National Materials Innovation Programme CR&D Round 1 2026: £500,000–£1 Million Grants for Collaborative Advanced Materials Research

National Materials Innovation Programme CR&D Round 1 2026: £500,000–£1 Million Grants for Collaborative Advanced Materials Research

Innovate UK’s National Materials Innovation Programme: CR&D Round 1 is an open grant competition for UK-led collaborations developing advanced materials toward real adoption. The competition has a total fund of up to £12 million and accepts project grant requests between £500,000 and £1 million. Applications opened on 1 September 2026 and must reach Innovate UK by 28 October 2026 at 11:00am UK time.

This is not a general technology grant. The project must be primarily about a materials innovation, fit one of the competition’s defined themes and sub-themes, identify the UK sector and application it will serve, and show a credible route to scale and adoption. The call is aimed at collaborative industrial research, so a strong proposal needs more than a laboratory result. It must connect materials performance to a named end user, manufacturing or deployment barriers, business growth, and a market that can use the result.

The opportunity is particularly relevant to businesses, research and technology organisations, universities, public-sector bodies, charities, and not-for-profits that can form a practical development team. The lead must be a UK registered business, and the consortium must include at least one UK registered micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise claiming grant funding. A project can include a research organisation, but the grant is not designed for a stand-alone academic study with no industrial pathway.

Key details at a glance

What the competition is designed to fund

The programme sits within the UK’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan and is focused on translating materials potential into use in important industries. Innovate UK describes materials innovation broadly. It can mean improving an existing material such as a metal, composite, ceramic, or polymer; developing and deploying a new advanced material; or using an existing material in a new way to overcome a major technical barrier.

The proposed work should produce an improvement that matters in an application. The official guidance gives examples such as better performance, greater functionality, higher efficiency, stronger industrial security and competitiveness, sustainability, and resource efficiency. A material may be scientifically interesting, but that alone is not enough. The proposal must explain where it will be used, who will use it, what prevents adoption today, and how the project will address those barriers.

The competition is the first collaborative industrial research round under this programme. It uses a portfolio approach, meaning Innovate UK wants a varied set of projects across themes, technologies, maturity levels, business sizes, applications, markets, and UK regions. A high score does not guarantee funding if a proposal does not fit the final portfolio or the available budget. The Innovation Funding Service says experience from similar competitions suggests an indicative 20% chance of success. That figure is not a promise or a quota, but it is a useful warning to treat fit and evidence as seriously as scientific ambition.

Who can apply and how the consortium must work

The lead organisation must be a UK registered business of any size. The project must be collaborative, and at least one UK registered SME must claim grant funding in the application. Other eligible funded collaborators can include UK businesses, academic institutions, charities, not-for-profits, public-sector organisations, and research and technology organisations.

At least two organisations must request funding. The application must explain why they are working together and how the collaboration will operate. No single organisation can claim more than 70% of total project costs. A business can lead one application and be a collaborator in up to two additional applications. If a business is not leading any application, it can collaborate in any number. Academic institutions, charities, not-for-profits, public bodies, and RTOs can collaborate on any number of applications.

Non-funded partners may also participate. They can be based in the UK, the European Union, or elsewhere, and can contribute from their own resources. Non-UK partners may carry out work in their home countries and exploit results outside the UK, but organisations receiving funding must carry out their project work in the UK, intend to exploit results in the UK, and spend most of the funding in the UK.

Subcontracting is allowed up to 30% of total eligible project costs. UK subcontractors should be selected through the applicant’s usual procurement process. An overseas subcontractor requires a specific case explaining why a UK supplier cannot do the work. A lower price alone is not enough. This makes procurement planning important for any proposal that depends on specialist testing, manufacturing, certification, or scale-up support.

Eligible themes and examples of fit

Every project must select a competition theme and at least one associated sub-theme. The four theme groups are:

1. Future healthcare solutions. Sub-themes include biocompatible and regenerative materials, plus bioelectronic materials. Relevant work can concern medical devices, diagnostics, controlled therapeutic delivery, tissue engineering, implants, wearable systems, or materials that interact directly with biological tissue or physiological processes.
2. Structural materials innovation. Sub-themes cover sustainability and circularity, surface engineering, design and deployment, and extreme environments. Eligible material classes include speciality steels, advanced non-ferrous metals and alloys, fibre-reinforced structural composites, technical ceramics, advanced structural glasses, geopolymers, and high-performance structural polymers used in load-bearing applications.
3. Power electronics and connectivity. Sub-themes cover wide and ultra-wide bandgap materials and advanced connectivity materials. The guidance names areas including silicon carbide, gallium nitride, diamond, gallium oxide, photonic materials, radio-frequency materials, low-loss dielectrics, thermal interface materials, and advanced heat spreaders.
4. Metamaterials and metasurfaces. This strategic theme covers future telecommunications and advanced connectivity, convergent electronic-photonic technologies, thermal, acoustic and mechanical metamaterials, energy security and net zero, and healthcare.

