Innovate UK Smart Grants
Closed for now
The funder has not said when this reopens.
No amount recorded because the programme is not currently running. Smart Grants was Innovate UK's open, sector-agnostic grant competition; historic rounds funded projects across feasibility, industrial research and experimental development, but the current award ranges cannot be verified from an open call.
Innovate UK (UK Research and Innovation)
public · national
Deadline: closed — PAUSED. Innovate UK paused the Smart Grants offer in January 2025 and confirmed there would be no Smart rounds in financial year 2025/26. No Smart grants competition appeared among the 18 competitions listed on the Innovation Funding Service on 14 August 2026. Retained here because Innovate UK has not announced permanent closure and states that future funding programmes are under consideration.
This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.
Quick — mostly identity and bank details.
Who can apply
- Stage: pre_seed, seed, series_a, growth
- R&D activity required
- Locally registered entity required
Historically open to UK registered SMEs applying alone, or UK registered businesses of any size in collaboration. Current eligibility cannot be confirmed while the programme is paused.
How to apply
- Monitor the Innovation Funding Service competition search for any reopening of Smart Grants or a successor open competition. — link
Source. https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/news/new-funding-and-support-packages-for-innovative-smes/ — checked 2026-08-14
"In January 2025, we paused our Innovate UK Smart Grants offer, We can now confirm that there will be no Smart rounds in the financial year 2025/26 ... Planning for future funding programmes or pilots will be carefully considered as part of Innovate UK's long-term strategy."