Founder hacks · 03

UK grants a startup can actually apply for.

12 real grants and funded contracts. No loans, tax relief or advice lines. Each shows the range, who it suits and who should skip it.

Next deadlines

  1. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP)
  2. Contracts for Innovation: Innovation in play to improve child outcomes
  3. UK Defence Innovation Security Open Call 2026, cycle 2
  4. First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) Builder: programme entry expression of interest
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Showing all 12

Grant · UnLtd (charity)

UnLtd Awards (Starting Up and Scaling Up)

Up to £8k or £18k per award

Starting up or scaling up

Best for
UK founders whose product has a clear social or environmental purpose.
Skip if
Purely commercial venture, or company registered over four years ago.

Grant · The King's Trust (charity)

The King's Trust Enterprise programme grants

£500 to £5k in grants

For ages 18 to 30

Best for
Founders aged 18 to 30 starting a UK business.
Skip if
You are over 30.

Competition · Innovate UK (UKRI), for DSIT Sovereign AI Unit

Frontier AI: SME Champions, phase 1

70% of £150k to £250k project costs

For micro and small firms; 60% for medium. The page states a success rate of about 2%

Best for
UK AI SMEs with novel research in health, materials, defence or AI safety needing a feasibility project.
Skip if
Building an app on existing models, general SaaS, or no genuine AI/ML R&D content.

Grant · Innovate UK (UKRI)

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP)

Most of the project cost

Small firms pay about £35k a year

Best for
UK software or AI firms with two or more staff that want a university-supervised graduate to build new capability.
Skip if
You have no university or research partner, or no cash to co-fund.

Funded contract · UK Defence Innovation (UKDI, formerly DASA), Ministry of Defence

UK Defence Innovation Security Open Call 2026, cycle 2

Up to £350k per project

Over 12 to 18 months

Best for
UK cyber, border or protective security startups with a prototype near TRL 6 or 7.
Skip if
No security or cyber relevance, or no working prototype.

Funded contract · Innovate UK (UKRI) with public sector challenge owners

Contracts for Innovation (formerly SBRI)

£40k to £500k per contract

Varies by call; usually 100% of eligible costs

Best for
Founders with a prototype that solves a named public-sector problem.
Skip if
No open challenge matches your product; do not expect a general fund.

Funded contract · Innovate UK (UKRI), UKRI Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity Mission

Contracts for Innovation: Innovation in play to improve child outcomes

£200k to £500k per contract

From a £3m pot; usually 100% of costs

Best for
Early-stage founders building physical or community play products for children and families.
Skip if
Your product is screen-based or AI-driven.

Competition · Innovate UK (UKRI)

Battery Innovation Programme: investor partnerships

£50k to £2m project costs

Up to 70% of costs, matched by an investor partner

Best for
UK battery-technology SMEs with an investor partner already at term sheet or due diligence stage.
Skip if
No named investor partner, not a battery project, or not yet raising.

Competition · Innovate UK (UKRI)

Engineering Biology Investor Partnerships round 1

Share of an £8m pot

You must seek private finance of at least twice the grant

Best for
UK engineering biology SMEs raising private finance at least twice the grant sought.
Skip if
Not engineering biology, or no private funding in prospect.

Competition · Innovate UK (UKRI)

First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) Builder: programme entry expression of interest

Up to £315k per business

From a £770k pot

Best for
UK climate hardware or infrastructure startups building a first commercial-scale plant.
Skip if
Software-only, not climate tech, or no first-of-a-kind build planned.

Competition · Innovate UK (UKRI)

Germany Bilateral Collaborative R&D: round 5

Share of a £2.4m pot

With a German SME partner

Best for
UK SMEs with an existing German R&D partner and a joint project.
Skip if
No German partner, or you work alone.

Competition · Innovate UK (UKRI)

Eureka collaborative R&D: Globalstars Japan 2027

Share of a £2m pot

With a Japanese SME partner

Best for
UK deep-tech SMEs with a Japanese SME partner for a joint project.
Skip if
No Japanese partner, or you apply alone.

With Cady

Have your agent apply for funding for you.

Your agent reads the criteria and drafts each application. You approve what goes in.

Create account

Deadline tracking is in testing. See what it can already do.

You, to Claude or ChatGPT
Which of these grants fit a pre-revenue London software startup? Draft the strongest application and start a folder of the evidence it asks for.

Cady keeps the record

  • The shortlist and why each one fits
  • The deadline for each
  • The evidence folder for each application

Checked against official pages on . Ranges from the press are cited. Spotted a change?