Engineering Biology Access to Infrastructure Pilot
UK Research and Innovation's Engineering Biology Access to Infrastructure Pilot funds UK SMEs to scale and validate engineering biology innovations using specialised infrastructure.
Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Due Dates: October 21, 2026: Competition closes
Funding Amounts: Up to £5 million total; individual project costs must be £200,000–£750,000; project duration up to 24 months.
Summary: Supports UK SMEs to scale and validate engineering biology innovations through access to specialised infrastructure.
Key Information: Lead applicant must be a UK-registered SME; project must start by February 1, 2027 and end by January 31, 2029.
Description
This funding opportunity, offered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through Innovate UK, aims to accelerate the scaling and commercial validation of engineering biology innovations. The programme supports UK-registered small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access specialised infrastructure, such as catapults, bio-foundries, and contract manufacturing organisations (CMOs), to develop and validate pilot-scale projects in engineering biology. Projects must focus on advancing lab-proven innovations to pilot or demonstration scale and demonstrate technical and economic viability in commercially relevant settings.
