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Funding and business support in Leeds

Open to businesses in Leeds, including schemes for the wider region and the whole country.

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National schemes continued

Open to businesses across England or the UK, including Leeds.

Closing soonCompetitionUK-wide

iX Challenge: Verified reporting of the value created by defence contracts

iX programme, Innovation Exchange, Innovate UK Business Connect, Innovate UK

A competition for solution providers to capture and verify social value delivery across defence supply chains, with up to £60,000 grant for a 3 month project. Open to businesses including SMEs and start-ups.

Amount
Up to £60,000
Deadline
Closes 6 November 2026 at 5pm (5 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 8 out of 10
Closing soonCompetitionUK-wide

iX Challenge: Extending protection to personnel travelling in armoured vehicles under drone attack

Innovation Exchange, Innovate UK Business Connect, VSS

VSS is seeking open-innovation solutions to extend blast mitigation protection for personnel in armoured vehicles under drone attack. The winning applicant, selected by VSS, can apply for grant funding for a 3-month project.

Amount
Up to £60,000
Deadline
Closes 6 November 2026 at 5pm (5 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 8 out of 10
Closing soonCompetitionUK-wide

iX Challenge: Edge AI with Low Size, Weight, Power, and Cost

iX programme, Innovation Exchange, Innovate UK Business Connect, Innovate UK

Tekh is seeking a hardware development partner to design and prototype a series of low SWaP-C computing boards for Edge AI inference. Open to established businesses, academic institutions, start-ups, SMEs and individual entrepreneurs that are UK based or intend to set up a UK base.

Amount
Up to £60,000
Deadline
Closes 6 November 2026 at 5pm (5 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 9 out of 10
Closing soonCompetitionUK-wide

iX Challenge: Resilient High-Altitude Communications, Navigation and Mission Connectivity for Persistent Autonomous Aircraft

Innovation Exchange, Innovate UK, Innovate UK Business Connect

An Innovate UK Innovation Exchange challenge set by Advanced Integrated Technologies Ltd (AiT) seeking resilient communications, navigation and mission-connectivity technologies for a persistent high-altitude autonomous aircraft. Selected solution providers may be invited to apply for a grant of up to £60,000.

Amount
Up to £60,000
Deadline
Closes 6 November 2026 at 5pm (5 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 8 out of 10
Closing soonCompetitionUK-wide

iX Challenge: Secure, Cost-Effective Use of Cloud-Based AI Tools in the Defence Supply Chain

Innovation Exchange, Innovate UK Business Connect, Innovate UK

A challenge seeking a secure, cost-effective way to use cloud-based AI, engineering and manufacturing tools with sensitive customer and defence data. Open to established businesses, academic institutions, start-ups, SMEs and individual entrepreneurs.

Amount
Up to £60,000
Deadline
Closes 6 November 2026 at 5pm (5 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 8 out of 10
Closing soonCompetitionUK-wide

Tactical Power Challenge

UK Defence Innovation

A two-stage competition to develop Army tactical power solutions at TRL 4 to TRL 6, plus a market engagement strand (Immediate Power Problem) for technology at TRL 6 or above that can be commercialised within 12 months.

Amount
Funding of £2.45M is available for Innovative Tactical Power Solutions. No funding figure is stated for Immediate Power Problem, which is a market engagement activity.
Deadline
Closes 10 November 2026 at 12 noon (9 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 8 out of 10
Closing soonCompetitionUK-wide

Tactical Power Challenge: Innovative Tactical Power Solutions

UK Defence Innovation

A UK Defence Innovation challenge seeking proposals that will help the Army meet future electricity demand, run in partnership with Australia's ASCA. Two opportunities sit within it: Innovative Tactical Power Solutions (a two-stage competition, development from TRL 4 to TRL 6) and Immediate Power Problem (a market engagement activity).

Amount
£2.45 million (excluding VAT) total funding available for Innovative Tactical Power Solutions. A number of proposals may be funded.
Deadline
Closes 10 November 2026 at 12 noon (9 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 7 out of 10
Closing soonGrantEngland-wide

ADOPT Facilitator Support Grant: Round 12

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Innovate UK

A grant of £2,500 for farming, growing or forestry businesses in England to engage an external Project facilitator to support development of a full ADOPT grant application. Single applicants only.

Amount
Up to £2,500
Deadline
Closes 11 November 2026 at 11am (10 days)
Area
EnglandLocal Landscape rating 10 out of 10
Closing soonGrantUK-wide

Frontier AI: SME Champions, Phase 1

Innovate UK

Feasibility study funding for UK registered SMEs developing frontier artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies with a clear route to defensible scale-up. Part of a three-phase pipeline.

Amount
£150,000 to £250,000
Deadline
Closes 11 November 2026 at 11am (10 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 10 out of 10
Closing soonCompetitionUK-wide

HMGCC Co-Creation Challenge: Multi-Terrain Micro Robotic Systems

HMGCC Co-Creation

A 12-week funded challenge seeking proof-of-concept demonstrations of a small uncrewed robotic system that can move across water, land and air. Open to sole innovators, industry, and academic and research organisations of all types and sizes.

Amount
Up to £60,000
Deadline
Closes 12 November 2026 at 5pm (11 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 8 out of 10
Closing soonCompetitionUK-wide

HMGCC Co-Creation Challenge: Smart glasses for mapping

HMGCC Co-Creation

A 12-week funded challenge to develop an edge device that processes video and audio from off-the-shelf smart glasses to create high fidelity 3D maps. Open to sole innovators, industry, and academic and research organisations of all sizes.