The theme choice is substantive. If a project is fundamentally based on a metamaterial or metasurface, it must apply under that theme even if there is an overlap with another area. The proposal should connect the material to a specific IS-8 growth sector, frontier industry, or foundational industry and input. It should also explain the intended application rather than stopping at chemistry, fabrication, or characterisation.

The named end-user requirement

One of the clearest eligibility gates is the requirement for at least one named end user operating in an applicable IS-8 sector or related industrial category. The end user is further downstream in the value chain and will use or directly benefit from the materials innovation. Examples include an original equipment manufacturer or a Tier 1 supplier.

The end user can be funded or non-funded and can sit on an advisory board, take part as a collaborator, or hold another defined role in governance or the work plan. The application must name the contact and organisation, give the organisation’s address, identify the relevant sector, and explain the end user’s role and level of involvement.

A letter of support by itself does not satisfy this requirement. Innovate UK specifically says that a business relationship, email, purchase order, invoice, memorandum of understanding, non-disclosure agreement, or other commercial document cannot by itself demonstrate end-user involvement. The end user needs a real project role. Applicants should therefore agree early on what the end user will test, decide, validate, govern, or help prepare for deployment.

Funding amount, cost limits, and project timing

The competition fund is up to £12 million, while each project must request between £500,000 and £1 million in eligible grant funding. The fund is conditional on receiving enough high-quality applications, and Innovate UK may adjust allocations in exceptional circumstances. A single enterprise cannot receive more than £3 million in grant funding in this competition under the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Route.

For commercial or economic activity, the maximum grant rates for industrial research are up to 70% of eligible costs for a micro or small organisation, up to 60% for a medium-sized organisation, and up to 50% for a large organisation. Research organisations undertaking non-economic activity can share up to 30% of total eligible project costs. Within that share, an RTO, charity, not-for-profit, public-sector organisation, or research organisation can receive up to 100% of eligible costs, while an academic institution can receive 80% of full economic cost under the stated TRAC arrangements.

Projects must last between 18 and 30 months, start by 1 February 2027, and end by 31 July 2029. Projects start on the first day of a month. No work can begin before Innovate UK approves the Grant Offer Letter, and project setup delays can move the start date. Build a realistic plan around the approval stage rather than treating the proposed start date as permission to incur costs.

How to apply through the Innovation Funding Service

Applications are submitted through the Innovation Funding Service. The application has four main parts: project details, application questions, finances, and Project Impact. Partners must be invited into the system, complete their assigned sections, and accept the terms and conditions before submission.

The project details section is not scored, but it still affects eligibility and assessment routing. It asks for the project team, title, start date, duration, research category, a project summary of up to 400 words, a public description of up to 400 words, and a scope statement of up to 400 words. The public description may be published if the project is funded, so it should not contain commercial secrets.

The scored application questions cover the business need or market challenge, the approach and innovation, the team and resources, market awareness, outcomes and route to market, wider impacts, project management, risks, added value, and costs and value for money. Most of these answers allow up to 400 words. The application also requires a project plan or Gantt chart, a risk register, and, where relevant, appendices for the approach or team. Each appendix must be a legible PDF no larger than 10MB and no more than two A4 pages.

Do not place website addresses or links in application answers. The IFS guidance says URLs will not be viewed or opened. Use references where useful, but make the answer stand on its own. Before submission, check that every section is complete, every partner has finished its assigned work, the finances match the narrative, and the lead organisation has time for final review and resubmission if necessary.

What to prepare before drafting

Start with a one-page project logic model. It should connect the material problem to a measurable performance improvement, a defined end user, the work needed to reach that improvement, and a route toward deployment. That structure will make the later answers consistent.

Prepare the consortium early. Confirm each partner’s contribution, costs, role, decision rights, and relationship to the work packages. Obtain a genuine commitment from the named end user. If an overseas supplier or subcontractor is essential, assemble evidence of the UK procurement search and the reasons a UK provider cannot perform the work.

Build an evidence pack around the application questions. Include prior test results, benchmark data, failure modes, technical readiness, competitor or alternative comparisons, customer requirements, regulatory constraints, market references, and the assumptions behind the commercial case. The competition asks about similar innovations, target-market size and growth, supply chains, barriers to entry, intellectual property, productivity, and wider economic and environmental impact. Unsupported claims will be hard to defend across so many sections.

