Grant Directories

The National Composites Centre (NCC) is a world-class research centre, which provides funding, and access to cutting-edge technology and specialist engineers to companies in the UK to drive innovation in the design and manufacture of composites. Through the SME Boost Programme, match funding up to £25,000 is available to make innovative composites research and development as straightforward as possible for small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK. Funding could support feasibility studies to see how composites can help improve an idea, or upscaling an existing product to meet future requirements. Programme participants also receive access to the NCC's knowledge network.

Innovation loans are a 2-year pilot programme to broaden the range of innovation finance support available to businesses, so they can access funding at all stages of innovation. Innovation loans of between £100,000 and £1 million are available to UK small or medium-sized enterprises (SME) that want to scale up and grow by developing new or improved products, processes or services.  The loans are available for up to 10 years are accessed through themed competitions that will open for applications via five funding rounds.  A total of £50 million will be available over 2 years to the end of 2020.

The European Research Councils (ERC) main objective is to encourage high quality research in Europe through competitive funding. The ERC Proof of Concept Grant is available to researchers who have already been awarded an ERC grant which is either current or within the last 12 months. The type of high-risk/high-gain research at the frontiers of knowledge that the ERC promotes often generates unexpected or new opportunities for commercial and societal applications. The ERC is committed to ensuring the full exploitation of the excellent, useful ideas it funds. The Proof of Concept funding helps ERC grant-holders bridge the gap between their research and the earliest stage of a marketable innovation. Funding of up to EUR 150,000 is available for a period of up to 18 months.

The European Research Councils (ERC) main objective is to encourage high quality research in Europe through competitive funding. ERC Consolidator Grants are for researchers of any nationality who have over 7 and up to 12 years experience since completion of their PHD, it is designed to support researchers at the stage at which they are consolidating their own independent research team or programme. It aims to prevent the loss of talent and new ideas from Europe by strengthening independent and excellent individual research teams that have been recently created. Funding of up to EUR 2 million is available for excellent research proposals undertaken in a public or private research organisation for a period of up to 5 years.

The Innovation Voucher scheme provides grants of between £1,000 and £7,500 to support partnerships between SMEs and HEIs that lead to new products and processes that will benefit the business, the institution and the Scottish economy. The scheme is broad in its application, however funds may not be used to cover the costs of; standard training courses; software purchases; aid that would promote/ subsidise the cost of exports; internships for students of knowledge institutions; design and production of advertising materials; and sales activities.