single applicants only.
To work alone your organisation must be a UK registered business.

Apply for a funded placement at an international institution.
Placements are available at the following institutions:
United States: Harry Ransom Center, Huntington Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Yale Centre for British Art Japan: National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU) China: Shanghai Theatre Academy You will receive £1,000 for travel and visa costs (£1,200 for travel to Japan and China) and £2,500 for each month of the fellowship. You can apply for two to six months of funding.
Please refer to the ‘Additional Information’ for more information on the aims of the scheme and an overview of each host.

See the full opportunity details on the Innovation Funding Service.
The Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme funds industrial research and investment aid for research infrastructures to make the UK civil aerospace sector more competitive.
Eligibility summary
This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations.
To lead a collaborative project or work alone, your organisation must:
be a UK registered business of any size to lead a research project be a UK registered business of any size, an academic institution, research organisation or a research and technology organisation (RTO) to lead a capital infrastructure project plan to carry out an aerospace research or capital infrastructure project in the UK address the requirements of the UK Aerospace Technology Strategy sign up to the Aerospace Technology Institute framework agreement

This fellowship funding opportunity is for exceptional Artificial Intelligence (AI) researchers currently based outside of the UK.
The fellowship offers funding to relocate to the UK, establish a highly skilled team and undertake transformational AI research.
You must have been based outside of the UK for at least 24 months prior to applying and be hosted by a UK research organisation which meets the eligibility criteria set out in the guidance.
The total cost to EPSRC for your project can be up to £4.5 million. Further information set out in the guidance.
Fellowships can last up to five years, starting by 1 February 2027.
UK research organisations intending to support a candidate for this funding opportunity must meet the eligibility requirements detailed in the ‘Who can apply’ section and submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) survey with supporting evidence by 9 January 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.

Apply for up to 150,000 graphics processing unit (GPU) hours on the Isambard-AI and Dawn supercomputers for artificial intelligence (AI) related research and development projects.
This route:
provides flexible computational support for AI-related research and development projects that will expand AI capabilities and push current AI boundaries encourages the formation of broader research teams and partnerships, fostering multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral innovation You must be a UK researcher from academia, industry or other organisations.
You can apply for between 50,000 and 150,000 GPU hours to be used over a six-month project.
No funding is provided.

Apply for funding to support nuclear physics research.
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) nuclear physics programme supports research in four areas: nuclear structure, nuclear astrophysics, hadronic physics and theory.
You must be employed by a UK research organisation eligible for STFC funding.
Awards must start on 1 October 2027 and will run for four years.
STFC will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC).
The funding opportunity opens on 6 November 2025 and closes on 12 March 2026.

See the full opportunity details on the Innovation Funding Service.
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £3.425 million for terrestrial demonstrations of quantum communications or networking, and to build preparedness for a demonstration with a satellite mission alongside Canadian counterparts.
Eligibility summary
This competition is open to collaborations only.
To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size or an academic institution.
The consortium must contain at least one UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise claiming grant funding on this application.

See the full opportunity details on the Innovation Funding Service.
UK registered micro, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can apply for a share of up to £25 million for the development of innovative solutions to health and healthcare challenges. This funding is from Innovate UK.
Eligibility summary
This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations.
To work alone or lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise.

See the full opportunity details on the Innovation Funding Service.
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £10 million.
The funding is for the development and demonstration of solutions to increase public electric vehicle (EV) charging provision for longer journeys on the strategic road network.
Eligibility summary
This competition is open to collaborations only.
To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business.
The consortium can contain at least one UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise claiming grant funding on this application.

See the full opportunity details on the Innovation Funding Service.
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £2 million for feasibility studies.
These studies aim to speed the translation of advanced materials innovations in six key high growth themes and one strategic opportunity theme.
Eligibility summary
This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations.
To work alone or lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business.