Solution Development for Advanced Connectivity Technologies is sponsored by Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) / Innovate UK. This program supports UK registered organisations to develop secure, sustainable, or sovereign connectivity technologies that align with the UK's Advanced Connectivity Technologies programme. It seeks near-term, testable solutions and deployable prototypes on UK testbeds.

Solution Development for Advanced Connectivity Technologies - GOV-UK Find a grant Solution Development for Advanced Connectivity Technologies UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £25 million to develop secure, sustainable or sovereign connectivity technologies that support the UK’s Advanced Connectivity Technologies programme. This funding is from DSIT.

Opening date : 1 April 2026, 10:00am Closing date : 13 May 2026, 11:00am Get updates about this grant Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £25 million from the ACT R&D programme, funded through DSIT. This is subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received.

The aim of this competition is to accelerate the development, demonstration, and commercialisation of next generation communications technologies that strengthen the UK’s security, resilience, sustainability, and long term competitiveness.

Your proposal must address one of three strategic categories, each aligned to the UK’s overarching ACT Grand Challenges and the Integrated Security Fund (ISF) priority on sovereign telecoms components: Grand Challenge 1: Secure and Resilient Networks Grand Challenge 2: Sustainable Networks ISF Strategic Focus: Sovereign Telecoms Components and Applications Where relevant it is recommended that projects will utilise the national labs and facilities that are available and relevant to the projects.

Including, but not limited to the Catapult Network, and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded Federated Connectivity Hubs and the Joint Open Infrastructure for Networks Research (JOINER) testbed. 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 7% 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. Funding is subject to Business Case approval. 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. Your project’s total grant funding request must be between £200,000 and £5 million, with no single organisation within the consortium claiming more than £3 million.

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). Note that Innovate UK will be closed from 2 April to 7 April. have a grant funding request between £200,000 and £5 million last between 3 to 24 months start by 1 September 2026 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 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.

To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be one of the following UK registered: small , medium or large business research and technology organisation (RTO) public sector organisation To work alone your organisation must be a UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME). More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules .

If the lead organisation is an RTO it must collaborate with two businesses (one SME, and one business of any size). Academic institutions cannot work alone.

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered: small, medium or large business public sector organisation research and technology organisation (RTO) Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) by the lead to collaborate on a project. Once partners have accepted the invitation, they will be asked to login or to create an account in the IFS.

They are responsible for entering their own project costs and completing their Project Impact questions in the application.

To be an eligible collaboration, the lead and at least one other organisation must: apply for funding when entering their costs into the application include rationale for the collaboration and describe the structure in your application ensure any one partner does not account for more than £3 million, or 70% of the total eligible costs, whichever is lower The consortium must contain at least one UK registered SME claiming grant funding on this application.

Your project can include organisations who do not claim any funding for their work on the project. Their costs will be covered from their own resources. These can include UK, EU and other non-UK organisations.

Non-UK partners are permitted to carry out project work from within their home countries and exploit the results outside the UK. Where non-funded partners have been invited to the application on IFS, their costs will count towards the total eligible project costs. 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 provide a detailed rationale, evidence of the potential UK contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you.

We will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use an overseas subcontractor. All subcontractor costs must be justified and appropriate to the total eligible project costs. As we are encouraging the use of national testbeds, we understand that these organisations may be included in multiple projects.

In this specific case, involvement in multiple projects is accepted. However, if testbeds are involved in more than one application, you must clearly state how all projects can be resourced and delivered if successful. You may be asked for further evidence of your resources.

If Innovate UK have concerns about your ability to deliver multiple projects successfully, we reserve the right to award funding based on evidence of your capacity to manage them. If you are involved in other Innovate UK funded projects, you must show you have the resources in place to deliver further projects funded by this Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) 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 re-apply once more with the same proposal.

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

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 already received funding for this application through another competition Innovate UK may withhold a grant payment at any time if you have any outstanding sums due to us in relation to other projects.

Subsidy control (and State aid where applicable) This competition provides funding to enterprises using the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme. The Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Scheme can be viewed on the subsidy database here: SC10780 . This is in line with the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

Further information about the Subsidy requirements can be found within the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (legislation. gov.uk) Innovate UK is unable to award organisations that are considered to be in financial difficulty. We will conduct financial viability and eligibility tests to confirm this is not the case following the application stage.

EU State aid 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 or the State aid rules, you should take independent legal advice. We are unable to advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations. You must not do anything which could cause a breach of Subsidy Control legislation applicable in the United Kingdom.

This aims to regulate any advantage granted by a public sector body which threatens to, or distorts competition in the United Kingdom or any other country or countries. This award is classified as a Subsidy which does not form part of your Minimal Financial Assistance or De Minimis allowance. Up to £25 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects in this 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.

Under the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Route rules, no more than £3 million per enterprise can be awarded in the form of a grant. If your organisation’s work on the project is commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organisation normally acts non-economically but for the purpose of this project will be undertaking commercial or economic activity.

