Innovate UK Frontier AI Discovery Programme (Phase 1 Feasibility Studies)

The BridgeAI Innovation Exchange is a competition within Innovate UK's GBP 100 million BridgeAI programme, which exists to accelerate adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning in UK sectors that have high growth potential but low AI maturity - specifically agriculture and food processing, construction, the creative industries, and transport including logistics and warehousing. The Innovation Exchange strand invests up to GBP 200,000 per competition round in short, focused projects, with individual awards between GBP 25,000 and GBP 50,000 for five-month single-applicant projects. The model connects a UK business that has a defined operational problem with an AI or ML solution provider, funding a scoped piece of work that demonstrates whether the technology can deliver measurable value in that specific setting. Because projects are single-applicant, short, and modest in scale, the administrative burden is far lower than a typical collaborative R&D competition, making this one of the most practical routes for a UK SME to fund a first serious AI deployment. Grant intervention rates follow standard Innovate UK subsidy rules - typically up to 70% for SME industrial research and up to 45% for experimental development. Competition rounds close at 11am UK time on the date stated in each competition brief.

The Department of Defense FY2026 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) provides funding for U.S. universities to acquire research equipment and instrumentation in areas important to national defense, including AI and machine learning hardware. The program is administered jointly by the Army Research Office (ARO), Office of Naval Research (ONR), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), with approximately $34 million available and 95 awards anticipated. DURIP funds the acquisition of specialized computing hardware for AI/ML research (GPU clusters, TPUs, neuromorphic processors), robotics and autonomous systems testbeds, sensor arrays and data collection systems for machine learning training, high-performance computing infrastructure for defense-relevant AI research, and laboratory equipment for human-AI interaction studies. The program specifically supports equipment that enhances research-related education in DoD-priority disciplines. While general-purpose computing is not eligible, computing equipment directly supporting DoD-relevant AI research programs qualifies. No cost sharing is required.

Vinnova, Sweden's national innovation agency, funds projects developing applied AI solutions for Swedish industry through its Advanced Digitalization Programme. Each project can apply for between 2 and 10 million SEK (approximately $190,000 to $950,000 USD) covering up to 50% of eligible project costs. The total call budget is 60 million SEK. Projects run for 12-24 months and focus on two key areas: Intelligent Edge (AI for real-time application in the sensor chain) and AI-based decision support. All projects must address industrial needs and integrate gender equality and climate change perspectives. Scientific publications must be open access. A parallel call also funds AI and cybersecurity projects at 1-10 million SEK per project with a 50 million SEK total budget.