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The UK-Singapore Collaborative R&D 2026 competition provides an opportunity for UK businesses to develop innovative technologies in partnership with companies in Singapore.
Innovate UK has allocated up to £3 million to support UK participants, while Singapore partners will apply separately for funding through Enterprise Singapore. The competition is focused on business-led industrial research projects that combine expertise from both countries and demonstrate a clear pathway towards commercial exploitation.
Key Dates and Funding
Opens: 24 August 2026
Closes: 16 December 2026, 11:00am
UK Grant Request: £100,000 to £900,000 per project
For UK industrial research activities, funding can cover up to 70% of eligible costs for micro and small businesses, 60% for medium-sized businesses and 50% for large businesses.
What Does the Competition Support?
The competition will fund business-led collaborative R&D projects focused on industrial research. Projects must fall within one of four priority sectors:
Innovate UK intends to build a portfolio across different technologies rather than concentrate funding in a single area.
UK-Singapore Collaboration
International collaboration is a core requirement. A UK registered business must work with at least one Singapore-registered business applying through the corresponding Enterprise Singapore programme.
The Singapore business must be a separate legal entity and cannot be linked to the UK partners. Projects must demonstrate a balanced technological contribution from both countries, with the collaboration being significant to all participants.
No individual country or project partner can account for more than 70% of the project's total costs.
Who Can Apply?
The UK application must be led by a UK registered business of any size.
Additional UK partners can include:
The consortium must also include the required Singapore business partner. Singapore organisations do not receive Innovate UK funding and instead submit a parallel application to Enterprise Singapore.
Research organisations undertaking non-economic activities can collectively account for up to 30% of the project's total eligible costs.
Project Requirements
Projects must request between £100,000 and £900,000 in Innovate UK grant funding and last between 24 and 36 months.
The majority of project activities must take place in the UK and Singapore. UK participants must carry out most of their work in the UK, spend most of their funding in the UK and intend to exploit the results from or within the UK.
Projects must also demonstrate a clear intention to commercially exploit their results, either domestically or internationally.
Subcontracting is permitted but is limited to 20% of the total eligible costs of UK participation.
Why This Competition Matters
The programme provides more than funding for technology development. It gives UK businesses an opportunity to combine their capabilities with Singapore's innovation ecosystem and establish relationships that could support future commercial expansion in Asia.
For projects with complementary UK and Singapore expertise, the competition can help reduce the technical and financial risks associated with industrial research while creating a stronger foundation for subsequent commercialisation.
The bilateral nature of the programme also means applicants need to demonstrate why the UK-Singapore partnership creates additional value that could not be achieved as effectively by either side working independently.
How Inventya Can Help
Developing a competitive UK-Singapore proposal requires a strong technical project alongside a convincing case for international collaboration and commercial exploitation. Inventya can support applicants throughout the development of their submission.
Our support can include:
Inventya's experience in Innovate UK funding, international collaborative R&D and commercialisation strategy can help businesses build a well-structured proposal that demonstrates both technological ambition and a credible pathway from international R&D collaboration to market.
