Growth Cohorts: Next generation low carbon concrete

Growth Cohorts: Next generation low carbon concrete is sponsored by Innovate UK. Innovate UK will invest up to £11. 5 million to create a cohort of ambitious businesses, across a two-stage competition, to accelerate concrete decarbonisation.

This initiative directly supports circular construction and reducing embodied carbon in the built environment.

Competition overview - Growth Cohorts: Next generation low carbon concrete cohort entry - Innovation Funding Service Your application has timed out You have been signed out as you were inactive for 8 hours. We do this to keep your information secure. You need to sign back in to continue with your application.

Your application will time out soon We will reset your application if you do not respond in 5 minutes. We do this to keep your information secure. This is a new service – your feedback will help us to improve it.

Growth Cohorts: Next generation low carbon concrete cohort entry UK registered businesses can apply to join a cohort of ambitious businesses. These businesses will develop solutions to decarbonise concrete and access funding and sector-specific support, to develop and deliver innovation and growth plans.

Competition opens: Monday 20 April 2026 Wednesday 8 July 2026 11:00am Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £11. 5 million to create a cohort of ambitious businesses, across a two-stage competition, to accelerate concrete decarbonisation. This is subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received.

The aim of this competition is to recruit ambitious businesses to join a Growth Cohort. The Growth Cohort will fund and support businesses to accelerate their ambitions to decarbonise concrete. The Growth Cohort will work collectively with industry to help remove barriers to adoption, ultimately aiming for a greater number of innovative solutions to secure investment and scale to market.

Your proposal must clearly articulate: your current commercial and investment traction your expected go to market strategy what is required to accelerate your growth journey how this programme could support you and what it will enable your business to achieve This is phase 1 of a potential 2-phase competition to join a Growth Cohort of ambitious businesses innovating to decarbonise concrete.

Businesses in the Growth Cohort will access funding and sector-specific support to develop (in stage one) and deliver (in stage two) ambitious, executable innovation and growth plans. The first stage of the competition will select which companies will join the Growth Cohort.

The output of this first stage will be a co-created, tailored funding and support package aligned to the growth plan, which would form the basis of a proposal for the second stage. In the first stage of this competition, grants of £50,000 are available to support the development of an innovation and growth plan. You must apply for the full £50,000, but do not need to claim the full grant funding amount if you do not need to.

You must apply with a project duration of 6 months, which can end earlier with agreement from your Cohort Manager if required. Successful applicants will be assigned a Cohort Manager who will support the development of the innovation and growth plan, including: agreement of support needs and growth targets use of the available MFA grant Participation in the Growth Cohort will require an investment of time and resource.

Successful applicants are expected to engage with cohort support activities, including for example: international market exploration This list is not intended to be exhaustive. Successful applicants in this first stage competition, will be able to apply for further Innovate UK funding and support in stage two. They must fulfil the conditions of the cohort entry stage gates to qualify for further funding.

Applicants must be successful at stage 1 to be eligible to apply to stage 2. Growth cohorts: Next generation low carbon concrete cohort entry (this stage 1) Growth cohorts: Next generation low carbon concrete full stage (stage 2, invite only) There will be up to 5 Rounds of this entry competition (stage 1) between April 2026 and January 2028.

The full stage, stage 2, competition is expected to open in February 2027 and remain open until December 2028. Applications will be assessed and notified of the outcome at specific dates during the competition open period. Up to £11.

5 million will be awarded in grants across both stages of the competition. We reserve the right to close the competition ahead of the final submission deadline once this grant funding has been fully allocated to successful applicants. Applicants are encouraged to apply into the earliest suitable round to avoid disappointment.

In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process. This competition has a funding limit, so we may not be able to fund all the proposed projects. It may be the case that your project scores highly but we are still unable to fund it.

Our experience from similar competitions suggests that you could have 15% to 20% chance of success. 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. For this first stage, your project’s grant funding request must be £50,000.

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). have a grant funding request of £50,000 upload a video in response to the video pitch question in your application Any funded organisation needs to carry out their project work in the UK and must intend to exploit the project results from or in the UK.

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 Grant Offer Letter has been approved by Innovate UK. Any delays within Project Setup may mean we need to delay your project start date.

