We list 10 UK-wide schemes that North East businesses can apply for: 8 open now, 1 opening soon and 1 to check with the funder. Last checked .
From the official competition pages.
Open or rolling, according to the official source. Ones with a closing date come first, soonest first.
Innovate UK · Support programme
Support worth up to £315,000 (expert advisory, technical assistance, mentoring and upskilling) to develop a first-of-a-kind (FOAK) climate tech project. Successful companies could be invited to apply for a larger grant in Phase 2.
UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked
Innovate UK · Grant
Share of up to £3.1m. Total eligible project costs must be £150,000 to £250,000. Feasibility studies: up to 70% of costs for micro or small firms, up to 60% for medium-sized firms.
UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked
Office for Life Sciences · Capital grant
Up to £520m fund. Intervention rate up to 25%
UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked
Innovate UK · Grant
Share of up to £1.66m. Projects £50,000–£150,000, up to 70% of costs covered
UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked
Defra and Innovate UK (Farming Innovation Programme) · Grant
Share of up to £5m. Each project's total eligible costs must be between £50,000 and £200,000.
UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked
Innovate UK · Cohort entry with funding access
Up to £11.5m across a two-stage competition. Stage 1 grant funding request must be exactly £54,400: £50,000 of grant you can claim against eligible costs plus £4,400 of in-kind support from Innovate UK Business Connect.
UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked
Innovate UK · Part-funded partnership
Share of up to £12.5m in the 2026 to 2027 Round 4 competition. Business contribution: check with funder.
UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked
Start Up Loans Company (British Business Bank) · Loan
£500–£25,000 per owner (up to £100,000 per business), fixed 7.5% a year, 1–5 year term, 12 months' free mentoring
UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked
Announced but not open for applications yet.
Innovate UK · Grant
Up to £5m per strand (Phase 1). Each project's grant request must be between £100,000 and £200,000.
UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked
The official source does not say clearly whether it is open, so ask the funder before you plan around it.
Innovate UK · Loan
Check with funder
UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked
We list 10 UK-wide schemes that North East businesses can apply for. 8 are open now, including Climate Tech FOAK Builder: programme entry expression of interest from Innovate UK; Frontier AI: SME Champions, Phase 1 from Innovate UK and Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF) from Office for Life Sciences. Of the others, 1 opening soon and 1 to check with the funder. Each listing links to the official source and shows the date we last checked it, so confirm the details with the funder before you apply.
Climate Tech FOAK Builder: programme entry expression of interest (UK-wide) closes 5 Nov 2026; Frontier AI: SME Champions, Phase 1 (UK-wide) closes 11 Nov 2026; Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF) (UK-wide) closes 13 Nov 2026 and Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systems (UK-wide) closes 18 Nov 2026. Deadlines are taken from the official source; times and late changes are on the funder's page.
