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The Advanced Manufacturing: Measurement and Sensing Pilot is a new Innovate UK initiative designed to support high-potential UK SMEs developing technologies that can solve important challenges within advanced manufacturing supply chains.
Up to £1 million has been allocated to the pilot. Successful applicants will receive support over a nine-month period, combining grant funding with tailored business growth support.
This is slightly different from a conventional Innovate UK project competition. The pilot is focused on supporting the business and its growth potential, rather than funding a single defined R&D project.
Key Dates and Funding
Opens: 26 August 2026
Closes: 7 October 2026
Funding: £75,000 grant funding per business, plus £5,420 of Business Connect support
Who Can Apply?
The pilot is open to UK-registered micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Businesses must be developing a technology, product or service based on:
The solution must address a specific problem within an eligible UK advanced manufacturing supply chain and help improve productivity, resource efficiency or resilience.
Applicants can submit only one application.
Eligible Manufacturing Sectors
The technology must address challenges in at least one of the following supply chains:
The business should also have clear ambitions to grow and scale in the UK, while selling its technology or service to customers in the UK and internationally.
What Type of Businesses Is the Pilot Looking For?
The programme is aimed at businesses that already have a clear technology or commercial proposition and now need support to accelerate growth.
The technology should solve a defined manufacturing challenge through areas such as better monitoring, measurement accuracy, process control, sensing, quality assurance or improved manufacturing intelligence.
The emphasis is therefore not simply on technical development. Applicants need to demonstrate that their innovation addresses a meaningful market need and that the company has the potential to build a scalable business around it.
What Support Will Successful Businesses Receive?
Successful applicants will take part in a tailored nine-month growth programme involving Innovate UK, Innovate UK Business Connect and Innovate UK Business Growth.
Support may include:
Businesses must actively participate in these activities and work with the support team to develop and implement a growth plan.
Eligible Countries
Applicants must be UK-registered SMEs.
Funded activities must be carried out in the UK, most of the funding must be spent in the UK, and the business must intend to exploit the results from or within the UK.
Overseas subcontractors can be used only where there is a strong justification for why suitable UK capability cannot be used.
Why This Opportunity Matters
Measurement and sensing technologies can play an important role in improving manufacturing performance, from increasing production accuracy and reducing waste to enabling predictive maintenance, process optimisation and better quality control.
For smaller technology companies, however, commercial growth can depend on more than R&D funding alone. Access to customers, investors, international markets and strategic business support can be equally important.
This pilot brings these elements together, giving selected SMEs both financial support and structured growth assistance to help them strengthen their position within advanced manufacturing supply chains.
How Inventya Can Help
A strong application needs to show both the value of the technology and the commercial potential of the business behind it. Inventya can help SMEs clearly demonstrate why their solution addresses a genuine manufacturing need and how the company can scale.
Our support can include:
Inventya’s experience in Innovate UK funding, manufacturing innovation and commercialisation strategy can help SMEs present a strong application that combines technical credibility with a convincing plan for long-term business growth.
