Funding Opportunities

Current opportunities

The opportunities listed below are in order of closing date. If you are looking to apply for one of the opportunities listed below, we can assist with grant applications. Visit our grant writing page to find out more.

i4i Product Development Awards (PDA) – October 2025 | NIHR

Opening date: 8 April 2026

Closing date: 27 May 2026, 1:00 PM

The NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Product Development Awards (PDA) provide one of the main i4i funding routes open to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) developing health‑tech innovations. This call supports collaborative projects that bridge the gap between proof‑of‑concept and real‑world clinical adoption, funding activities such as prototype development, early feasibility studies, regulatory planning, clinical validation, and real‑world evaluations. SMEs can receive up to 100% funding, making this scheme well‑suited for companies seeking to accelerate the development of medical devices, diagnostics, digital health technologies, or AI‑driven health tools with a clear pathway to NHS integration.

For more information, visit the NIHR website.

Rapid transfusion diagnostics: optimising safety on deployed operations | UKDI

Closes: 2 June 2026, midday BST

Proposals between £500K- £700K, TRL4-8

UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) seeks proposals that can solve the challenges associated with collecting, testing and administering blood in a deployed setting.

Personnel injured in conflict rely on the timely provision of blood as a matter of life or death. Early transfusion with compatible blood, screened for blood borne viruses to ensure safety, is vital for survival.

The availability of logistically light, accurate tests able to be used in the deployed environment would enable emergency blood testing in the field, thus maximising available stock on operations. This would support preparedness and improve the availability of safe blood to the deployed force, ultimately helping to save more lives.

This competition seeks innovative solutions for practical blood testing devices that are suitable for point of care use by non-specialists in operational environments.

Visit the competition page for more information.

Frontier AI Discovery

Closes: 10 June 2026, 11:00am BST

Innovate UK has opened a new £2.5M funding call to support feasibility studies in Frontier AI, Machine Learning, and Foundation Models, aiming to accelerate UK‑led, world‑first AI capabilities.

Projects must align with one of four national priorities:

AI for Health & Life Sciences
AI‑first Advanced Materials
Secure AI for National Security & Defence
Fundamental AI & Foundation Models

Phase 1

Funding for projects between £25k–£50k to:

assess feasibility of ambitious Frontier AI concepts
build strong consortia for Phase 2
evaluate business models
de‑risk large‑scale development

At least 25% of funded projects will focus on foundation models.

Phase 2

Open only to Phase 1 winners. Total investment: minimum £50M. Collaborative R&D projects of £5M–£10M, lasting 24–32 months, with required participation from:

large companies (30–40% of costs)
SMEs (>30%)
academic organisations (20–30%)

TheHill can help you to submit a successful proposal and coordinate your consortium.

If interested, reach out to our Income Generation and Partnership Manager, Stefania Schino, [email protected].

Longstanding opportunities:

EIC Accelerator (UK based organisations are eligible)

The EIC Accelerator supports individual small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to develop and scale game-changing innovations providing substantial financial support with:

Grant funding (non-dilutive) of up to €2.5 million for innovation development costs, including demonstration of the technology in the relevant environment, prototyping and system level demonstration, R&D and testing required to meet regulatory and standardisation requirements, intellectual property management, and marketing approval (e.g. at least TRL 5/6 to 8).
Investments (direct equity investments or quasi-equity such as convertible loans- for EU based organisations only) of up to €15 million managed by the EIC Fund for scale up and other relevant costs.

Visit the European Innovation Council website for more information about their accelerator.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF)

The BHF funds cardiovascular research at all career stages, offering grants for both short- and long-term projects, strategic initiatives, and essential research infrastructure.

Visit the British Heart Foundation website for further information

EIC STEP Scale-Up

The EIC STEP Scale Up scheme, part of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), provides equity-only investments of €10–30 million to startups, SMEs, and small mid-caps aiming to scale breakthrough innovations in strategic sectors like digital, deep tech, clean tech, and biotech. With a 2025 budget of €300 million, the scheme targets high-risk, high-potential companies that have already secured at least 20% of their funding round from a qualified investor. The programme supports innovations in areas such as AI and advanced biotechnologies, including critical medicines, DNA/RNA, proteins, cell engineering, gene vectors, bioinformatics, and nanobiotechnology. Successful applicants gain access to Business Acceleration Services and may receive a STEP Seal, enhancing visibility and access to further funding opportunities.

Visit the EIC’s website for more information.

TheHill is always open to collaborations and keen to partner with other organisations as consortium member on collaborative projects, if you are interested please complete our triage form.