Amount
Up to £60,000
Deadline
Closes 12 November 2026 at 5pm (11 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 8 out of 10
Closing soonGrantUK-wide

National Space Innovation Programme - Call 3

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, UK Space Agency

The National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) provides co-funded grant support to derisk high-reward R&D projects with a clear target market.

Amount
£150,000 to £2,000,000
Deadline
Closes 12 November 2026 at midnight (11 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 9 out of 10
Opening soonGrantUK-wide

Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Strategic Programme

Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

Funding for research and technology development to maintain and grow the UK’s competitive positions in civil aerospace.

Amount
Up to £18,000,000
Deadline
Closes 13 November 2026 (12 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 9 out of 10
OpenSupport programmeUK-wide

New Ventures in Creative Tech (Spark Incubation)

EIT Culture & Creativity

Funding of up to €30,000 and a 9-month training programme for early-stage founders with pre-incorporation business concepts in Materials and Built Environment (fashion and architecture). Includes an in-person Startup Sprint and an online Spark Incubation Programme.

Amount
Up to €30k per project (up to €30,000 in funding per selected venture)
Deadline
Closes 16 November 2026 at 5pm (15 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 7 out of 10
OpenGrantUK-wide

Manufacturing Digitalisation Innovation Programme: Innovation and Scale-up Hub

Innovate UK

UK registered research and technology organisations or academic institutions can apply for up to £4 million to establish a hub improving the targeting and commercial impact of grant-funded manufacturing digitalisation activity.

Amount
From £3,800,000
Deadline
Closes 18 November 2026 at 11am (17 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 8 out of 10
OpenGrantUK-wide

Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systems

Innovate UK

Funding for UK SMEs to experimentally validate prototype novel reusable AI mechanisms for efficient, structured and controllable AI systems. Projects must start at TRL 1, 2 or 3.

Amount
£50,000 to £150,000
Deadline
Closes 18 November 2026 at 11am (17 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 10 out of 10
OpenCompetitionUK-wide

N-CODE Innovation Challenge: the future of neurological healthcare

Challenge seeking ideas that could change how neurological care is delivered in the NHS, with an award of up to £12,000 for UK-registered businesses.

Amount
Up to £12,000
Deadline
Closes 18 November 2026 at 5pm (17 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 8 out of 10
OpenGrantUK-wide

Investor Partnerships – Battery Innovation Programme

Innovate UK

A grant for UK registered SMEs with materials innovation projects that have investment traction from an approved investor partner, alongside aligned private investment. Part of the National Materials Innovation Programme.

Amount
Up to £5 million allocated to fund innovation projects in this competition. Project total costs: £50,000 to £300,000 for feasibility studies, £100,000 to £1 million for industrial research, £250,000 to £2 million for experimental development.
Deadline
Closes 25 November 2026 at 11am (24 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 10 out of 10
OpenGrantUK-wide

Smart and Resilient Energy Systems

European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Business Applications

A non-competitive BASS call for operational solutions using space-enabled technologies to improve the resilience of electricity grids.

Amount
Up to 50% of activity costs can usually be funded for UK applicants. Proof-of-concept studies up to €600,000 max cost per project: case-by-case assessment for pilot projects.
Deadline
Closes 27 November 2026 (26 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 9 out of 10
OpenGrantUK-wide

Road and Traffic Safety

ESA Business Applications, European Space Agency (ESA)

A BASS funding call for space-enabled solutions to improve traffic management, incident detection and predictive road safety.

Deadline
Closes 27 November 2026 (26 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 8 out of 10
OpenGrantUK-wide

Wildfires

ESA Business Applications

A non-competitive BASS call inviting proposals for space-enabled wildfire response and preparedness services.

Deadline
Closes 1 December 2026 (30 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 9 out of 10
OpenGrantUK-wide

Germany Bilateral Collaborative R&D: round 5

Innovate UK

UK SMEs can apply for grants to develop innovative proposals in collaboration with German SMEs, with a total fund of £2.4 million available.

Amount
£100,000 to £350,000
Deadline
Closes 1 December 2026 at 11am (30 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 10 out of 10
OpenGrantUK-wide

ARIA: Standards and benchmarks for dexterous robotics

ARIA

ARIA seeks proposals for shared benchmarks, standards, interfaces or other capabilities that remove a clearly defined barrier affecting multiple developers or users of dexterous robotic systems. Up to four awards, with up to £3 million per project over up to 24 months.

Amount
Up to £3,000,000
Deadline
Closes 1 December 2026 at 1pm (30 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 8 out of 10
OpenCompetitionUK-wide

iX Challenge: Smart control solutions for domestic hybrid heating systems

Innovate UK

Cadent and Innovate UK seek smart control solutions that help domestic hybrid heating systems choose the most efficient and cost-effective heating source. Successful applicants are invited to pitch to Cadent.

Deadline
Closes 1 December 2026 at midnight (30 days)
Area
United KingdomLocal Landscape rating 8 out of 10

Email me more like this

We will email you when new funding appears for a business in Leeds, working on new products, research or innovation.

How often

We send nothing else, and every email has a link to stop. How we use your address

Or save these answers in a free business profile: your alert then follows them whenever you change them.