Summary
Innovate UK will invest up to £25 million to accelerate innovation in the UK’s health and life sciences sector. This strand supports larger, industry-led R&D projects developing solutions that address key healthcare challenges — from early detection and diagnosis to transformative therapies and digital health innovation.
Overview
The Biomedical Catalyst programme backs SMEs in developing commercially viable health innovations that improve patient outcomes and boost UK productivity. Projects should demonstrate technical and commercial feasibility, with clear potential for patient benefit and market impact.
Scope
Projects can focus on:
- Disease prevention and proactive health management
- Early detection and diagnosis to improve outcomes
- Personalised or curative treatments
- Transforming healthcare delivery and patient experience
- Digital health technologies and consumer-led self-care
Eligible activities include experimental evaluation, prototyping, safety and efficacy testing (including early clinical trials), IP protection, regulatory planning, and demonstration of clinical or commercial utility.
Key themes and topics
- Advanced therapies (cell, gene, RNA, regenerative)
- Biosciences and platform technologies
- Therapeutics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
- Diagnostics and biomarkers
- Medical technologies, devices, and robotics
- Precision and personalised medicine
- Digital and data-driven health
- Healthy ageing and independent living
Projects will not be funded if they are:
- Fundamental research or feasibility studies
- Unrelated to human life sciences
- Focused on products already on the market
- Routine business activities without R&D
- Lacking patient or commercial impact
- Failing to meet high animal welfare standards
Project duration
6 to 36 months
Must start by 1 July 2026
End by 30 June 2029
Award value
Total project costs up to £4 million
Grant funding between £500,000 and £2 million
Funding rates
For industrial research (developing new knowledge, prototypes, or system components):
- Up to 70% for small organisations
- Up to 60% for medium organisations
- Up to 50% for large organisations
For experimental development (closer to market through testing and validation):
- Up to 45% for small organisations
- Up to 35% for medium organisations
- Up to 25% for large organisations
Research organisations can share up to 50% of total eligible project costs.
Eligibility criteria
- Lead must be a UK-registered SME
- Can be single or collaborative (SMEs must contribute at least 50% of total costs if collaborative)
- Eligible partners: UK-registered businesses, RTOs, academic institutions, charities, or public sector bodies
- All funded work must take place in the UK, with results exploited from or in the UK
- Subcontractors should be UK-based unless overseas work is clearly justified
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