Venture Top Ups

Fund your next milestone: £600,000 funding for university-linked AI startups

Registration deadline: 12 October 2026, 16:00 BST
Application deadline: 14 October 2026, 16:00 BST

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About this call

Apply for funding to support a startup or spinout that has emerged from UK university research or participated in a UK university accelerator programme. The funding is intended to help ventures convert research and early development into demonstrable technical or market readiness.

Proposals must focus on a clearly defined technical, product or validation milestone and show that the venture is distinctive and capable of growth. The proposed activity should align with the mission of Responsible AI UK (RAi UK).

Awards will be made under the applicable Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) provisions. Payment will be made in arrears against evidenced expenditure, in accordance with the applicable award terms. All funded activity must be completed, and all expenditure incurred, by 31 March 2027.

Call information

• Opportunity status: Open
• Funder: UKRI through RAi UK
• Funding type: Prize fund award under the Minimal Financial Assistance provisions
• Total fund: £600,000
• Standard award: Up to £50,000
• Exceptional award: Up to £75,000, where there is a strong justification
• Publication date: 23 September 2026
• Registration opens: 30 September 2026
• Mandatory registration deadline: 12 October 2026
• Application deadline: 14 October 2026 at 16:00 BST
• Notification date: week commencing 2 November 2026
• Award end date: 31 March 2027
• Payment basis: In arrears against evidenced expenditure, in accordance with the applicable award terms

Expected impact

This funding is intended to create a measurable bridge between university research and the next stage of venture development. Successful awards should increase the maturity and credibility of participating ventures while generating tangible evidence that research-led innovation has progressed towards adoption, deployment or the development of a capability that the UK needs.

The defining measure of success is demonstrable venture progression. Each supported venture must produce a tangible innovation output and provide evidence that it is distinctive and capable of growth.

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Who can apply

Applications are invited from startups and spinouts that have either:

• Emerged directly from research undertaken at a UK university; or
• Participated in a UK university accelerator, incubator or equivalent venture-development programme.

Programmes run by or with RAi UK partners are within scope, including AIR24, AIR25, AIR26, the UCL Centre for Digital Innovation, Queen’s University Belfast and Swansea University. However, eligibility is not limited to ventures associated with these programmes.

Applicants must:

• Provide evidence of their connection to UK university research or participation in an eligible accelerator or venture-development programme;
• Demonstrate that the proposed activity falls within at least one of the eight sectors identified in the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy;
• Demonstrate that the venture is distinctive, either through an early customer commitment or through a fundamental technology that clearly addresses an identified gap;
• Propose a defined milestone that can reasonably be achieved with the requested funding by 31 March 2027;
• Be eligible to receive support under the applicable MFA framework; and
• Provide all required declarations and supporting information.

The applicant must be the venture itself. Because payment will be made in arrears against evidenced expenditure, the venture must be a UK-registered entity capable of incurring costs, invoicing and accounting for the award by the time the award is made.

The named venture lead must be resident in the UK and hold a role in the venture that extends beyond the proposed activity. Teams that have not yet incorporated should contact RAi UK before applying to confirm whether an alternative arrangement through the originating university may be available.

Where the venture retains a formal relationship with a university, applicants must confirm that all relevant institutional approvals are in place, including arrangements concerning intellectual property, licensing and conflicts of interest.

Previous participation in a particular accelerator will not provide an advantage during assessment. The UKRI repeated unsuccessful applications policy does not apply to this call.

Read UKRI guidance on eligibility for research and innovation funding.

We particularly encourage applications from:

• Ventures led by early-career researchers;
• Ventures based outside established research and investment clusters; and
• Founding teams that broaden the range of people building responsible AI in the UK.

What we are looking for

We are seeking proposals that accelerate the translation of research-led innovation into demonstrable products, services, technologies or validated evidence.

Applications must:

• Identify at least one relevant Industrial Strategy sector and explain the connection;
• Explain what the venture does differently from existing alternatives and why that difference is defensible;
• Demonstrate credible potential for growth;
• Describe a specific and achievable technical, product or validation milestone; and
• Show that the proposed milestone is additional, meaning that it would not be achieved within the same period, on the venture’s current trajectory, without the award.

