Overview
The Biomedical Catalyst supports UK SMEs to bring transformative healthcare innovations closer to market. Projects must demonstrate strong technical feasibility, clear patient or commercial impact, and a route to improving SME productivity and competitiveness.
Scope
Projects can focus on areas such as:
- Disease prevention and proactive health management
- Early detection and diagnosis to improve outcomes
- Personalised and curative treatments
- Digital health technologies and consumer self-care
- Transforming healthcare delivery
Eligible activities include pre-clinical research, prototyping, safety and efficacy testing (including phase 1 and 2 trials), and IP or regulatory planning.
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 24 months
Must start by 1 July 2026
End by 30 June 2028
Award value
Total project costs up to £1 million
Grant funding up to £500,00
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 costs if collaborative)
- Eligible partners: UK-registered businesses, RTOs, academic institutions, charities, or public sector bodies
- All funded activity must be carried out in the UK and results exploited from or in the UK
- Subcontractors must preferably be UK-based unless justified otherwise
Why work with us?
At Kene, we make securing and managing grant funding simple, efficient, and effective. Whether you’re applying for funding, setting up a new project, or managing ongoing reporting, our services are tailored to support you throughout the entire process.
Our team of STEM qualified consultants and sector specialists bring a breadth of technical expertise gained from supporting our extensive SME client portfolio, across more than 17 industries. Our end-to-end approach ensures each project meets funding competition requirements while maximising the chances of success and ensuring smooth implementation.
We know what strong funding applications look like, and more importantly, how to make your project stand out.
Book a free consultation with our expert grant funding advisors today.
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