Innovate UK has launched its 2025-26 Women in Innovation Awards, offering up to £75,000 and tailored business support to women founders or co-founders of UK-registered micro, small or medium sized enterprises. With £4.5 million available, the programme targets innovators from diverse backgrounds and regions – specifically focusing on 3 of the UK’s 8 high growth sectors – to help them advance and scale their businesses.
Applications are now open and close on 4 February 2026.
Funding and support
- Successful projects will receive up to £75,000 in grant funding and 12 months of bespoke business support; and
- Up to 60 Women in Innovation Awards will be made. A proportion of highly commended applicants who do not receive grant funding will still be offered 12 months of tailored business support.
If awarded, grant funding will be paid in three instalments:
- 50% of grant request within a month of project start date;
- A further 40% in arrears, after approval of 50% claim and the evidence of spend made; and
- The remaining 10% of the grant up to 30 days after Innovate UK receive and approve the final claim.
Eligibility
The competition has a clearly defined scope, and applicants must complete a suitability checker to confirm whether the awards are a good fit.
Projects must run for 12 months, starting on 1 July 2026 and ending on 30 June 2027.
Women projects leads must
- Be a woman founder or co-founder within a UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME) that is registered on Companies House;
- Be a resident in the UK;
- Engage in a minimum of 10 hours of training and development support; and
- Commit to a minimum of 4 hours of role modelling activity to inspire future generations of women innovators.
The competition focuses on
- Innovation within 3 high-growth sectors – identified in the Government’s Industrial Strategy: Advanced Manufacturing, Digital and Technologies, and Life Sciences. A detailed breakdown of each sector is available in the guidance;
- Late-stage start-ups aiming to scale and raise significant investment within the next 12–24 months;
- Genuinely innovative solutions – projects must deliver something new to the market or a substantial improvement on current offerings.
Criteria for a late-stage start-up:
- Have built a basic version of the idea or product, service, solution, for example a prototype or Minimal Viable Product;
- Have received early interest from users, customers, or made some money;
- Know who the product is for and have started testing how the business will work;
- Have an understanding of realistic market opportunity; and
- Have started forming a team, going beyond original founders.
Subcontracting
Subcontracting is permitted, but costs must not exceed 50% of the grant. All subcontractor costs must be fully justified and proportionate, and lower cost alone is not an acceptable reason to source work overseas.
How to apply
Applications are divided into four sections: project details, questions, finances, and project impact. Before starting, applicants must read the guidance on applying for competitions on the Innovation Funding Service (IFS). Each application is reviewed by three independent assessors, whose expertise and scores contribute to the final funding decision.
If an application passes the initial assessment and a grant offer is made, the applicant completes the project setup process on IFS. A guidance video is available to explain the steps before the project officially starts.
How M+A Partners can help
M+A Partners are unable to process or advise on grant applications, but we will let you know of any grant opportunities in the region that we receive notification of.
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