Business Grants in North East England
The North East offers business funding through the North East Combined Authority, local councils, and the regional Growth Hub. The region is investing heavily in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital sectors.
North East Combined Authority
The newly formed North East Mayoral Combined Authority is developing business support programmes across the region. They focus on growth sectors and creating quality employment opportunities.
Newcastle and Gateshead
Newcastle and Gateshead councils provide business support including grants for SMEs, startups, and specific sectors. The area's universities create additional innovation funding opportunities.
Wider Region Support
Sunderland, Durham, Northumberland, and Teesside each have their own grant schemes. The region's focus on clean energy and offshore wind creates sector-specific funding opportunities.
North East Business Grants
216 grants found
Future computing paradigms Network Plus
Opportunity to build a multidisciplinary Network Plus that will initiate UK collaboration in future computing paradigms and provide evidence-based recommendations for UKRI and government, shaping national research priorities. Project can last up to 60 months, comprising 18 months to map, benchmark and horizon scan, incorporating sociotechnical and socioeconomic analysis followed by a 42-month network phase.
Medicines Manufacturing Data Institute: Phase 1
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £500,000 for a phase 1 project to establish the Medicines Manufacturing Data Institute (MMDI).
Farming Innovation Programme: Small R&D Partnership Projects Round 5
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £13 million for small R&D partnership projects. This funding is from the industry led R&D Partnerships Fund, a part of the Defra Farming Innovation Programme.
Investor Partnerships – ACT and Semiconductors
UK registered SMEs can apply for grant funding alongside private investment from selected investor partners.
Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP): 2026 - 2027 Round 3
UK registered academic institutions, RTOs or Catapults can apply for a share of up to £12.5 million to fund innovation projects with businesses. KTP projects are encouraged to be delivered within 24 months.
UKRI Translation: BBSRC Proof of Concept 2026
Funding to translate bioscience research into innovations such as products, services or solutions that generate real-world economic, societal, and environmental impact.
PATT travel grants for competitively awarded observation time 2026
Funding for travel and subsistence in support of competitively awarded science observation time at astronomy facilities available to the UK research community.
A guide for the commercialisation of Creative Industries Research
Apply for funding to transform the commercialisation of research in the creative industries. A university-led team will collaborate with investors, lawyers and founders to tackle early-stage barriers to commercialisation and develop a new sector-specific university commercialisation guide, with practical frameworks and best practice deal terms.
Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) medical countermeasures R&D
Apply for funding to develop and test novel therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics and other interventions across any stage of the developmental pathway, from prototype development, through pre-clinical refinement, to early-phase clinical studies (up to phase 2a) for CBRN threats. Applications must demonstrate how the proposed research will result in improved domestic preparedness for CBRN threats.
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.
Funding opportunity: Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund Discovery C7
Organisations can apply for a share of up to £30 million exclusive of VAT, for collaborative Discovery Phase Projects that meet the Innovation Challenges from the Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund.
Funding opportunity: Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund round five discovery C7
Organisations can apply for a share of up to £30 million exclusive of VAT, for collaborative discovery phase projects that meet the round five challenges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about business grants in North East