You will be made ineligible if you exceed the Minimal Financial Assistance limit. You must submit a complete declaration as part of your application. To work alone your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size.

This competition is open to single applicants only. More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules . Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.

Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process. You can use subcontractors from overseas but must make the case in your application as to why you cannot use subcontractors from the UK. You must also provide a detailed rationale, evidence of the potential UK contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you.

We expect all subcontractor costs to be justified and appropriate to the total eligible project costs. We will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use an overseas subcontractor. A business of any size can only apply and receive funding once in this first stage competition.

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. You can use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition. If you have previously submitted an application that reached our assessment stage, you can resubmit a revised application into a future round.

If there are minor differences to the proposal, but it is judged by us to be ‘not materially different’, the same rule applies. Only one resubmission is permitted per application.

We will not award you funding if you have: failed to exploit a previously funded project an overdue independent accountant’s report failed to comply with grant terms and conditions Innovate UK may withhold a grant payment at any time if you have any outstanding sums due to Innovate UK in relation to other projects.

Minimal Financial Assistance (and de minimis where applicable) Grant funding in this competition is awarded as Minimal Financial assistance (MFA). This allows public bodies to award up to £315,000 to an enterprise in a 3-year rolling financial period. In your application, you will be asked to declare previous funding received by you.

This will form part of the financial checks ahead of Innovate UK making a formal grant offer. To establish your eligibility, we need to check that our support added to the amount you have previously received does not exceed the limit of £315,000 in the ‘applicable period’.

The applicable period is made up of: (a) the elapsed part of the current financial year, and (b) the two financial years immediately preceding the current financial year You must include any funding which you have received during the applicable period under: Minimal Financial Assistance (previously referred to as Special Drawing Rights ) You do not need to include aid or subsidies which have been granted on a different basis, for example, an aid award granted under the General Block Exemption Regulation.

Further information about the Subsidy Control Act 2022 requirements can be found in the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (legislation. gov.uk) . EU Commission rules now only apply in limited circumstances.

See the Windsor Framework to check if these rules apply to your organisation. In the ‘Project details’ section of your application you will be asked questions to indicate if State Aid or Subsidy applies to your organisation. If you are unsure about your obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022, you should take independent legal advice.

We cannot advise on individual eligibility or your legal obligations. Up to £11. 5 million has been allocated in this competition across the two stages.

Up to £1 million is available in this first stage entry competition. This is subject to us receiving a sufficient number of high quality applications. Funding will be in the form of a grant.

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. Your total project costs will be eligible for up to 100% funding subject to MFA subsidy rules for this first stage competition. You must apply for 100% funding.

Total project costs detailed within your application must not exceed the maximum project size. If your total project costs do exceed the maximum, then your application will be made ineligible. You can make reference to any additional voluntary contribution in your application answers.

It must not be detailed in the finance section. For more information on company sizes, refer to the Company accounts guidance . If you are applying for an award funded under European Commission Regulations, the definitions are set out in the European Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003 .

Innovate UK may revoke our decision to provide funding without notice if government commitment for this initiative is withdrawn. The aim of this competition is to recruit ambitious businesses to join a Growth Cohort. The Growth Cohort will fund and support businesses to accelerate their ambitions to decarbonise concrete.

The Growth Cohort will work collectively with industry to help remove barriers to adoption, ultimately aiming for a greater number of innovative solutions to secure investment and scale to market.

Your business and project must: be ambitious with solutions to decarbonise concrete that have started to build traction in the construction industry be active in the sustainable concrete supply chain provide a letter of support from a commercial entity currently operating in the concrete supply chain demonstrating that your idea is considered scalable within the concrete industry upload a video in response to the video pitch question in your application The commercial entity may be a concrete producer, user or trade association.

The letter of support must clearly articulate their role in the supply chain with evidence, for example: membership of an active relevant trade association why they might support your companies’ ambitions​ The letter of support must confirm that your idea has potential to be scalable within the concrete industry but does not need to constitute a commercial contract, formal partnership, or equivalent.

Applicants must consider how their solutions align to the Target Product Profiles (TPPs) linked to the Innovate UK supported Advance Market Commitment Innovate UK will build a cohort of up to 20 businesses across the sustainable concrete supply chain, with solutions for innovative or next generation low carbon concrete technologies.