For industrial research and experimental development you can get funding for your eligible project costs of: For Industrial research projects Funding available for your eligible project costs of: up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation up to 60% if you are a medium sized organisation up to 50% if you are a large organisation For Experimental development projects which are nearer to market Funding available for your eligible project costs of: up to 45% if you are a micro or small organisation up to 35% if you are a medium sized organisation up to 25% if you are a large organisation For more information on company sizes, refer to the company accounts guidance .

If you are applying for an award funded under State aid 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 research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 30% of the total eligible project costs.

If your consortium contains more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared between them.

Of that 30% you can get funding for your eligible project costs of up to: 100% of your eligible project costs if you are an RTO, charity, not for profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are a Je-S registered institution such as an academic Eligibility criteria for claiming 80% of FEC funding Research organisations using the Je-S system must submit their costs through the Je-S system which calculates the 80% FEC figure.

On IFS, only the 80% FEC output should be entered at 100% funding. Applicants do not need to show the remaining 20% on the finance table. To find out more see our: Cost Guidance for Academics .

The aim of this competition is to accelerate the development, demonstration, and commercialisation of next‑generation communications technologies that strengthen the UK’s security, resilience, sustainability, and long‑term competitiveness.

The Advanced Connectivity Technology (ACT) R&D Programme aims to accelerate the development, demonstration, and commercialisation of next generation communications technologies that strengthen the UK’s security, resilience, sustainability, and long‑term competitiveness.

This CR&D competition invites proposals addressing one of three challenge areas, each aligned to the UK’s overarching ACT Grand Challenges and the Integrated Security Fund (ISF) funded priority on sovereign telecoms components.

The three challenge areas are: Grand Challenge 1: Secure and Resilient Networks Grand Challenge 2: Sustainable Networks ISF Strategic Focus: Sovereign Telecoms Components and Applications Across all categories, your proposal must demonstrate: measurable improvements against relevant performance metrics a credible integration route into real world platforms, networks or systems a clear pathway to commercial adoption and long term UK strategic impact We want to fund a variety of projects across different technologies, markets, technological maturities, themes, locations and research categories.

We call this a portfolio approach . Your project must focus on one of the three challenge areas for this competition: Secure and Resilient Networks Projects in this category must contribute to a demonstrable improvement in the security, reliability, and robustness of UK connectivity infrastructure.

Projects may include innovations that: remain operational during faults, attacks and environmental shocks, as well as overload conditions caused by direct network attacks, with rapid, automated recovery embed security, provenance and zero trust principles by design across hardware, software and operations, especially full system management and integration integrate terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks to provide resilient coverage and failover demonstrate spectrum resilience, interference tolerance and secure operation in contested environments contribute directly to international standards and position UK developed technologies within global supply chains sense current and latent network demand in real time, identifying and executing configurable adaptations in real time This category supports innovations that enable more energy efficient and spectrum efficient networks.

dramatically reduce energy use per bit through system level design, not incremental optimisation use spectrum more efficiently and dynamically, including through sharing and adaptive reconfiguration integrate renewable energy, demand responsive operation and thermal efficiency at network and site level embed circular economy principles, lifecycle measurement and design for reuse and recyclability support shared and neutral host infrastructure models that lower cost and environmental impact 3.

Sovereign Telecoms Components and Applications R&D The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) aligned category focuses on developing sovereign UK capability in critical telecoms hardware and sensing technologies, with an emphasis on advanced Radio Frequency (RF) and integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) systems that strengthen national resilience.

Projects should demonstrate components with dual civil and defence applications to enhance the UK’s technological advantage. Projects should be aimed at reinforcing the UK telecoms industrial base and support sovereign production, manufacturing scale up, and greater strategic autonomy.

Projects should address one of the following themes: Theme A: Assured ISAC Systems and Integration This includes the following: assured ISAC architectures with resilience to interference, spoofing, or degradation data fusion and correlation across multiple RF and non-RF sources integration of ISAC functions into existing capabilities and platforms ad-hoc and self forming ISAC networking, particularly where fixed infrastructure is unavailable Theme B: Advanced RF Architectures & Components This includes the following: reconfigurable antenna arrays that switch between communications and sensing modes multifunction RF front ends that reduce platform cost by replacing multiple discrete subsystems programmable metasurfaces that adapt beam patterns or spectral behaviour in response to environment or mission needs adaptive electromagnetic (EM) control techniques demonstrated in hardware, not just simulation Theme C: RF enabled Applications with Civil Pull This includes the following: the use of ambient RF emissions to support drone or object detection in regulated civil airspace RF based tracking approaches to improve safety of vulnerable individuals or assets monitoring applications that leverage existing telecoms infrastructure rather than bespoke deployments We will fund industrial research projects and experimental development projects, as defined in the guidance on categories of research .

