Funding & Opportunities

Supporting businesses, academia and healthcare providers to collaborate and innovate positive change for the benefit of patients, the NHS and the economy.

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Application deadline: Ongoing

SETsquared’s Scale-Up Programme will invest £100k+ into R&D project proposal development for a significant number of open and themed One Health funds including Bio/Med tech focused on disease prevention, precision medicine and other novel medical solutions.

One Health Campaign

Support offered: Funding of up to £35k per project to help develop collaborative R&D proposals bids.

Stage of innovation: R&D project proposal development

Open to: Academics (from the universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey), companies and consortia, including companies and academics.

Application deadline: Ongoing

The NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme supports the preclinical and clinical development of medical devices in areas of existing or emerging patient need.

i4i Product Development Awards Call

Support offered: The aim of the Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme is to de-risk early stage projects that have a strong potential for commercialisation and acceptance for use in the NHS, making them attractive to follow-on funders and investors. i4i funds collaborative research projects that have demonstrated proof-of-principle and have a clear pathway towards adoption and commercialisation.

Stage of innovation: i4i Product Development Awards (PDA) support innovations at any stage of the translational research and development pathway, including the clinical development of laboratory-validated technologies or interventions.

Application deadline: Ongoing

The Bristol Industrial PhD Placement Fund is supported by the EPSRC National Productivity Investment Fund. It encourages innovative, creative and collaborative ways for PhD students to experience working within industry and gaining new skills.

Bristol Industrial PhD Placement Fund

Support offered: PhD students who take on a placement will be able to apply their technical, research and professional skills across different contexts outside of academia.

Open to: Any external organisation aligning with the EPSRC Industrial Strategy challenge in one of the 9 selected areas.

Application deadline: Ongoing

Explore new and better ways of organising health and social care services to improve quality with this free CPD-certified course. The next running of Quality Improvement in Healthcare: the Case for Change commences on 18 January 2021. The course will be repeated from 7 June and 13 September 2021. This is a free, six week course (that can be started at any time within six weeks of the course start date), developed and delivered by the West of England AHSN and University of Bath. Join hundreds of healthcare staff from around the world who have benefited from this training.

Quality Improvement in Healthcare: the Case for Change

Application deadline: Ongoing

The brand new i4i FAST (Funding At the Speed of Translation) funding scheme is inviting innovators to submit applications that will answer a specific question, fund a single piece of activity or fill a specific evidence gap across all technology readiness levels. Research themes can address any area of existing or emerging clinical unmet need. The Awards provide between £15k to £50k of funding for projects that can last between three to six months.

NiHR i4i FAST (Funding At the Speed of Translation)

Open to: The funding will be open to all organisations registered in England - small and medium enterprises (SMEs), higher education institutions (HEIs), NHS, and not-for-profit organisations. Collaboration with NIHR infrastructure, in particular the NIHR MedTech and In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operatives (MICs), is encouraged.

Application deadline: 01/07/2022

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £25m for game-changing and commercially viable R&D innovation that can significantly impact the UK economy. This funding is from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation.

Innovate UK Smart Grants

Support offered: The Smart grant funds a cross-sector portfolio of the best game-changing, and world leading projects. It offers funding where other opportunities are not available or appropriate, and where timing is key to ensure swift and successful commercialisation post-project completion. Project value £100k-£2m.

Open to: SMEs working alone, UK registered business of any size or a research and technology organisation (RTO) if collaborative. Large businesses or RTOs must include at least one SME if wishing to collaborate with other UK registered businesses, research organisations, academic organisations, public sector organisations or charities to claim grant funding.

Application deadline: 27/07/2022

The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England and NHS Improvement has launched a Health and Wellbeing Fund for VCSE organisations who can provide a holistic support offer to assist women at work experiencing reproductive health issues. Applicants can apply for £200,000 to £600,000 over a three year period.

VCSE Health and Wellbeing Fund

Support offered: Funding of between £200,000 to £600,000 per applicant is available over a period of three financial years, to expand or develop projects or programmes in areas outlined in the information pack. Applications with a commitment secured for additional funding will be prioritised but all applications will be considered.

Open to: VCSE organisations who can provide a holistic support offer to assist women at work experiencing reproductive health issues.

Application deadline: 05/08/2022

The NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme supports the preclinical and clinical development of medical technologies in areas of existing or emerging patient need.

NIHR Product Development Awards 2022-23

Stage of innovation: Projects that have demonstrated proof-of-concept and have a clear pathway towards adoption and commercialisation.

Open to: i4i Product Development Awards (PDA) support innovations at any stage of the translational research and development pathway, including the clinical development of laboratory-validated technologies or interventions.

Application deadline: 08/12/2022

Are you an entrepreneur in the field of healthcare or life sciences? Are you developing a product or service which could transform patient care, save money or help us lead healthier lives? The Health Innovation Programme will help you navigate NHS England as a marketplace, to enable you to identify the optimum customer base for your business and explain the value of your proposition to the health sector.

Health Innovation Programme

Support offered: Immersive and interactive, the Health Innovation Programme is an intensive, fully-funded, four-day business development course, that will help you navigate NHS England as a marketplace, to enable you to identify the optimum customer base for your business and explain the value of your proposition to the health sector. Our Health Innovation Programme has been running since 2015, delivering high quality coaching, mentoring and personal development support.

Stage of innovation: The programme is designed for clinicians, healthcare practitioners, innovators and entrepreneurs with an idea for a health-based product or service, founders of early-stage ventures, more experienced entrepreneurs launching a new health-based product/venture and healthcare practitioners.

Open to: Priority will be given to applicants employed in the West of England AHSN & South West AHSN geographical boundaries which covers Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly. Applications from Wessex & KSS AHSN geographical boundaries will also be considered.

Application deadline: 11/07/2023