Contracts for Innovation: Cyber scale in critical sectors is sponsored by Innovate UK (part of UK Research and Innovation). Organisations can apply for a share of up to £15 million to develop, demonstrate and commercialise their cybersecurity solution in real end user environments within critical sector organisations.

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Contracts for Innovation: Cyber scale in critical sectors Organisations can apply for a share of up to £3. 5 million inclusive of VAT, to develop, demonstrate and commercialise their cyber security solution in real end user environments within critical sector organisations. Competition opens: Friday 1 May 2026 Wednesday 10 June 2026 11:00am Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £3.

5 million in this Contracts for Innovation competition. This is subject to us receiving a sufficient number of high quality applications. The aim of the competition is to support cyber security organisations in their growth efforts by demonstrating the operation and value of their innovative solutions in real environments within critical sector organisations.

Funding is targeted at promising cyber security organisations, with solutions at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 and potential to commercialise and grow at scale.

By the end of the project innovations will have: demonstrated user acceptability and market fit through use in a real operational environment been improved based on feedback from end users a completed business plan and a development case study for commercialisation of the solution This is a single phase competition. In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process.

This competition has a funding budget of up to £3. 5 million, so we may not be able to fund all the proposed projects. It may be the case that your project scores highly and receives positive comments from the assessors but we are still unable to fund it due to the portfolio approach we take.

Any adoption and implementation of a solution from this competition would be subject to a separate, possibly competitive, procurement exercise. This competition does not cover the purchase of any solution. We expect to receive a high volume of applications and will not be able to fund them all.

We expect to award a maximum of 20 contracts. We consider a range of factors when determining whether to provide funding to applicants. This includes an assessment of prior conduct, such as any outstanding payments owed to Innovate UK or UKRI.

Such factors may influence the funding decision, potentially resulting in a refusal of funding or an award subject to additional scrutiny. We also reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions. This may be in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations or broader government funding decisions.

This competition closes at 11am UK time on the deadline stated in this Innovate UK competition brief . We cannot guarantee other government or third party sites will always show the correct competition information. Projects can range in size up to total eligible costs of £300,000, inclusive of VAT.

Accessibility and Inclusion We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments , for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us. You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this competition’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the competition deadline. You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357.

Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). start by 1 September 2026 have total costs of no more than £300,000, inclusive of VAT Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day. You must not start your project until your Contract has been approved by Innovate UK.

You must only include eligible project costs in your application. See our overview of eligible project costs . For specific guidance, see the eligibility section in this competition.

If your project’s total costs or duration falls outside of our eligibility criteria, you must provide justification by email to support@iuk. ukri. org at least 10 working days before the competition closes.

We will decide whether to approve your request. If you have not requested approval or your application has not been approved by us, you will be made ineligible. Your application will then not be sent for assessment.

To lead a project, you can: be an organisation of any size work alone or with the subcontracted skills and expertise of others from business, research organisations, research and technology organisations, or the third sector (charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups) Contracts will be awarded to a single legal entity only.

All of the project work and key deliverables must be completed by the applicant and be carried out in the UK. You can use subcontractors, but they must be based in the UK and used only for specialist skills.

This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions .

For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries , administrations and terrorist groups. Use of animals in research and innovation Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.

Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation . Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process.

This information will be reviewed before an award is made. Up to £3. 5 million inclusive of VAT has been allocated to fund innovation projects.

Contracts will be up to £300,000, inclusive of VAT, for each project lasting 12 months. We expect to fund up to 20 projects. This is subject to us receiving a sufficient number of high quality applications.

Funding will be in the form of a contract. We reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions under exceptional circumstances, for example, in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations, or broader government funding decisions. The total funding available for the competition can change.

The funders have the right to: adjust the provisional funding allocations apply a ‘ portfolio ’ approach The contract is completed at the end of the competition, and the successful organisation is expected to pursue commercialisation of their solution. You must select whether you are VAT registered before entering your eligible project costs. VAT is the responsibility of the invoicing business.

We will not provide any further advice and suggest you seek independent advice from HMRC. If you select you are VAT registered, you must enter your eligible project costs exclusive of VAT. As part of the application process VAT will be automatically calculated and added to your project cost total.

Your total eligible project costs inclusive of VAT must not exceed £300,000. If you select you are not VAT registered, you must enter your eligible project costs exclusive of VAT and no VAT will be added. You will not be able to increase total project costs to cover VAT later should you become VAT registered.

Your total project costs must not exceed £300,000. Research and development (R&D) Your application must have at least 50% of the contract value attributed directly and exclusively to R&D services, including solution exploration and design. R&D can also include prototyping and field-testing the product or service.

