Innovate UK has launched two new competitions to accelerate the real-world deployment of connected and automated mobility (CAM) services. The CAM Pathfinder Programme aims to transform research and early-stage development into sustainable, commercial mobility solutions.

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), has launched the first competition under the new National Materials Innovation Programme, offering up to £2 million to support feasibility projects that accelerate the translation of advanced materials innovations into real-world industrial applications.

The DRIVE35 Scale-up: Feasibility Studies 2 competition is now open, providing a major opportunity for UK organisations preparing to scale up zero-emission vehicle technologies. With £5 million available, the programme aims to strengthen the UK’s manufacturing base, accelerate the transition to clean transport, and unlock private investment in strategic technologies.

The DANUBElifelines (DLL) Call for Associated Regions invites five new regions to join the DLL mission of restoring migratory fish populations across the Danube River Basin. Through this call, selected regions will receive technical support, access to expert knowledge, and up to €100,000 to implement practical restoration measures.

The EPIC-X Open Call for Women-Led Deep-Tech Startups aims to boost women’s leadership in Europe’s deep-tech sector and strengthen innovation capacity in 16 moderate and emerging innovator countries. The programme provides financial support, tailored acceleration services and cross-border networking to help startups grow internationally.

The first UNITE Open Call invites digital health innovators from seven participating European regions to develop high-impact solutions that can transform healthcare delivery, empower patients and strengthen European digital health ecosystems.

The EUROLAKES Call for Replication Projects supports the adoption of nature-based solutions to restore degraded lake ecosystems across Europe. As part of the wider EUROLakes project, this call aims to replicate successful methodologies tested at demonstration sites to improve ecological health, water quality and long-term lake resilience.

The PhotonQBoost Open Call provides financial and advisory support to European SMEs developing innovative photonics and quantum solutions. With a total budget of €728,800, the programme aims to strengthen SME resilience, sustainability and technological advancement across Europe.

The Eureka GlobalStars Japan 2026 competition invites UK businesses to collaborate with Japanese partners on ambitious industrial research projects. Backed by Innovate UK, this opportunity aims to strengthen international innovation partnerships and accelerate technologies with global market potential.

FORTIS Open Call 1 supports the development, integration and validation of human robot interaction (HRI) solutions that can be plugged into the FORTIS ecosystem. The call aims to attract multidisciplinary consortia that bring together expertise from robotics, artificial intelligence, human factors and real-world deployment environments.

Trials4Health 2026 invites transnational consortia to submit proposals for randomised, interventional Phase III clinical studies addressing some of Europe’s most pressing chronic health conditions: cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders and autoimmune diseases.

Innovate UK Growth Catalyst is an integrated package designed to accelerate UK start-ups and scale-ups by combining grant funding, private investment and specialist business support. Round 2 of the Investor Partnerships programme invites innovation led SMEs to apply for matched funding that unlocks growth across key UK strategic sectors.

The Women in Innovation Awards provide targeted support to women founders and co-founders leading high potential UK start-ups. Innovate UK will award up to 60 grants, each worth up to £75,000, alongside 12 months of bespoke business support designed to accelerate the growth of women-led businesses. What the Award Supports The competition targets women innovators in three of the UK’s high growth sectors: Advanced Manufacturing Automotive: the UK aims to lead in Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) and Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) Batteries: will power the transition to net zero and are central to the UK’s clean energy and decarbonisation goals Aerospace: central to the UK’s ambition to lead in low carbon aircraft technologies, advanced propulsion systems, and next generation aviation innovation Space: space technologies are part of the UK's ambition to lead in Industry 4.0, including, in-orbit satellite assembly, advanced manufacturing tools for space applications and integration with AI and automation Advanced materials: UK manufacturers are leading the charge in developing next generation components that are more sustainable and resilient and better suited for low carbon applications Agri-tech: pioneering revolutionary approaches to agricultural productivity and sustainable food production, supporting both domestic and global supply chains Digital and Technologies Artificial Intelligence (AI): supporting the development of foundation models and applied AI across sectors including health, finance, and manufacturing Cyber Security: strengthening national cyber resilience and promoting UK leadership in secure digital infrastructure Quantum Technologies: investing in quantum computing, sensing, and communications to unlock transformative capabilities Semiconductors: building strategic supply chains and domestic manufacturing capacity for critical semiconductor components Engineering Biology: advancing synthetic biology and bio-manufacturing for applications in health, agriculture, and materials Advanced Connectivity: expanding 5G and preparing for 6G networks, alongside satellite based communications for remote areas Life Sciences Biotechnology: supporting breakthroughs in areas such as genomics, nucleic acid based medicines, cell and gene therapies MedTech: accelerating development of AI enabled diagnostics, wearable devices, and minimally invasive technologies Pharmaceuticals: driving innovation across medicines discovery and development, and scaling sustainable manufacturing technologies. Utilising frontier technologies of AI, engineering biology and quantum Health Data and AI: integrating NHS data with AI tools to improve patient outcomes and enable personalised medicine Eligible applicants must be women founders or co-founders of a UK registered SME at the late stage start-up phase. Businesses should have a prototype or minimal viable product, early customer interest, a clear market opportunity and a plan to scale that includes raising investment in the next 12 to 24 months. Deadline: 4 February 2026 at 11:00am

The Strategic Innovation Open Call, launched by EIT Urban Mobility on 19 June 2025, invites innovators across Europe to submit ambitious, market-critical proposals that address urgent urban mobility challenges. This multi-year initiative (2026–2028) aims to accelerate the deployment of solutions with a clear path to commercialization, scaling potential, and real-world impact.

Innovate UK, in partnership with the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and National Highways, is investing up to £10 million to fund cutting-edge projects that expand public EV charging capacity for long-distance journeys along England’s Strategic Road Network (SRN).

The Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) is the EU’s flagship funding initiative designed to accelerate Europe’s digital transformation. Running from 2021 to 2027 with a budget of around €7.9 billion, it focuses on bringing digital technologies to businesses, citizens, and public administrations. Individual projects can avail a funding of €500,000 to €2 million, with bigger projects eligible for €10 million. Unlike research programmes such as Horizon Europe, DIGITAL is dedicated to deployment—supporting projects that can quickly deliver real-world solutions.

DASA are seeking proposals which provide field communication capabilities that are resistant to attack but continue to perform if degraded and are secure.

Funding to create more effective training environments through the use of simulation and synthetic environments which will enable more frequent training, greater challenge and greater availability.

DASA are looking for proposals which promote a shift from more traditional chains of command to more dynamic, lateral networks, with greater delegation of authority and allow exploitation of relevant information at speed.

This funding is to deliver the UK government’s Horizon Europe guarantee.

This funding route is to deliver the UK Government’s Horizon Europe guarantee. Specifically, it covers funding for UK partners involved in EIT-KIC activities in the 2022 calendar year.