Investor Partnerships: National Materials Innovation Programme 1: Should Your SME Apply?

Apply only if you are a UK micro, small or medium-sized business doing genuine materials R&D, and an approved investor partner has already invited you and submitted an expression of interest to Innovate UK. Without that, the application is ineligible however well it is written. The round opened on 2 November 2026 and closes at 11:00am on 19 January 2027 (Innovate UK, Innovation Funding Service competition page, viewed 4 November 2026).

This post covers what the round funds, the gates that decide eligibility, and the signs that it is not for you. It sits alongside our general guide to Innovate UK Investor Partnerships, which explains how the model works.

Key dates and money

Figures below are from the Innovate UK competition page as of 4 November 2026. Innovate UK can change allocations, so check the live brief before you commit time.

Innovate UK will not answer queries between 23 December 2026 and 4 January 2027, and replies may slow after 18 December. If you need a project cost or duration justification, the page says it must be emailed at least 10 working days before close, otherwise the application is ineligible and not assessed.

What the grant covers

Grant rates depend on research category and company size.

The grant comes with a matching requirement. For feasibility and industrial research, aligned investment led by your investor partner must be at least equal to the grant. For experimental development it must be at least twice the grant. Your partner declares a minimum figure, you confirm it, and that figure becomes the floor. The page is explicit: without the investment, Innovate UK will not issue the grant even if you are selected. For how the rates interact with your budget, see our post on Innovate UK intervention rates.

The investor gate comes first

Most grant competitions start with the application. This one starts with an investor. According to the competition page:

• Your named investor partner must have submitted an expression of interest directly to Innovate UK. The page says that without it, your application is viewed as ineligible.
• You need "a strong level of investment traction" before applying. The page gives an indicative offer, due diligence under way or a term sheet as examples.
• Investment must complete through new shares or convertible debt.
• Innovate UK will ask your partner for a progress update before deciding, so your account of the deal and theirs must match.

The practical consequence is that your timeline is set by the investor, not by the 19 January close. If you do not yet have an approved partner in due diligence, under eleven weeks is a tight window to build that relationship and have them file the expression of interest.

Scope: what is in and what is out

A project must sit in one theme and at least one sub-theme. The seven themes on the page are Net Zero Energy Materials, Future Healthcare Materials, Structural Materials Innovation, Advanced Surface Technologies and Materials Durability, Next Generation Electronics, Telecommunications and Sensors, Sustainable Polymer, Packaging and Elastomeric Materials, and Metamaterials and Metasurfaces. Structural materials is limited to listed classes, such as advanced concretes and geopolymers, speciality steels, fibre-reinforced composites and advanced technical ceramics. Metamaterial projects must meet the UK Metamaterials Network definitions.

The page also lists what is not funded. The ones that catch companies out:

• Collaborative R&D. This round is for single applicants only.
• Chemical or raw material synthesis that is not aimed at an end application.
• Projects primarily developing digital tools such as AI, machine learning or LLMs for materials innovation. They are acceptable where they support materials work that is the main focus.
• Large capital infrastructure.
• Projects not invited by a specified investor partner.

An SME can submit only one application to this round. The page also says a proposal that reached assessment can be resubmitted once, including where it is judged not materially different.

How it is assessed

Three independent assessors score the application. Innovate UK also judges two further factors using information from your investor: additionality (does the grant accelerate the innovation and draw in investment) and traction (will the investment complete in a reasonable time). The page says you must score strongly across all three. Reasons it lists for rejection include insufficient traction, investment already secured, and an investor who is not taking a significant lead or facilitation role. The round is run on a portfolio basis, so a fundable project can still be turned down on balance.

Questions 9 to 23 are scored, with up to 400 words each and no URLs. A Gantt chart and a risk register are mandatory appendices.

A practical first week

Before drafting anything, work through these in order. Each one can end the process early, which saves you the effort of writing.

1. Confirm the investor. Is your partner on Innovate UK's approved list, and have they filed an expression of interest with Innovate UK? Ask them directly and get it in writing.
2. Test the theme. Name the single theme and sub-theme your project sits in. If you need to stretch the wording to fit, assume an assessor will notice.
3. Check the money. Pick your research category, work out the grant at the rate for your company size, then check that your partner's declared investment meets the minimum for that category.
4. Read the exclusions against your plan. Pay particular attention to synthesis without an end application and to digital tooling.
5. Read the briefing material. The page says slides and a recording will be posted under Supporting Information after the 5 November event. Read them before you decide.

If all five hold, you have a credible case for applying, and the remaining work is making the innovation, additionality and traction arguments consistent with each other.

When this round is probably not for you

• You have no approved investor partner in active discussions. The grant cannot rescue a deal that is not already moving.
• You have already closed your round. The page lists "investment already secured" as a reason for rejection.
• Your work is collaborative, or relies on a university partner.
• Your core product is software or AI that happens to touch materials.
• Your project does not fit one of the seven themes, however closely it relates to materials.

If one of these applies, it is worth looking at other routes instead. Our comparison of grants, loans and investor partnerships sets out the trade-offs.

How GrantHero fits

We start by checking whether the round is worth your time. Discovery is free on our pricing page (as of 4 November 2026) and finds and qualifies competitions against your profile. If you go further, a scoping call with an experienced bid-writer is a go or no-go point, and nothing is charged until you say go. The paid packages are Review at £1,500 and Full Support from £2,500, each plus a 3% success fee payable on your first reimbursed claim if you win. Drafting and review are done by experienced grant experts working with the platform. Nothing here improves your odds if the investor side is not in place, and we will say so. More materials and engineering routes are on our Advanced Manufacturing page.

Before you spend time, confirm the details against the live Innovate UK brief and ask your investor partner what they have filed.