This lets you incorporate the results of your exploration and design and demonstrate that you can produce in quantity to acceptable quality standards.

commercial development activities such as quantity production supply to establish commercial viability or to recover R&D costs integration, customisation or incremental adaptations and improvements to existing products or processes Innovate UK may revoke our decision to provide funding without notice if government commitment for this initiative is withdrawn.

Contracts for Innovation competitions involve procurement of R&D services and are not subject to subsidy control criteria. This competition is run by the Authority under the Procurement Act 2023 (R&D exemption).

The aim of this competition is to support cyber security organisations in their growth efforts by demonstrating the operation and value of their innovative solutions in real world environments within critical sector organisations.. Funding is targeted at promising cyber security organisations, with solutions at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 and potential to commercialise and grow at scale.

By the end of the project innovations will have: demonstrated user acceptability and market fit through use in a real operational environment been improved based on feedback from end users a completed business plan and a development case study for commercialisation of the solution In this competition you must work closely with potential end-users and customers in the critical sectors, conducting the R&D to progress your project toward commercialisation.

Your project must focus on one or more of the following challenges: proactive cyber security defence of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) systems, including operation and incident response advanced and innovative cyber security solutions for the detection and eviction of sophisticated actors from CNI networks innovative threat hunting solutions for CNI organisations advanced and innovative cyber security solutions for legacy system vulnerabilities in CNI address cyber security challenges of organisations in the critical sectors deploy and operate your solution in a real operational environment of critical sector organisations achieve a Technology Readiness Level 8 or above at the end of your project establish and evidence acceptability by critical sector organisations complete a comprehensive business model and plan for commercialisation capture success case metrics and develop a use case to be used for future commercialisation understand any standards or homologation needed in the target sector We welcome and prioritise projects from start up and SMEs in early stages of growth.

You must demonstrate a credible and practical route to market, so your application must include a plan to commercialise your results. Contracts will be given to successful applicants. We want to fund a variety of organisation sizes, sectors, technologies, locations, and eligible project costs, including demonstrating value for money.

We call this a portfolio approach . Your project must focus on one of the following critical sectors: Prototype development and evaluation This can include prototyping, demonstrating, piloting, testing and validation of new or improved products, processes or services in environments representative of real-life operating conditions.

The primary objective is to make further technical improvements on products, processes or services that are not substantially set.

Projects we will not fund We will not fund projects that: are not original in scope and duplicate someone else’s work do not have an application for cyber security in critical sectors cannot be demonstrated in relevant or operational environment focus on developing frameworks and methodologies consist of consultancy services Online briefing event: watch the recording .

Briefing slides are now available to download from supporting information. By submitting an application, you agree to the terms of the draft contract which is available once you start your application. The terms of the contract are non-negotiable and are included in the draft contract.

We reserve the right to change the terms and conditions if necessary. The final contract will include any milestones you have agreed with the funding authority and will be sent to you if your application is successful. The contract is binding once it is returned by you and signed by both parties.

As the applicant you are responsible for: collecting the information for your application representing your organisation in leading the project if your application is successful You will be able to invite colleagues from your organisation to contribute to the application. A selected panel of assessors will review and score your application. You will be notified of the outcome and feedback will be provided.

Contracts for this competition will then be issued to all successful applicants. The application is split into four sections: You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.

Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to make sure: that all the information provided in the application is correct your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria all sections of the application are marked as complete You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.

Accessibility and Inclusion We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us. You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this competition’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the competition deadline. You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357.

Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). This section provides background for your application and is not scored. Give your project’s title, start date and duration.

Who made you aware of the competition? Select a category to state who made you aware of the competition. You cannot choose more than one.

How long has your organisation been established for? Select a category to state how long has your organisation been established for. You cannot choose more than one.

What is your organisation’s primary focus area? Select a category to state your organisation’s primary focus area. You cannot choose more than one.

Project and scope summary Provide a short summary of your project. Describe your project briefly. Be clear about what makes it innovative and how it relates to the scope of the competition.

How does it tackle different aspects of the challenge and how will it provide an integrated solution? Give details of the lead organisation. Before you submit, we expect you to have discussed your application within your organisation.

Your answer for this section can be up to 800 words long. This section is not scored, but we will use it to decide whether the project fits the scope of the competition. If it does not, it may be rejected.

Provide a brief description of your project. If your application is successful, we will publish this description. This can happen before you start your project.

This question is mandatory, but we will not assess this content as part of your application. Describe your project in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information.

We have the right to amend the description before publication if necessary but will consult you about any changes. Your answer can be up to 400 words long. You must state the name of your organisation along with your full registered address.