Map the requested grant against eligible cost rates before writing the narrative. Separate commercial work from non-economic research activity, identify the share of costs claimed by each partner, and check the 70% partner cap, the 30% research-organisation share, and the 30% subcontractor ceiling. Also check permits, licences, animal-welfare requirements if relevant, sanctions, export controls, subsidy-control obligations, and financial-viability risks.

What reviewers are likely to look for

Innovate UK says three independent assessors will review the application and all scores will count toward the funding decision unless applicants are told otherwise. The practical test is whether the proposal forms a believable chain from materials innovation to use and benefit.

Reviewers will need to see why the material is better or more useful, why the proposed work is needed now, and what prevents a customer from adopting it today. They will also need confidence that the team can perform the industrial research, access the equipment and facilities, manage dependencies, handle risks, and protect or exploit the resulting know-how.

Market evidence should be specific. Name the customer group, the value-chain position, the buying decision, the adoption barrier, and the evidence that the market exists or can be tested. Explain how the end user will participate in validation and how the project can progress from the funded work toward manufacturing, certification, procurement, or integration.

The net-zero and resource-efficiency case also needs a clear baseline. If the benefit is lower energy use, lower emissions, longer service life, reduced material use, or improved recycling, state what will be compared, how it will be measured, and what trade-offs could weaken the claim. A proposal that names a positive environmental effect without a measurement method will be less persuasive than one that makes a narrower, testable claim.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most serious mistake is presenting a general materials research project that does not name a sector, application, or end user. A second is treating a support letter as a substitute for an end user’s defined role. A third is placing the main innovation in an AI, software, policy, skills, or relationship project when the competition says the project must focus primarily on materials innovation.

Other avoidable problems include requesting outside the £500,000 to £1 million band, omitting the required UK SME claimant, allowing one organisation to exceed 70% of total project costs, or forgetting that the lead can only lead one application. Proposals can also fail at the scope stage if they do not align with a listed theme or sub-theme.

Do not leave the financial and compliance checks until the final day. The application asks about permits, export licences, dual-use work, sensitive technologies, subsidies, and overseas collaboration. Those answers may require input from finance, legal, procurement, export-control, or research-governance colleagues. A late discovery can force a change to the consortium or work plan when there is no time left.

Finally, do not assume a scientifically strong proposal will be funded automatically. The competition is finite and portfolio-based. Show the distinctive fit of the project, its route to UK adoption, and the additional value created by public funding.

Timeline and practical next steps

The competition opened on 1 September 2026. Innovate UK held an online briefing on 3 September, with applicant clinics listed for 11 September and 7 October. The application deadline is 28 October at 11:00am UK time. Applicants are due to be notified on 2 December 2026, and funded projects must start by 1 February 2027.

Because the deadline is fixed and partner sections must be complete, a sensible sequence is to confirm eligibility and the end user first, agree the theme and work packages second, build the cost model third, and draft the scored answers only after those decisions are stable. Reserve time for partner review, financial checking, appendix preparation, and a final read of the live IFS application. Innovate UK recommends contacting it about accessibility adjustments at least 15 working days before the deadline so that suitable support can be arranged.

Frequently asked questions

Can a university lead the application?

No. The lead organisation must be a UK registered business of any size. Universities can collaborate, and academic institutions may claim funding for eligible non-economic research activity within the stated limits.

Is a named end user mandatory?

Yes. The project must include at least one named end user in a relevant IS-8, frontier, or foundational sector. The end user must have a defined role in the project governance or work plan. A letter or commercial document alone is not sufficient evidence of involvement.

Can the project include an overseas partner?

Yes, a non-funded partner can be based outside the UK and may work from its home country. Organisations receiving funding must do their project work in the UK, intend to exploit the results in the UK, and spend most of the funding in the UK. Overseas subcontracting needs a specific justification.

What is the maximum project length?

Projects must last from 18 to 30 months, start by 1 February 2027, and finish by 31 July 2029.

Does the competition fund software or AI by itself?

No. The official scope excludes projects focused on digital tools or technologies that support or enable materials innovation, including AI and machine learning tools. The primary focus must be an eligible materials innovation in a listed theme.

Where can applicants get help?

For competition questions, contact Innovate UK at [email protected] or 0300 321 4357. The listed phone hours are 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. Applicants should check the official IFS competition page and speak to their own finance and legal teams for organisation-specific advice.

Official links

• UKRI opportunity page: National Materials Innovation Programme: CR&D Rd1
• Innovation Funding Service competition overview and application
• UKRI general guidance on funding rules
• Innovate UK contact and accessibility guidance

Check the live official pages before submitting. Innovate UK can update competition information, application guidance, funding allocations, or assessment arrangements, and the IFS page is the controlling source for the application deadline and required fields.