R&D grants in the UK
Research and development grants reward UK businesses for taking technical risks — developing new products, processes and technologies. They're among the most valuable funding available, but they're competitive and time-sensitive, with competitions across Innovate UK, the UKRI research councils and Europe. Subvention tracks them in one place and matches the live ones to your company, traceable to the official source.
Grants change frequently — always confirm eligibility, amounts and deadlines with the funder via the linked source. Subvention does not guarantee funding.
What R&D grants fund
R&D grants support work where the outcome is genuinely uncertain — new technology, significant product or process innovation, or applied research, often delivered with academic or commercial partners. They typically cover a percentage of eligible project costs (commonly up to around 70% for SMEs on earlier-stage work) rather than the whole bill, and are distinct from R&D tax relief, which you claim after the fact. Many companies use both.
Key sources of UK R&D funding
Innovate UK runs the best-known competitions — from feasibility studies of around £25,000 to collaborative R&D worth several million — across themes including AI, net zero, health, manufacturing and the creative industries, plus Innovation Loans for later-stage projects. The UKRI research councils fund longer research and business–academic partnerships such as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. Horizon Europe, including the EIC Accelerator, provides large European grants and blended finance for deep-tech innovation.
What Subvention covers
One search runs across Innovate UK, UKRI, GOV.UK Find a Grant, the devolved innovation agencies and European portals — 49 sources, refreshed daily and colour-coded by region. Each match links to the competition's own page with the date we last checked it, so you can confirm scope and deadline before you commit time.
How the matching works
Enter your company name, confirm your sector and the project you want to fund, and we return a ranked, explained shortlist: a score, the reason for the match, eligibility ticks for sector, region and size, and any risk flags. You can then start an optional draft application, with AI preparing answer drafts from your profile for you to review, edit and approve — nothing is submitted without you.
Free to search
Search and matching are free. One-off passes add deadline reminders, saved grants, a pipeline to track each application's stage, and an application planning checklist.
Frequently asked questions
- What R&D grants can UK businesses apply for?
- Mainly Innovate UK competitions and Innovation Loans, UKRI research-council funding and partnerships, and Horizon Europe / EIC for European projects. Subvention matches the live ones to your company and links to each source.
- What's the difference between an R&D grant and R&D tax credits?
- A grant is awarded up front for a specific project and is competitive; R&D tax relief is claimed afterwards against qualifying spend. They serve different purposes and many businesses use both — check each scheme's rules on interaction.
- How much do R&D grants cover?
- Usually a share of eligible costs — commonly up to around 70% for SMEs on feasibility and early R&D, less for larger firms and later-stage work. Confirm the intervention rate on the competition page.
- Do I need a university partner?
- Some collaborative competitions require or favour partners (academic or commercial), while others fund single companies. Subvention flags the requirements and links to the detail.
- How current is the R&D grant list?
- It's refreshed daily across 49 sources, and every match shows the source and last-checked date so you don't act on a closed competition.