You must also state the name and full registered address of any potential or confirmed subcontractors. We are collecting this information to understand the geographical location of all participants of a project. Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

The assessors will score all of your questions except questions 1 to 7 which are not scored. You will receive feedback for each scored question. Find out more about how our assessors assess and how we select applications for funding .

You must not include any website addresses or links (URLs) in your answers. Any website addresses or URLs included, will not be viewed or opened. Question 1.

Critical sectors (not scored) Select one main critical sector from the specific themes list in the ‘Scope’ section of this competition. You cannot choose more than one. Question 2.

Challenges (not scored) Select one or more challenge from the ‘Scope’ section of this competition.

proactive cyber security defence of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) systems, including operation and incident response advanced and innovative cyber security solutions for the detection and eviction of sophisticated actors from CNI networks innovative threat hunting solutions for CNI organisations advanced and innovative cyber security solutions for legacy system vulnerabilities in CNI Your answer can be up to 60 words long.

Question 3. Animal testing (not scored) Will your project involve any trials with animals or animal testing? You must select one option: We will only support innovation projects conducted to the highest standards of animal welfare.

Further information for proposals involving animal testing is available at the UKRI Good Research Hub and NC3R’s animal welfare guidance . Question 4. Permits and licences (not scored) Will you have the correct permits and licences in place to carry out your project?

We are unable to fund projects which do not have the correct permits or licences in place by your project start date. You must select one option: In the process of being applied for Question 5. International collaboration (not scored) Does your proposed work involve any international collaboration or engagement?

You must provide details of any expected international collaboration or engagement. You must include a list of the names and the countries, any international project co-leads, project partners, visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in. You must also include details of any subcontractors or service providers.

If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration or engagement, your answer must confirm this. Your answer to each question can be up to 100 words long. Question 6.

Export licence (not scored) You must indicate whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance . You must select one option: Question 7.

Trusted Research and Innovation (not scored) You must explain if your proposed project work relates to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) Principles , including: a list of any dual-use (both military and non-military) applications to your research a list of the areas where your project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance and the status of any applications a list of any items or substances on the UK Strategic Export Control List If your proposed work does not relate to UKRI’s TR&I Principles, your answer must confirm this.

We may ask you to provide additional TR&I information at a later date, in line with UKRI TR&I Principles and funding terms and conditions. Question 8. Proposed idea or technology How does the project meet the challenge described in the competition scope?

Provide a description of your proposed idea or technology. Include a description of the current state of development or readiness of the idea. You can submit a single appendix as a PDF containing images and diagrams to support your answer.

It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom. Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

This question will be scored against this assessment criterion: ‘How well does the proposal meet the challenge? ’. Question 9.

Technical project summary What are the main technical challenges you are addressing? how you will address the challenge the main technical deliverables the research and development that will prove the scientific, environmental and commercial merit of the project what might be achieved by deploying the innovation to address the selected challenge Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

This question will be scored against this assessment criterion: ‘How valid is the technical approach? ’. Question 10.

Current state of the art and intellectual property Are similar products currently available in the market? How is your proposed project differentiated from them?

You must include details of: any existing intellectual property (IP) its significance to your freedom to operate novel concepts you develop or employ new approaches or technologies you use new tools or technologies You must explain how you would handle any intellectual property (IP) issues which might arise during the project.

If you are working with subcontractors (specialist skills only), include details of how you will maintain freedom to operate and fulfil the IP requirements detailed in the contract. Your answer can be up to 400 words long. This question will be scored against these assessment criteria: ‘How innovative is this project?

How much does the project develop or employ novel concepts, approaches, methodologies, tools or technologies for this area? ’. Question 11.

Project plan and methodology Describe your project plan and identify the main milestones. Provide evidence that the technology works, can be made into a viable product and can achieve the proposed benefits.

describe resources that will be needed to deliver the project describe what the main success criteria will be identify the project management processes that will ensure you achieve the milestones provide a clear plan for establishing technical and commercial feasibility describe the main technical, commercial and environmental risks and what you will do to mitigate them You must upload a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix in PDF format.

It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom. be defined using SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) criteria be associated with the appropriate deliverables and payments indicate your payment schedule by month Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

This question will be assessed against these assessment criteria: does the proposal show a clear plan for establishing technical and commercial feasibility is there a clear management plan what are the main technical, commercial, and environmental risks to the project’s success how will these be effectively managed are the milestones and evaluation procedures appropriate Note, information from the finances section will be used to support the assessment of this question.

Proposed milestones and associated payments stated in this section must match those entered in the finance summary on your application. Question 12. Technical team and expertise Who is in the technical team?

What expertise do they offer? Provide a brief description of your technical team, including any subcontractors. how the technical team has the skills, capabilities, and experience to deliver the intended benefits how much of their time will be spent on the project This question will be scored against this assessment criterion: Does the applicant have the skills, capabilities and experience to deliver the intended benefits?

