Business Grants in South East England
The South East offers business funding through various county councils, LEPs, and enterprise zones. The region has particular strengths in technology, life sciences, and professional services.
Thames Valley and Oxfordshire
The Thames Valley and Oxfordshire are home to significant tech and life sciences clusters. Oxford's universities create innovation funding opportunities, while various council schemes support SME growth.
Sussex and Brighton
Brighton and Hove plus the wider Sussex area has strong creative and digital sectors. Local councils and the Coast to Capital LEP provide business support and grant funding.
Kent and Surrey
Kent and Surrey councils offer business support including grants for SMEs and specific sectors. Enterprise zones in Kent provide additional incentives for certain business types.
South East Business Grants
212 grants found
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about business grants in South East