R&D funding roundup – December 2024

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

Innovate UK innovation loans future economy: Round 18: Loans of between £100K and £2m for micro, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with 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 8 January 2025).

Mindset extended reality (XR): Digital therapeutics for mental health: UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £3.7 million for R&D projects that provide digital therapeutics for mental health solutions (closes 15 January 2025).

Media Cymru Climate Stories: funding for companies based in Wales with R&D projects leading to feature films or immersive experiences that tell the story of the climate crisis in new and innovative ways (closes 17 January)

Innovate UK Smart Grants November 2024: UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £15m for game changing and commercially viable R&D innovations that can significantly impact the UK economy. Applications can come from any area of technology and be applied to any part of the economy (closes 22 January 2025).

New Generation Thinkers 2025: A scheme offering five early career researchers the opportunity to be ‘researchers in residence’ where they will work with programme makers at BBC Radio 4 and produce a piece of writing to be recorded for radio (closes 28 January 2025).

Innovate UK Collaborative R&D Creative Catalyst: An opportunity for UK registered businesses to submit grant funding requests of between £150k and £200k for collaborative projects that develop new innovative products and tools for the UK creative industry (closes 29 January 2025).

AHRC responsive mode: Curiosity Award: round six: Flexible awards for projects of up to £100k full economic cost to fund fundamental research that leads to new research agendas, networking activity and idea generation, which enables the development of further research opportunities and new research agendas (closes 30 January 2025).

AHRC responsive mode: Catalyst Award: round six: Awards for projects of up to £300k full economic cost 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. Researchers must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for AHRC funding (closes 30 January 2025).

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).

Coming soon

Media Cymru Development Fund: Up to £50,000 for businesses based in Wales to develop RD&I projects that demonstrate clear potential for a tangible product or service (opens February 2025).

Published on 5 December 2024