Your project must focus on one or more of the following technologies: alternatives to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) as a concrete binder, for example, calcined clay or combinations of calcined clay and limestone improving the efficiency or optimisation of cement or concrete production, for example kiln efficiency or reducing binder content additives that reduce the carbon footprint of new concrete structures using concrete to sequester carbon, or trap carbon within concrete investigating different concrete chemistry for reinforced concrete, if it shows clearly, it can decarbonise concrete improving the efficiency of cement and concrete use Your grant funding must be used to access support in one or more of the following areas: commercialisation plan development and implementation for example, licencing, manufacturing readiness financing strategy development and implementation, in line with commercialisation plan revenue model analysis and development sales strategy development marketing plan development validated market research customer validation and testing assessing and achieving minimum required volumes for offtake testing, certification and product insurability assessment standards compliance and validation regulatory support and insights operational costs of pilots, trails and demonstrations intellectual property development and protection environmental product declaration (EPD) or lifecycle assessment (LCA) development environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy development impact strategy development, including environmental impact risk analysis and forecasting risk management controls including sensors and data for real-time risk monitoring data, including best practice principles and requirements to determine scaling risk We want to fund a variety of projects across different technologies, technological maturity, business maturity and growth potential.

We call this a portfolio approach .

Projects we will not fund We are not funding projects that: use fresh fly ash or Ground Granulated Blast furnace Slag (GGBS) as principal Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs), unless the innovation is actively looking to reduce their use develop alternative fuels for cement production focus on aggregate or aggregate replacements focus on alternative fuels develop Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) applied to cement production where this does not involve the captured carbon being sequestered in concrete focus on making the steel in reinforced concrete last longer concern the replacement of concrete with other building materials solely focus on additives without considering their use in concrete are not original, in scope or duplicates someone else’s work We cannot fund projects that: involve primary production in fishery and aquaculture involve primary production in agriculture are not allowed under de minimis regulation restrictions are not eligible to receive Minimal Financial Assistance are dependent on export performance: giving a subsidy to an organisation on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of its products to another country are dependent on domestic inputs usage: giving a subsidy to an organisation on the condition that it uses a set percentage of UK components in their product Online briefing event: watch the recording Briefing slides are available to download from Supporting Information Drop in session: join at 11am Drop in session: join at 2pm Drop in session: join at 2pm 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.

The application is split into four sections: 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. 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. Decide which people from your organisation will work with you on the project and invite those people to help complete the application. Give your project’s title, start date and duration.

Describe your project briefly and be clear about what makes it innovative. We use this section to assign experts to assess your application. Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Describe your project in detail, and in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information. If we award your project funding, we will publish this description.

This can happen before you start your project. Your answer can be up to 400 words long. Describe how your project fits the scope of the competition.

If your project is not in scope, it will not be sent for assessment. We will tell you the reason why. Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

The assessors will score all your answers apart from questions 1 to 12 and 19. 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 answer all questions. Your answer to each question can be up to 400 words long. To rank applications, we will calculate a single application score using the geometric mean of category 1 score and the sum of category 1 and category 2 scores.

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.

Applicant location (not scored) You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and subcontractors working on your project. We are collecting this information to understand more about the geographical location of all applicants. Question 2.

Minimal Financial Assistance declaration (not scored) You must download the declaration template. You must complete this, declaring any funding received under Minimal Financial Assistance (previously referred to as Special Drawing Rights) or De minimis awards, (from any source of public funding) in the applicable period. Each partner must complete all the fields on their form before uploading.

The lead applicant must write ‘declaration attached’ in the question text box. The lead applicant must upload all the completed declarations as an appendix. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB.

It must be legible at 100% zoom. You must keep all documentation relating to Minimal Financial Assistance (previously referred to as Special Drawing Rights) and other De minimis awards for a period of 6 years. You must be prepared to release it to any public funding body which requests it.

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. 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. Letter of support (not scored) You must add ‘Letter of support uploaded’ as your answer.

Failure to upload the letter of support will result in your application being out of scope. You must submit a letter of support as an appendix. The letter of support must be from a commercial entity currently operating in the concrete supply chain.

It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to two A4 pages and must be legible at 100% zoom. Question 9.

Technology (not scored) Which of the following technologies best represents your innovation?