Projects we will not fund We are not funding projects that are: purely research focused with no realistic commercial opportunity aimed at commercialising or exploiting the technology outside the UK We cannot fund projects that 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 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 now available to download from Supporting information. 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 if collaborative, that all partners have completed all assigned sections and accepted the terms and conditions (T&Cs) 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). Note that Innovate UK will be closed from 2 April to 7 April.

This section provides background for your application and is not scored. Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers. Decide which organisations will work with you on your project and invite people from those organisations to help complete the application.

Give your project’s title, start date and duration. Select the type of research you will undertake. Describe your project briefly and be clear about what makes it innovative.

We use this section to assign the right 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 7.

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. You must not include any website addresses or links (URLs) in your answers. If you do, your application will be made ineligible.

Question 1. Themes (not scored) Select one main theme from the specific themes list in the ‘Scope’ section of this competition. You cannot choose more than one.

Grand Challenge 1: Secure and Resilient Networks Grand Challenge 2: Sustainable Networks ISF Strategic Focus: Sovereign Telecoms Components and Applications Question 2. Applicant location (not scored) You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and any partners or subcontractors working on your project. We are collecting this information to understand more about the geographical location of all applicants.

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. Need or challenge What is the business need, technological challenge, or market opportunity behind your innovation?

the main motivation for the project the business need, technological challenge or market opportunity whether you have identified any similar innovation and its current limitations, including those close to market or in development any work you have already done to respond to this need, for example, if the project focuses on developing an existing capability or building a new one the wider economic, social, environmental, cultural or political challenges which are influential in creating the opportunity, such as incoming regulations Question 9.

Approach and innovation What approach will you take and where will the focus of the innovation be?

how you will respond to the need, challenge or opportunity identified how you will improve on any similar innovation that you have identified whether the innovation will focus on existing technologies in new areas, the development of new technologies for existing areas, or a totally disruptive approach the freedom you have to operate how this project fits with your current product, service lines or offerings how it will make you more competitive the nature of the outputs you expect from the project, for example reports, demonstrator, know-how, new process, product or service design, and how these will help you to target the need, challenge or opportunity identified You can submit one appendix to support your answer.

It can include diagrams and charts. 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 10. Team and resources Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

the roles, skills and experience of all members of the project team that are relevant to the approach you will be taking the resources, equipment and facilities needed for the project and how you will access them the details of any vital external parties, including subcontractors, who you will need to work with to successfully carry out the project if your project is collaborative, the current relationships between project partners and how these will change as a result of the project any roles you will need to recruit for You can submit one appendix, with a short summary of the main people working on the project 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. Question 11.

Market awareness What does the market or markets you are targeting look like?

the target markets for the project outcomes and any other potential markets, either domestic, international or both the size of the target markets for the project outcomes, backed up by references where available the structure and dynamics of the target markets, including customer segmentation, together with predicted growth rates within clear timeframes the target markets’ main supply or value chains and business models, and any barriers to entry that exist the current UK position in targeting these markets the size and main features of any other markets not already listed If your project is highly innovative, where the market may be unexplored, describe or explain: what the market’s size might be how your project will try to explore the market’s potential Question 12.

Outcomes and route to market How are you going to grow your business and increase long term productivity as a result of the project?

your current position in the markets and supply or value chains outlined, and whether you will be extending or establishing your market position your target customers or end users, and the value to them, for example, why they would use or buy your product how you are going to profit from the innovation, including increased revenues or cost reduction how the innovation will affect your productivity and growth, in both the short and the long term how you will protect and exploit the outputs of the project, for example through know-how, patenting, designs or changes to your business model your strategy for targeting the other markets you have identified during or after the project If there is any research organisation activity in the project, describe: your plans to spread the project’s research outputs over a reasonable timescale how you expect to use the results generated from the project in further research activities Question 13.

Wider impacts What impact might this project have outside the project team?

Describe and, where possible, measure the economic benefits from the project such as productivity increases and import substitution, to: others in the supply chain Describe and, where possible, measure: any expected impact on government priorities any expected environmental impacts, either positive or negative any expected regional impacts of the project Describe any expected social impacts, either positive or negative, on, for example: social inclusion or exclusion jobs, such as safeguarding, creating, changing or displacing them Question 14.

Project management How will you manage your project effectively?

the main work packages of your project, indicating the lead partner assigned to each and the total cost of each one your approach to project management, identifying any major tools and mechanisms you will use to get a successful and innovative project outcome the management reporting lines your project plan in enough detail to identify any links or dependencies between work packages or milestones You must submit a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix 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. What are the main risks for this project?

the main risks and uncertainties of the project, including the technical, commercial, managerial and environmental risks how you will mitigate these risks any project inputs that are critical to completion, such as resources, expertise, and data sets any output likely to be subject to regulatory requirements, certification, ethical issues and other