The National Materials Innovation Programme (NMIP) has announced a Collaborative Research & Development (CR&D) competition, offering up to £12 million in grant funding to accelerate the industrial adoption of advanced materials innovations.
The competition will support projects aligned with three high-growth opportunity themes identified in the National Materials Innovation Strategy (NMIS), alongside a strategic opportunity theme focused on Metamaterials and Metasurfaces. Successful projects can apply for grants of up to £1 million to develop new materials technologies, products and processes across the UK’s priority growth sectors.
To help organisations prepare applications and build partnerships, Innovate UK is hosting an online briefing event on 3 September, followed by two drop-in clinics on 11 September and 7 October.
The events will provide guidance on eligibility, assessment criteria and competition objectives, and offer networking opportunities for businesses, universities, research organisations and innovation centres seeking collaborators.
The funding forms part of the National Materials Innovation Programme, announced through the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy and Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan. The competition opens on 1 September 2026, with applications closing on 28 October 2026, and successful projects expected to start from February 2027.
The opportunity is closely linked to the National Materials Innovation Strategy (NMIS), facilitated by the Henry Royce Institute and developed through extensive consultation with industry, academia and government. The Strategy identifies the highest-value opportunities for UK materials innovation and provides a long-term roadmap to strengthen the UK’s materials research, development and commercialisation capabilities.
