Innovation Grants for AI & R&D Tax for Artificial Intelligence Innovation

Unlock Funding for Artificial Intelligence Innovation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming industries across the UK, from predictive healthcare to autonomous logistics. For businesses pioneering in machine learning, data science, and automation, securing public funding is essential to accelerate research, scale development, and remain competitive.

Through a combination of Innovation Grants for AI and R&D Tax Relief for AI Projects, FI Group helps UK companies leverage financial incentives designed specifically to support intelligent technology innovation.

UK Grant Opportunities for AI Companies

The UK Government and European bodies regularly launch grant competitions supporting AI development across sectors. These are often delivered through bodies such as Innovate UK, Horizon Europe, and the European Innovation Council.

Popular themes and eligible AI areas include:

Machine learning and deep learning applications
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Computer vision and robotics
AI for health, energy, defence and transport
Data infrastructure and trustworthiness

Request a free audit

Examples of Grant Competitions for AI:

Innovate UK Smart Grants: Supports commercially viable, disruptive AI innovation
BridgeAI (Innovate UK): Targeted support for AI adoption in agriculture, construction, transport, and creative industries
EIC Pathfinder & Accelerator: Supports early-stage and scale-up deep tech AI projects in Europe
DSIT AI Research & Innovation Grants: Focused on foundational AI and algorithmic transparency

FI Group’s grant specialists can help identify the right call, align your proposal with scoring criteria, and structure applications to maximise success.

Grants Management Service

Examples of Grant Competitions for AI:

Innovate UK Smart Grants: Supports commercially viable, disruptive AI innovation
BridgeAI (Innovate UK): Targeted support for AI adoption in agriculture, construction, transport, and creative industries
EIC Pathfinder & Accelerator: Supports early-stage and scale-up deep tech AI projects in Europe
DSIT AI Research & Innovation Grants: Focused on foundational AI and algorithmic transparency

FI Group’s grant specialists can help identify the right call, align your proposal with scoring criteria, and structure applications to maximise success.

Grants Management Service

Latest Grants

Discover the latest UK innovation grants supporting AI research, development, and commercialisation.

What Makes AI Projects Eligible for R&D Tax Relief?

Your AI project may qualify for R&D Tax Relief if:

It involves creating or improving algorithms or training processes
The outcome wasn’t readily deducible by a competent professional
You faced systematic technical uncertainty
Significant time was spent testing, training, and evaluating models

Qualifying costs can include:

Staff time (data scientists, engineers, analysts)
Subcontracted AI research and consultancy
Cloud and compute costs (for model training and testing)
Consumables (e.g., energy, software licenses)

FI Group can guide you through eligibility assessment, technical report writing, and submission, all supported by our in-house PhDs and experienced AI consultants.

Combining AI Grants and R&D Tax Credits

Yes, you can use both — but the interaction between the two needs careful handling.

When AI innovation is supported through a grant, it may affect your eligibility for SME R&D Tax Relief (especially if the grant is notified state aid). However, you can still usually claim via the RDEC or merged scheme. FI Group ensures: