Advanced Manufacturing: Measurement and Sensing Pilot

Overview

Innovate UK is offering ambitious UK SMEs funding and tailored business support to develop and scale measurement, sensing or instrumentation technologies for advanced manufacturing.

The pilot is aimed at businesses whose technology, product or service addresses a specific challenge within UK advanced manufacturing supply chains and can improve manufacturer productivity, resource efficiency or resilience.

Successful businesses will receive nine months of support, combining up to £75,000 of grant funding with £5,420 of Business Connect support. Participants will also be expected to engage with activities such as peer-to-peer networking, investor engagement, international market exploration and the development of a tailored growth plan.

This is a business growth pilot rather than a conventional project-based grant competition.

Scope

The pilot aims to recruit and support ambitious and innovative SMEs with the potential to grow and scale a business in the UK. Businesses must be developing a technology, product or service based on measurement, sensing or instrumentation that solves a problem faced by advanced manufacturing supply chains in the UK and improves the productivity, resource efficiency or resilience of a manufacturer.

Businesses selected for the pilot will receive a programme of support and funding for nine months. Successful applicants will be able to draw down from their agreed funding based on need and in agreement with Innovate UK throughout the support period.

This pilot is not funding projects. To be in scope, the business itself must meet the competition criteria.

Businesses must aim to grow and scale in the UK by selling their technology, product or service to customers in the UK and internationally.

Successful businesses will also be expected to participate fully in support activities and engage with Innovate UK, Innovate UK Business Connect and Business Growth to develop and action a growth plan tailored to their needs.

Key themes and topics

Businesses must be developing a technology, product or service based on measurement, sensing or instrumentation that addresses a specific problem faced by advanced manufacturing supply chains.

The problem must relate to improving:

• productivity
• resource efficiency
• resilience

The relevant supply chain must form part of at least one of the following UK advanced manufacturing supply chains:

• automotive
• aerospace
• battery
• space
• commercial production of advanced materials

Businesses must aim to grow and scale in the UK by selling their technology, product or service to customers both in the UK and worldwide.

The pilot will not fund businesses that are:

• developing a technology, product or service for the agritech supply chain
• developing new or improved advanced materials
• manufacturers seeking to develop a new technology approach solely for their own operations
• submitting an application based on a project

It also cannot fund businesses that:

• involve primary production in fishery and aquaculture
• involve primary production in agriculture
• are not allowed under de minimis regulation restrictions
• are not eligible to receive Minimal Financial Assistance
• are dependent on export performance
• are dependent on domestic input usage

Project duration

Projects must request support for 9 months

Must start on 1 March 2027

End by 30 November 2027

Award value

Grant funding request of £80,420

Of this total, £75,000 is grant funding that can be drawn down against eligible costs and £5,420 covers Business Connect support.

Funding rates

Eligible costs can receive up to 100% funding, subject to Minimal Financial Assistance rules.

Applicants must apply for 100% funding, and total application costs must be exactly £80,420. Applications exceeding this amount will be ineligible.

This competition does not use the standard feasibility study, industrial research or experimental development funding-rate structure.

Eligibility criteria

• Projects must be led by a UK registered business of any size
• Subcontractors must be preferably UK-based with fully justified and appropriate costs. Overseas subcontractors can be used where applicants can justify why a UK subcontractor cannot be used
• All funded project work must be carried out within the UK
• Intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• This grant is Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) under De Minimis Regulations