Regional Grants

Business Grants in the East Midlands

The East Midlands provides business funding through local councils, the regional Growth Hub, and various LEP programmes. The region has strengths in manufacturing, logistics, and food production.

139grants available
From councils, growth hubs & national bodies

D2N2 Growth Hub

The D2N2 Growth Hub covers Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, and Nottinghamshire. They provide free business support and can connect you with grant funding for growth and innovation projects.

Leicester and Leicestershire

Leicester City Council and the LLEP offer business support programmes. The area has particular strengths in textiles, space and satellite technology, and food manufacturing.

County Council Grants

Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and Rutland each have county-level business support through their councils. Rural business grants are often available alongside more general SME support.

East Midlands Business Grants

139 grants found

open
UK Research and Innovation, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

Next generation artificial intelligence (AI): explainable AI

Apply for funding for projects focused on speculative and high-risk fundamental research with the potential to deliver high reward and a step change in the explainability of future artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

Up to £602,500UK Wide20 Oct 2026
AI & Data ScienceGrants & Funding
open
Innovate UK

Engineering Biology Access to Infrastructure Pilot

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £5 million for Engineering Biology pilot scale and validation projects. This funding is part of UKRI’s Engineering Biology Programme and funded by BIST.

Up to £5,000,000UK Wide21 Oct 2026
Life Sciences & HealthGrants & Funding
open
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

Research Infrastructure Renewal

Apply for funding to renew, replace and enhance existing research infrastructure and facility capabilities that are demonstrably available to the wider environmental science community.

Between £300,000 and £1,000,000UK Wide21 Oct 2026
EnvironmentGrants & Funding
upcoming
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

Advancing atmospheric and aerial autonomy

Apply for proof-of-concept funding to develop, integrate, deploy, and demonstrate innovative autonomous solutions for atmospheric science or autonomous aerial systems for environmental applications. Projects must deliver demonstrator capability, high-quality environmental data, and pathways towards wider use and adoption.

Between £300,000 and £1,000,000UK Wide21 Oct 2026
EnvironmentGrants & Funding
upcoming
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra)

Resilient economy and security through ecosystem transitions grants

Apply for funding for research projects under the NERC-Defra co-funded Resilient Economy and Security through Ecosystem Transitions (RESET) programme. Projects will improve understanding on how, when and why ecosystems transition, reorganise or collapse, to sustain functions, strengthen economic prosperity, societal resilience and national security.

Up to £2,500,000UK Wide22 Oct 2026
EnvironmentGrants & Funding
upcoming
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Doctoral focal award: UKRI venture doctorates: outline stage

Apply for funding to deliver venture doctoral focal awards, offering entrepreneurship-focused doctoral training. Applications can be led by eligible UKRI organisations or organisations such as businesses or social enterprises accepted for non-standard eligibility.

Up to £25,000,000UK Wide22 Oct 2026
Education & SkillsGrants & Funding
open
Visa and Nationwide

Let's Celebrate Towns 2026

A nationwide competition recognising communities driving stronger, more vibrant local economies across the UK, offering grant funding for winning towns to put toward a community project or initiative.

Up to £20,000UK Wide25 Oct 2026
RetailGrants & Funding
open
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Trust and confidence in policing: Research & Innovation Consortium

Apply for funding to develop and test dynamic tools and approaches to measure public trust and confidence in policing. The consortium will develop methods to capture the views of the wider community, underrepresented groups, groups who are a priority for policing and their partners, with particular focus on the voices of under-18s and victims and survivors of violence against women and girls.

Up to £2,000,000UK Wide27 Oct 2026
Education & SkillsGrants & Funding
open
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

Funding opportunity: High performance compute resources for EPSRC communities

Apply for funding to provide high-performance compute resource for engineering and physical sciences research communities. EPSRC will invest in compute resources that deliver either CPU resources that meet an identified need of EPSRC compute user communities or enable the EPSRC community to fully exploit GPU architectures.

Up to £26,250,000UK Wide27 Oct 2026
TechnologyGrants & Funding
upcoming
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Pre-announcement: Trust and confidence in policing: R&I Consortium

Apply for funding to develop and test dynamic tools and approaches to measure public trust and confidence in policing. The consortium will develop methods to capture the views of the wider community, underrepresented groups, and groups who are a priority for policing and their partners, with a particular focus on the voices of under-18s and victims and survivors of violence against women and girls.

Up to £2,000,000UK Wide27 Oct 2026
Professional ServicesGrants & Funding
open
Innovate UK

National Materials Innovation Programme: CR&D Rd1

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £12 million for collaborative industrial research to speed the translation of advanced materials innovations in three prioritised high growth themes and one strategic opportunity theme.

Up to £12,000,000UK Wide28 Oct 2026
ManufacturingGrants & Funding
upcoming
Innovate UK

Funding opportunity: Advancing innovation in accelerated cancer diagnosis

Innovate UK, on behalf of the OLS Cancer Healthcare Goals programme, will invest up to £25.4 million to support the clinical validation and evaluation of early cancer diagnostic technologies and devices.

Up to £25,400,000UK Wide28 Oct 2026
Life Sciences & HealthGrants & Funding
1...4578...12

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about business grants in East Midlands