Contracts for Innovation: Cyber scale in critical sectors
This grant funds late-stage research and real-world demonstration of innovative cybersecurity solutions for critical UK sectors, supporting their development, validation, and commercialisation.
Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Due Dates: June 10, 2026 (full application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to £3.5 million total; individual contracts up to £300,000 (inclusive of VAT), for 12-month projects
Summary: Supports organisations to develop, demonstrate, and commercialise cybersecurity solutions for deployment in real-world critical sector environments.
Key Information: Projects must start by September 1, 2026 and end by August 31, 2027; maximum 20 contracts expected.
Description
This funding opportunity, delivered by Innovate UK (part of UK Research and Innovation), aims to accelerate the development, demonstration, and commercialisation of innovative cybersecurity solutions targeted at critical sector organisations. The programme is designed to help organisations overcome barriers to market entry by supporting real-world trials and validation of cybersecurity technologies, facilitating collaborations, and enabling solutions to reach commercial viability. Projects should address key cybersecurity challenges in sectors vital to national infrastructure, such as energy, health, transport, and communications, and must culminate in a business case and demonstration of user acceptability.
