TechLocal: AI Professional Degree and Traineeship Accelerator

TechLocal: AI Professional Degree and Traineeship Accelerator is sponsored by Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Funds initiatives to develop AI-focused professional practice degree courses, graduate traineeships, and work experience opportunities, preparing individuals for careers in AI roles.

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TechLocal AI Professional Degree and Traineeship Accelerator UK academic institutions and education providers can apply for funding to develop initiatives that build industry ready AI professionals aligned to local skills demand. Funding of £7. 8 million is provided by DSIT.

Competition opens: Wednesday 4 February 2026 Wednesday 18 March 2026 11:00am This competition is now closed. Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will work with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to invest up to £7. 8 million in innovative projects.

This is subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received. These will be to address the local and strategic demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI) skilled individuals ready to enter the industry job market.

The aim of this competition is to develop Level 6 and Level 7 equivalent higher education and professional practice courses, graduate traineeships and work experience opportunities which prepare people for a career in AI roles or within the AI industry. See the AI Skills for Business Competency Framework for a clear, role‑aligned articulation of industry‑relevant AI skills for professionals to support your proposal.

This programme is part of the TechLocal programme that belongs to the wider TechFirst initiative, which also includes: TechYouth: inspiring young people in schools and colleges to pursue careers in technology TechGrads: supporting higher education and graduate pathways TechExpert: driving research and advanced talent development through government industry partnerships be delivered and impact one or more of the specified geographical areas be clearly focused on Artificial Intelligence technology have a real commitment to diversity and inclusion The specific geographical areas are: 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 25% 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. Your project’s grant funding request must be between £100,000 and £300,000. 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).

Text update 4 February 2026: we have added and changed guidance for clarity. have a grant funding request between £100,000 and £300,000 last between 18 and 45 months not start before 1 July 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 . 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 lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered academic institution or education provider. To work alone your organisation must be an academic institution or education provider. Other types of organisations can only collaborate.

A UK registered academic institution is a higher education provider based in the UK. It must be formally recognised within the UK higher education system. In England, this means being registered with the Office for Students (OfS).

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, recognition and oversight are through the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), the Medr (Wales), and the Department for the Economy (DfE NI). An education provider is a legally registered UK organisation whose main purpose is to deliver education, training or skills.

For this competition, this includes: Further Education (FE) colleges Independent Training Providers (ITPs) eligible to deliver publicly funded training under Skills England oversight Providers listed on the Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register (APAR) Organisations delivering regulated qualifications through recognised awarding bodies More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules .

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be a UK registered: 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 IFS.

They are responsible for entering their own project costs 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 70% of the total eligible costs 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 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. An academic institution or education provider can lead a maximum of two applications and can collaborate in any number of applications. If an academic institution or education provider is not leading any application, it can collaborate in any number applications.

A business of any size, charity, not for profit, public sector organisation or research and technology organisation (RTO) can collaborate in two applications. If these limits are exceeded, applications will be made ineligible. Where an organisation appears on more applications than permitted, only the first two eligible applications submitted will be considered.

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 that 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 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 three 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. Text update 6 February 2026: guidance amended for clarity. Text update 11 February 2026: guidance amended for clarity.

Text update 11 March 2026: guidance amended for clarity. Up to £7. 8 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. The funding will be allocated as follows: £5 million to the delivery of new AI Professional Practice Courses or Modules £2.

8 million to the delivery of Traineeships 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 project must request a 100% funding level in the finance table.

The project team can request up to £300,000 in total, subject to each partner’s remaining MFA allowance, whichever is lower. The grant funding request for the whole project must not exceed this limit. Your total project costs can be higher than your grant funding request, but you must not list any costs above the amount you are eligible to claim in the finance section.

You must enter funding at 100%, and contributions to the project must be £0. If your total project costs are higher than your grant, you must detail these costs in the answer to question 17 Costs and value for money. In your answer, you must explain how the grant funding relates to the total project costs and describe any additional unfunded work.

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. You can also view our application finances video .

For more information on company sizes, refer to the Company accounts guidance . The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 100% 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 100% you can get funding for your eligible project costs of up to: 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are a Je-S registered institution such as an academic 100% of your eligible project costs related to students working away from the institution's campus 100% of your eligible project costs if you are an RTO, charity, not for profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation Innovate UK may revoke our decision to provide funding without notice if government commitment for this initiative is withdrawn.

Text update 4 February 2026: we have added and changed guidance for clarity. The aim of this competition is to develop Level 6 and Level 7 higher education and professional practice courses, graduate traineeships and work experience opportunities which prepare people for a career in Artificial Intelligence (AI) roles or within the AI industry.

be delivered and impact one or more of the specified geographical areas be clearly focused on Artificial Intelligence technology have a real commitment to diversity and inclusion not replicate the aims or activities of other TechFirst initiatives be delivered with strong levels of employer engagement have clear focus and impact on employment readiness deliver real world projects and placements for students or graduates to equip them for immediate impact in the workforce See the AI Skills for Business Competency Framework for a clear, role‑aligned articulation of industry‑relevant AI skills for professionals to support your proposal.

