The Henry Royce Institute has opened the third funding round for its MATcelerate HEALTH programme, offering grants of between £50,000 and £85,000 for researchers working at the initiative’s 10 partner universities. The programme will fund short projects designed to accelerate the commercialisation of materials-based healthcare technologies.
MATcelerate HEALTH is a Royce-facilitated, industry-driven initiative connecting researchers, university technology transfer offices, healthcare partners and global companies. The programme aims to help promising academic innovations overcome the technical, clinical and commercial barriers that can prevent them from progressing towards investment, licensing or spin-out formation.
Round 3 of the programme’s grant funding imitative will support six-month research, development and innovation sprint projects with a clear materials innovation at their core.
Applications may cover areas including:
TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS
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- Biomaterials
- Medical Devices
- Flexible electronics e.g. sensors
- Equipment/medical instruments
- Sustainable materials e.g. PPE/alternative packaging
TECHNOLOGY SECTORS
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- Medical devices
- Diagnostics
- Biotechnology
Projects should address a critical stage in the development of a healthcare technology, helping to reduce commercial risk and establish a clearer route towards adoption or further investment. Proposals may focus on areas such as clinical testing, regulatory planning, specialist development work, scalability or manufacturing.
The call is restricted to researchers at participating MATcelerate HEALTH universities who are working with their university Technology Transfer Office (TTO). Applications are currently accepted from the universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield and Warwick, as well as Imperial College London and University College London.
Projects must be led by a researcher holding a permanent academic position or an eligible early-career fellowship and must involve unencumbered intellectual property. Projects should primarily fund work undertaken outside the university by relevant third-party specialists, unless there is a clear justification for university-based activity.
Applications will be assessed against five areas: clinical need and impact; technology and innovation; project design and feasibility; commercial opportunity; and future development potential. Up to four projects will be shortlisted to work with an industry partner before presenting to an in-person Investment Committee.
Applications opened on 1 September 2026 and must be submitted by 5pm on 17 November 2026. Successful projects are expected to begin on 1 April 2027 and run for six months.
Researchers interested in applying should contact their university TTO before reviewing the full eligibility criteria and application guidance.
Find out more and apply through the MATcelerate HEALTH Round 3 funding page
