Investor Partnerships: National Materials Innovation Programme 1 (Innovate UK)
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Worth
£35,000 to £900,000
Deadline
Closes 19 January 2027
Type of funding
Grant
Where
UK-wide
What it is
An R&D grant for a UK registered SME, applying alone, that has been invited by one of Innovate UK's approved investor partners and is raising matching private investment, to develop and commercialise an advanced-materials innovation (net zero energy, healthcare, structural, surface, electronic, sustainable polymer or metamaterials). Grants run from about £35,000 to £900,000 depending on project type and size.
Checked 9 Nov 2026 on Find a Grant and the Innovation Funding Service: open until 11am on 19 January 2027; your investor partner must submit its expression of interest by 12 January 2027. Grant is only paid if the matching investment (at least equal to the grant, or twice it for experimental development) closes before the project starts.
Official sourceWho can apply
A summary of the main rules, not the full list. Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) decides who is eligible, so read their guidance before you apply. The free scan checks these against your own business.
- UK registered organisation doing the project work in the UK
- A UK business registered at Companies House
- A micro, small or medium-sized business (SME)
- You have an R&D or innovation project
- An approved Innovate UK investor partner has invited you and will invest at least as much as the grant
- A manufacturing, clean energy, life sciences, construction or technology business
- You are developing an advanced materials innovation
Common questions
- Is Investor Partnerships: National Materials Innovation Programme 1 (Innovate UK) open for applications?
- Yes. It is open for applications until 19 January 2027.
- How much is Investor Partnerships: National Materials Innovation Programme 1 (Innovate UK) worth?
- £35,000 to £900,000. It is a grant, and the funder decides what each applicant receives.
- Who runs Investor Partnerships: National Materials Innovation Programme 1 (Innovate UK), and where is it available?
- Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) runs it. It is available across the UK.
Does your business qualify?
Eligibility rules are where schemes get fiddly. Gov Owed checks your business against Investor Partnerships: National Materials Innovation Programme 1 (Innovate UK) — and every other UK scheme we track — in about two minutes, free. The £19.95 report then explains exactly why you qualify, drafts your answers and walks you through the real application step by step.
Check my businessNo sign-up to scan · keep 100% of anything you win · re-runs free for 12 months
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Information, not financial advice; eligibility is decided by the funder. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Schemes change — confirm details on the official page before applying.