You must select one option: alternatives to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) as a concrete binder improving the efficiency or optimisation of cement or concrete production additives that reduce the carbon footprint of new concrete structures using concrete to sequester carbon, or trap carbon within concrete investigating different concrete chemistry for reinforced concrete improving the efficiency of cement and concrete use Question 10.

Technology maturity (not scored) Which of the following best represents how developed your innovation is? You must select one option: initial prototype, process or tool scale up or standardisation Question 11. Business stage (not scored) Which of the following best represents your current business stage?

You must select one option: idea or proof of concept (POC) minimum viable product (MVP) or early growth Question 12. Beneficiary (not scored) Which of the following, if any, would benefit the most from the innovation your business will deliver?

You must select one option: those who use the product or service, such as through lower costs or better outcomes the wider society, or individuals who do not use the product or service, such as by improving productivity or reducing access inequalities the environment, such as by reducing emissions or waste government or public services, such as through cost savings or improved efficiency your industry or sector, such as through innovation leadership or competitive advantage This question is rated as category 2.

Outline the benefits you expect to result from your innovation in more detail. In your explanation, include specific metrics or indicators that you intend to use to measure these benefits. Question 14.

Sustainability This question is rated as category 2. How will you grow your business and develop innovations with sustainability in mind? Describe your plan to minimise negative effects and promote positive outcomes for the environment and society This question is rated as category 2.

What are the key business milestones, or inflection points, that you will be aiming to achieve through this programme? You must consider the key business milestones, or inflection points across both stage one and stage two, looking beyond the initial 6 months. You must focus on what the support from this programme will enable you to do, financial and non-financial.

You do not need to provide a project plan at this stage. This question is rated as category 1. What skills, capabilities or experience does your team hold that will help you grow your business through your innovation?

Include any skills, knowledge, or experiences that are applicable. . This question is rated as category 1.

What skills gaps exist in your team? Detail whether your business would need additional skills or support, what those needs are, and how you will address any gaps. Recognising and acknowledging the need for additional support is a vital part of the planning process and will not negatively impact your application.

This question is rated as category 1. Outline the top three risks for your business in more detail. For each identified risk, explain what actions you will take to mitigate its impact.

Risks can come from many areas for example: technical risks: risks related to product development, functionality of performance commercial or financial risks: such as those related to market adoption, competition or profitability environmental or social risks: risks related to environmental impact, regulations, social acceptance regulatory risks: risks related to obtaining necessary regulatory approvals project management risks: risks related to timelines, team or resources Recognising and acknowledging potential risks is a vital part of the planning process and will not negatively impact your application Question 19.

Customers (not scored) Which of the following would be your main customer? Customers are who will buy the innovation from you. You must select one option: government or public sector Question 20.

Customers detail This question is rated as category 1. What are the key characteristics and needs of your target customers? Describe your engagement with customers and broader research.

Question 21. Differentiation This question is rated as category 1. How does your business or innovation set itself apart from other businesses operating in your target markets?

Provide specific examples and evidence where possible. This question is rated as category 2. Estimate the realistic market opportunity for your innovation .

Provide an evidence based assessment by outlining: the total addressable market (TAM): this is the total market demand for a product or service, it is the maximum revenue opportunity available if 100% market share was achieved the serviceable obtainable market (SOM): the portion of the addressable market that can realistically be captured by your innovation, it factors in constraints like competition, geography, pricing, and how easily you can go to market This question is rated as category 1.

Why have you chosen to apply for this award, what is your vision for the future of your business and how do you differentiate yourself?

When you enter Pitchtape to record your video, you will be asked to respond to these three question prompts: showcase your business and innovation and your differentiation outline your business growth ambitions and target growth plan what you want to achieve with this support and why you have chosen to apply Maximum length: 3 minutes. If your video is longer than this only the first 3 minutes will be assessed.

Create and submit using Pitchtape. Check your link works before submitting. For information about how to record and submit a video using Pitchtape visit YouTube .

Pitchtape will automatically create a link in response to the video question, if your link does not work or is hosted on a platform other than Pitchtape, your application will be made ineligible. You do not need to be in the video, you are able to submit a black screen or slide deck with a voice over. We will not be assessing the production quality of your video.

It is simply an opportunity to give the assessors clarity. Under the Eligibility criteria for this competition you must submit