The lead organisation must demonstrate the necessary local networks and structure to deliver in the chosen geographical area. We will be using the answer to the question Delivery Location to determine this.

The specific geographical areas are: consider self-sustaining mechanisms to continue after the funding period demonstrate collaboration with other local organisations or government bodies to boost reach and impact integrate the professional practice of AI with other disciplines tackle specific regional skills gaps or capitalise on local strengths, including leveraging local tech clusters and employer networks We want to fund a variety of projects across different geographical areas, type of initiative, value for money and theme.

We call this a portfolio approach . Your project must focus on one or more of the following: Develop and deliver new or updated Level 6 undergraduate equivalent, or Level 7 masters equivalent AI focused curricula and courses with integrated professional work practice. This can include the development of multiple modules or an entire course.

Deliver new partnership mechanisms between educators and employers to support innovation in the local ecosystem and provide opportunities for students and graduates to gain meaningful work experience. Deliver a new industry graduate traineeship-style model where graduates work in teams under expert mentorship to deliver AI innovation projects with local businesses, gaining business exposure, industry skills and teamwork experience.

Facilitate career acceleration and professionalisation of AI-skilled graduates, supporting progression into advanced roles where skills shortages and gaps exist. Provide internships, work placements or cooperative education where students work alongside or within local organisations to complete work relevant to their studies in AI.

Projects we will not fund We are not funding projects that: are not in scope for this competition do not have clear impact in one or more of the 12 specified geographical areas do not have an impact or application in AI or AI-related disciplines replicate the aims or activities of other TechFirst initiatives 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, for example, giving an award to a baker on the condition that they export a certain quantity of bread to another country are dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example, if we give an award to a baker on the condition that they use 50% UK flour 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 three 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.

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.

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.

Text update 4 February 2026: we have added and changed guidance for clarity. The assessors will score all your answers apart from questions 1 to 8. 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.

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 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: Delivery location (not scored) Indicate the geographical areas where your project will be delivered and explain your presence or rationale for selecting these areas.

Indicate which of the following geographical areas your project will be delivered in: Your response to this question will not be scored but it will be used as part of the portfolio approach. The lead organisation must demonstrate the necessary local networks and structure to deliver in the chosen geographical area.

Multiple locations can be selected where the project is a collaborative bid and partner organisations are located in different regions. Question 9: Project Proposal What is your proposal? Describe what you intend to deliver through this project.

embed real world projects and credit bearing or paid placements through the initiative, addressing any barriers that exist to ensure these are available for all secure paid industry placements, which will secure more highly skilled outcomes for learners and increase employability ensure at least 90% of participants in activities funded by this competition will undertake at least one work experience opportunity, internship, or graduate traineeship secure sufficient placement opportunities, especially for women support students and employers to ensure placements are accessible, high quality, and impactful keep the curriculum aligned with evolving industry needs embed interdisciplinary and work-integrated learning Question 10.

Need or challenge What is the need, challenge, or opportunity behind your project?

the main motivation for the project whether you have identified any similar initiatives, including those close to market or in development and any current limitations 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 How will you deliver the project outlined in the project proposal question?

Describe the approach, methods and structures you will use.

how you will respond to the need, challenge or opportunity identified in the need and challenge question how you will improve on the nearest current state of the art identified the freedom you have to operate how this project fits with your current product, service lines or offerings how the outputs identified in the project proposal question will be produced and used to target the need, challenge or opportunity identified how will you ensure strong employer engagement in the co-design and delivery of your project what mechanisms will you use to manage and sustain these partnerships throughout the project how you will evaluate skills development and employment outcomes over the course of your project 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 12. 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 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 13.

Outcomes and plan for continuation How are you going to grow and continue your initiative after the funding period? Indicate if your initiative is a one-off 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 your self sustaining mechanism your strategy for scalability and how the idea could expand within the area or be replicated elsewhere if your initiative is a one-off and detail the reason for this Question 14.

Added value and impact How will this public funding help you to accelerate or enhance your project? What impact would this award have on the organisations involved and outside the project team?

what advantages public funding would offer your project, for example, appeal to investors, more partners, reduced risk or a faster route to market the likely impact of the project outcomes on the organisations involved Describe and where possible measure the economic benefits from the project including: the number of new enrolments on AI related courses by 2030 impact on employability and talent retention for the local area contribution towards supporting 100 of the government set target of supporting at least 1,000 professionals into technology jobs For the purposes of this competition, we are defining a job as a role filled for a minimum of 25 hours per week over a minimum of six months.

Describe any expected social impacts in the geographical area, either positive or negative on, for example: social inclusion or exclusion Explain how you will monitor, collect and report progress against the above KPIs. Question 15. Project management How will you manage your project effectively?

the main work packages of the 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