Made Smarter Innovation: SME Resource and Energy Efficiency – Industrial Research | Scale digital solutions that cut costs and carbon

Made Smarter Innovation SME Resource and Energy Efficiency - Grants writing service

Programme:Innovate UK

Awards:Up to £1m

Geographical Scope:national

Beneficiaries:private

Key Features:UK SMEs can apply for collaborative industrial research funding to develop industrial digital technologies that improve energy or resource efficiency in real manufacturing environments.

Key information at a glance

Programme: Made Smarter Innovation (MSI)
Funder: Innovate UK
Funding type: Grant
Total pot: £15.5 million across the two strands
Status: Open
Opens: 22 October 2025, 9:30am UK time
Closes: 10 December 2025, 11:00am UK time
Award size per project: Total eligible costs must be £200,000 to £1,000,000
Indicative SME grant: up to 70 percent for micro or small, up to 60 percent for medium businesses
Implied SME grant range: £140,000 to £700,000 for micro or small; £120,000 to £600,000 for medium
Project length: 6 to 12 months
Project timing: Start 1 April 2026 and end by 31 March 2027
Who can lead: UK registered SME technology developer
Collaboration: Required. The consortium must include at least two UK registered SME manufacturers claiming grant

Specific themes your project must focus on include:

Resource efficiencies: raw material waste, production process waste, packaging waste, maintenance or servitisation waste, utilities waste, end of life waste
Energy efficiencies: boilers and steam; air compressors or vacuum; motors, drivers, pumps or hydraulics; induction or welding; chilling or freezing; spray, extraction or dryers; ovens, kilns or furnaces; heavy machinery or presses

Outputs should increase understanding of SME manufacturing problems, test the digital solution, validate adoption readiness, and compile a case study with qualitative and quantitative evidence of benefits.

Funding and award size

Total competition funding: £15.5 million across both strands
Per project total eligible costs: £200,000 to £1,000,000
Indicative SME grant rates for industrial research: up to 70 percent for micro or small, up to 60 percent for medium
Implied SME grant range from cost limits and rates:
- Micro or small: approximately £140,000 to £700,000
- Medium: approximately £120,000 to £600,000
  If the funder does not state different caps for specific activities, use these ranges to frame a realistic grant ask and plan your match funding for the balance of eligible costs.

What assessors look for

Clear problem statement in a real manufacturing context
Innovation strength and credibility of the proposed digital approach
Quantified savings model for energy, materials, yield, scrap, throughput or CO₂e
Adoption readiness and a plan to scale across SME manufacturers
Team capability and access to data, facilities and users
Value for money, realistic costs, milestones and risk management
Portfolio fit across themes, sectors, locations and maturities

Scope - Made Smarter Innovation

This strand funds industrial research that develops and validates industrial digital technologies to deliver measurable energy or resource efficiency improvements for UK SME manufacturers. Projects should produce adoption ready evidence in operational or representative factory settings, showing credible payback and a clear path to deployment.

Eligibility

Lead organisation: a UK registered SME operating as a technology developer
Consortium: must include at least two UK registered SME manufacturers claiming grant
Location: all funded work must be carried out in the UK with clear UK economic benefit
Project size and timing: total eligible costs £200,000 to £1,000,000, duration 6 to 12 months, start 1 April 2026, end by 31 March 2027
Collaboration rules: no single partner may account for more than 70 percent of total eligible costs
Resubmissions and multiple bids: across the two strands, an eligible business may lead on two applications and collaborate on one further application, provided capacity to deliver is demonstrated

Deadlines and how to apply

Opens: 22 October 2025, 9:30am UK time
Closes: 10 December 2025, 11:00am UK time
Build in time for internal approvals, letters of support, and any requests to vary costs or duration. Projects must start on the first of the month and cannot begin until the Grant Offer Letter is approved.

Benefits to applicants

Non dilutive funding to de risk deployment in live settings
Faster commercial traction through factory evidence and ROI
Partnerships between technology developers, integrators and SME manufacturers
Cost and carbon reductions that strengthen competitiveness and resilience

Grants Roadmapping, built for CFOs

Get a focused, funder-ready plan in 2 to 4 weeks. We benchmark your pipeline, map the best fit UK and EU calls to your technical and commercial milestones, and produce a clear bid calendar with go or no go decisions, owners, and dates. One team, one point of accountability. Global Reach. Local Expertise.

What you get

Portfolio scan and eligibility fit across Innovate UK, Horizon Europe, Eurostars
12 month call calendar, deadlines and funding rates, with quick scoring
Consortium gap analysis and partner shortlist
Bid plan with responsibilities, timeline, and compliance checks
Optional end to end writing, submission, and audit readiness

“A good roadmap removes the noise. CFOs get a realistic bid calendar, not false hope. We align funding to the business plan so teams move quickly and stay compliant.”
Dr. Chrysi Karagiannaki, R&D Tax Consultant, FI Group UK

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Grants Roadmapping, built for CFOs

What you get

Portfolio scan and eligibility fit across Innovate UK, Horizon Europe, Eurostars
12 month call calendar, deadlines and funding rates, with quick scoring
Consortium gap analysis and partner shortlist
Bid plan with responsibilities, timeline, and compliance checks
Optional end to end writing, submission, and audit readiness

“A good roadmap removes the noise. CFOs get a realistic bid calendar, not false hope. We align funding to the business plan so teams move quickly and stay compliant.”
Dr. Chrysi Karagiannaki, R&D Tax Consultant, FI Group UK

Book a free 20 minute discovery call about Grants Roadmapping using the button below.

Book Discovery Call

Frequently asked questions

Use this FAQ to quickly confirm award size, eligibility, collaboration rules, funding rates, match funding, eligible costs, timelines, UK benefit, and scoring expectations for this competition. It distils the essential operational details into plain English so your team can plan a compliant, value for money proposal. Requirements can vary by activity type and consortium, so treat this as guidance rather than legal advice and always consult the full brief; speak to FI Group if you need help shaping a high scoring bid.

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