R&D funding roundup – April 2025

A roundup of recent funding opportunities for researchers, companies and creatives.

Innovate UK innovation loans future economy: Round 20: Loans of between £100,000 and £2 million for micro, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to undertake highly innovative late stage research and development (R&D) projects with the best potential for the future. There must be a clear route to commercialisation and economic impact (closes 7 May 2025).

CoSTAR Realtime Lab Call – Virtual Production Tool Box: Cash funding of up to £50,000 plus access to equipment and facilities, research expertise and travel budget for a team led by a UK based company to develop an Open-Source foundational ‘Media Player’ to simplify scene-building in Virtual Production (closes 14 May 2025). 

CoSTAR Screen Lab Call – 5G Innovation in Screen Technologies: An opportunity for creative companies to explore innovative applications of 5G in the screen and performance sectors. Cash funding of up to £35,000 per project plus access to equipment and facilities, research expertise and travel budget (closes 22 May 2025).

UKRI Proof of concept: Grants of between £100,000 and £250,000 to support the commercialisation of research to enable spinouts or social ventures, licensing or other commercialisation pathways (closes 29 May 2025).

DCMS Create Growth Programme Competition 4: small projects: UK registered micro, small and medium enterprises in the creative sector can apply for small grants of between £20,000 and £50,000 per project, 100% funded (closes 29 May).

DCMS Create Growth Programme Competition 4: large projects: – UK registered micro, small and medium enterprises in the creative sector with larger, more ambitious scale creative projects can apply for grants with total eligible costs between £50,000 and £200,000, which can be up to 70% funded depending on business size (closes 29 May 2025).

The Space: Digital Commissions: Support and funding of up to £16,000 (a maximum of £8,000 for audio-only projects) for arts and cultural organisations based in England to develop and deliver a creative digital project. The opportunity is open to museums, libraries, community organisations and local councils with a cultural project (closes 29 May 2025).

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships: round 10: Funding to support ambitious research and innovation across UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s remit. Applicants must be an early career researcher or innovator who is either looking to establish or transition to independence or developing their own original and ambitious plans within a commercial setting (closes 18 June 2025).

AHRC responsive mode: catalyst awards: Awards to support researchers without prior experience of leading a significant research project to accelerate their trajectory as independent researchers, to unlock their potential, build leadership and convenor experience (open – no end date).

British Film Council Film Festival XR Showcase Travel Grants: Grants to help Short and Feature filmmakers, and XR creatives, travel to international events where their work is being screened (open – no end date).

Creative Growth Finance Fund: Scale-up loans for UK businesses in the Creative Industries (open – no end date).

Creative UK: Creative Enterprise Business Builder: Grants to support companies who work in moving image for storytelling, spanning film television, games, animation and immersive industries (open – no end date).

Daphne Jackson Fellowship Grants: Fellowships for those looking to return to a research career after a break of two or more years for family, health or caring reasons. The aim is to give participants the confidence and skills they need to make a successful return to research (open – no end date).

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships: Funding to help businesses to partner with an academic organisation, research organisation or a Catapult, or to employ a graduate with the skills and knowledge that can help the business to innovate and grow (open – no end date).

BFI Doc Society Features Fund: Support of up to a maximum of £150,000 per feature documentary film or immersive non-fiction project in the form of grants (open call – no end date).

Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants: Grants of between £1,000 and £100,000 to support individual practitioners, community and cultural organisations working on arts, libraries and museums projects. Priority is currently given to Supporting Grassroots Music, Museum Unlocking Collections and Universal Library Offers projects (open call – no end date). 

BFI Doc Society Research and Development Fund: Funding to support and nurture independent non-fiction films and immersive projects by UK filmmakers: prioritising expansive, director-led storytelling. The fund backs ambitious, independent feature documentary films and immersive projects intended for theatrical release, from both emerging talent and more established directors (annual, rolling call opened on 1 April for the year ahead).

Coming soon

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships: round 10, business and non-academic: A share of up to £100 million for UK registered organisations undertaking ambitious research and innovation projects in any sector, and tailored support to develop careers for future leaders (opens 23 June 2025).

Published on 24 April 2025