Your answer can be up to 400 words long. Question 13. Costs and value for money How much will the project cost?

How does it represent value for money for the team and the taxpayer? the total costs inclusive of VAT (If applicable) in terms of the project goals how this project represents value for money for you and the taxpayer Proposed costs stated in this section must match those entered in the finance summary. All costs quoted must reflect actual costs at a ‘fair market value’ and not include profit.

You can submit a single appendix as a spreadsheet in PDF format. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom.

Note that all payments are made monthly in arrears on submission of an invoice. The invoice must be submitted within 30 days of the end of each monitoring period for all completed milestones. Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Full Economic Cost (FEC) calculations are not relevant for Contracts for Innovation competitions. Contracts for Innovation is a competitive process and applications will come from a variety of organisations. Whatever calculation you use to arrive at your total eligible project costs your application will be assessed against applications from other organisations.

Bear this in mind when calculating your total eligible project costs. You can include overheads but remember that this is a competitive process. The assessors are required to judge the application finances in terms of value for money.

They will score your finances against this assessment criterion: ‘Are the budget and costs realistic, justified and appropriate for the aims and methods? Note, the information from the finances section will be used to support the assessment of this question. Question 14.

Commercial potential What is the commercial potential of your project? You must focus on your proposed customer’s needs. projects commercial potential for a marketable product, process or service Describe the competitive advantage that your project has over existing or alternative technologies that meet market needs.

Describe any existing commercial relationships relevant to the project. With the focus on your proposed customer’s needs, you can also mention the future commercial potential across the public or private sector and international markets. Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

This question will be scored against these assessment criteria: is there a clear commercial potential for a marketable product, process or service is there a clear plan to deliver that and a clear route to market how significant is the competitive advantage of this technology over the nearest currently available solutions to the challenge identified Enter your project costs, organisation details and funding details.

You must select whether you are VAT registered before entering your eligible project costs. We advise you answer the VAT registered question first before entering your eligible costs. Your total eligible project costs must not exceed £300,000 inclusive of VAT (if applicable).

If you select you are VAT registered, you must enter your eligible project costs exclusive of VAT. As part of the application process VAT will be automatically calculated and added to your eligible project cost total. If you select you are not VAT registered, you must enter your eligible project costs exclusive of VAT and no VAT will be added.

You will not be able to increase total project costs to cover VAT later should you become VAT registered. VAT is the responsibility of the invoicing business. We will not provide any further advice and advise you to seek independent advice from HMRC.

All milestones must have clear deliverables and success criteria. Evidence that these have been achieved must be provided at each quarterly review meeting. The costs for your milestones should be representative of the level of effort required to complete each milestone.

We will not make any advance payments, so you should consider how you will manage your cashflow throughout the life of the project. Agreed milestones will form part of your contract and will be used to monitor the progress of the project. Full Economic Cost (FEC) calculations are not relevant for Contracts for Innovation competitions.

Contracts for Innovation is a competitive process and applications will come from a variety of organisations. Whatever calculation you use to arrive at your total eligible project costs your application will be assessed against applications from other organisations. Bear this in mind when calculating your total eligible project costs.

You can include overheads but remember that this is a competitive process. For an overview on what costs you can claim, see our project costs guidance . Note this is general guidance, for specific guidance see the eligibility section in this competition.

This section is not scored but will provide background to your project. You must complete the Project Impact questions before being able to submit the application. More information can be found in our Project Impact guidance and by viewing our Impact Management Framework video.

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 , and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles. Your application will be reviewed by three independent assessors based on the content of your application and their skills or expertise relevant to your project.

All of the scores awarded will count towards the total score used to make the funding decision unless you are notified otherwise. You can find out more about our assessment process in the General Guidance . Your submitted application will be assessed against these criteria: Contracts For Innovation Cyber scale in critical sectors - Assessor guidance scoring.

pdf (opens in a new window) Background and further information Contracts for Innovation provides innovative solutions to challenges faced by the public sector. This can lead to better public services and improved efficiency and effectiveness.

The Contracts for Innovation programme: supports economic growth and enables the development of innovative products and services through the public procurement of R&D generates new business opportunities for companies provides a route to market for new ideas creates opportunities to work directly with the public sector Contracts for Innovation competitions are open to all eligible organisations that can demonstrate a route to market for their solution.

Developments are 100% funded and focused on specific identified needs, increasing the chance of exploitation. Contracts for Innovation encourages the creation and protection of new (intellectual property) IP. Applicants retain all the rights to both foreground and background IP but will be expected to grant certain royalty-free licences to the