Innovate UK’s (IUK) Investor Partnerships Programme connects scaling, innovative UK-based businesses with equity investor partners. Through this programme, IUK provides non-dilutive grant funding on matched equity investment.
The Investor Partnerships Programme is a recurring opportunity, with new rounds launched regularly throughout the year. Following the pause of IUK’s SMART competition, we are expecting this programme to re-launch as a replacement this Spring.
What is IUK’s Investor Partnerships Programme
The Investor Partnership Programme is for innovative businesses with strong growth potential. It provides standalone grant funding for your research and development, while also enabling access to the capital investment you need to develop and commercialise your innovations. Some key elements include…
- Non-dilutive finance for R&D via grant funding: Grant values depend on your innovation project’s Technology Readiness Level (TRL).
- Equity finance to capitalise business growth: The grant funding amount must be matched by equal or higher levels of equity investment from a selected pool of 175 investor partners.
- Investor traction required: Ideal Investor Partnership candidates are those who have established initial traction with investors. You will have garnered some interest from VCs, but have yet to secure a final investment decision. Current portfolio companies preparing for their next funding round are also in scope.
The grant accelerates investment potential: The grant needs to make a difference to the private investment. The grant should accelerate or expand the value of an investment round. Although the Investor Partnership competition is for single applicants, the grant may nonetheless open up new areas of collaboration with future customers, supply chain partners, or indeed licensors of your technology.
What are the focus areas of the programme?
Not all sectors are in scope for this programme. Full details will become clear once the Investor Partnerships Programme formally re-launches, but here is what we are expecting:
- Clean energy: this is expected to be a key early area of focus. This is likely to include technologies that can be deployed to lower climate emissions in areas such as manufacturing, agriculture, food production, power, mobility and heat.
Previous themes for funding, which are likely to re-emerge, include:
- Health and wellbeing: Innovative solutions addressing health and healthcare challenges, including biomedical advancements, digital mental health, and low-emission food production systems.
- Next-generation digital technologies: Innovative applications of digital technology and AI in creative industries, agriculture, transport, and construction sectors.
Finally, Diversity & inclusion has been a key area of Investor Partnerships in the past. This supported innovations led by diverse founders and senior decision-makers from under-represented groups, aimed at supporting under-served communities. Previously it attracted a dedicated strand of the competition, whereas in the future this may be a cross-cutting theme relevant to all areas of technology.
How Ayming can support your funding success
At Ayming, we partner with innovative businesses to navigate the complexities of grant funding, helping you secure vital support for your growth. Our hands-on approach and deep market insight ensure your project is positioned for success at every stage.
We provide end-to-end support tailored to the specific demands of Innovate UK for the Investor Partnerships Programme. Our expertise ensures your application is both compelling and compliant, giving you the best chance at successfully.
Based in the heart of the City of London, we are ideally placed to co-ordinate the priorities of innovation and finance.
Pre-application advice
We guide you through the early stages to align your funding strategy with key grant requirements:
- Timing the submission alongside your funding round: ensuring the investment decision and the grant decision are co-ordinated.
- Additionality and traction: ensuring you meet these two critical scheme requirements.
- Expanding the syndicate: leveraging our understanding of investors in our financial networks so that you can fully benefit from this scheme.
Project definition
We work closely with you to shape projects that meet both technical and commercial expectations:
- Identifying strongest projects appropriate to technological and commercial maturity the scheme demands.
Application preparation
From start to finish, we manage the full application process:
- Full application preparation, from ideation in KO to full drafting.
- Guiding your investors through Innovate UK’s requirements, including drafting their Expression of Interest form prior to application.
Stakeholder engagement
We maintain open communication with key stakeholders to keep your project on track:
- Liaising with Innovate UK teams in advance of/following the deadline to ensure the project meets intended scope, then progresses through and pasts Innovate UK’s specialist investment committee.
Why choose Ayming?
Ayming offers more than just grant writing—we bring strategic insight and robust networks to strengthen your entire growth journey.
- We understand how the grant plays within your wider financing journey.
- Founders trust us to take on grant writing, so they can focus on bringing the product to market.
- Technical and financial expertise: PhD-trained team, set in the heart of Europe’s financial hub in the City of London.
- Unparalleled network in the venture capital and investment community.
- Link your scaling business into our global funding teams based at 15 offices around the world
- Connect you with our blue-chip client base across advanced manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and aerospace to test/validate technology
- Strong track record on the Investor Partnerships scheme, supporting scale-ups such as KETS Quantum to add £700k non-dilutive grant to their funding round.