Proposals may establish a new commercial relationship or deepen an existing one. Applications that do not meet the requirements of the call may be rejected.

Focus areas

The proposed activity must fall within at least one of the eight sectors identified in the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Clean Energy Industries
• Creative Industries
• Defence
• Digital and Technologies
• Financial Services
• Life Sciences
• Professional and Business Services

We particularly welcome ventures whose proposals address RAi UK’s current responsible AI priorities, including:

• Sustainable and frugal AI approaches that reduce computing, energy and water requirements;
• Methods for understanding the costs and benefits of deploying AI within organisations;
• AI skills and the translation of research into training and public engagement; and
• AI engineering approaches that support the design of dependable, safe, secure, reliable and usable systems.

Alignment with these priorities will strengthen an application but is not a condition of eligibility.

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Deliverables and funding

Required deliverables

Each successful venture must provide both of the following by the end of the funded activity:

1. A tangible innovation output: a demonstrator, product release or validated dataset.
2. Evidence of distinctiveness and growth potential: demonstrated through either the market route or the technology route described below.

Applicants must identify their chosen route at the point of application.

Market route

Applicants must provide evidence of an early customer commitment or follow-on investment showing that a paying or committed external party values the venture’s work.

Suitable evidence may include a paid order, pilot agreement, letter of intent, contract, procurement commitment, executed investment documentation, formal funding offer or another substantive and verifiable commitment.

Technology route

Applicants must demonstrate that their fundamental technology addresses a clearly identified gap that existing alternatives do not address, or address materially less effectively.

Evidence should include:

• A credible analysis of the identified gap and existing alternatives;
• Benchmark, test or evaluation results, independently or with a customer where possible;
• Relevant expert, standards-based or regulatory corroboration; and
• An explanation of who will require the technology and the expected route and timescale to first users.

The technology route recognises that some research-led ventures are developing capabilities for which an organised market does not yet exist. These applications will be held to the same evidential standard as applications using the market route. An unsupported assertion of novelty will not be sufficient.

Eligible outputs and evidence

Funding available

A total of £600,000 is available. We expect to make approximately 10 awards.

Ventures may request up to £50,000. Requests of up to £75,000 may be considered only where there is exceptional justification.

Funds must be used to deliver the stated milestone. Applicants must provide an itemised budget explaining how each cost contributes to that milestone. Costs that cannot be clearly connected to the proposed activity may be removed from the award.

Matched funding is not required, although evidence of committed private investment may strengthen an application.

All activity must be completed, and all eligible expenditure incurred, by 31 March 2027. Expenditure incurred after that date will not be eligible, and extensions will not be available.

Payment will be made in arrears against evidenced expenditure. The recipient must incur the expenditure before submitting an acceptable claim with the required supporting documentation. Applicants should ensure that they have sufficient working capital and plan their claims so that the final claim can be submitted before the award end date.

PhD studentships and costs associated with PhD studentships are not eligible.

Minimal Financial Assistance

Awards will be made under the Minimal Financial Assistance provisions of the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

An enterprise may not receive more than £315,000 in minimal financial assistance during the elapsed part of the current financial year and the two immediately preceding financial years. Applicants must account for other minimal financial assistance and equivalent subsidies already received.

Before making an award, RAi UK will issue an MFA notification stating the gross value of the proposed assistance. The venture must confirm in writing that accepting the award will not cause it to exceed the applicable threshold. No award can be made until that confirmation has been received.

Further information is available in the UK Government’s statutory guidance on the subsidy control regime.

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Responsible innovation and security

Responsible innovation, equality, diversity and inclusion

Responsible research and innovation is central to RAi UK’s mission. Applicants must demonstrate how responsible innovation is embedded in the proposed activity rather than treated as a separate compliance exercise.

Applications should explain:

• The anticipated effects of the technology on users and affected communities;
• The assumptions embedded in the models, data and business model;
• How relevant perspectives will be included in development; and
• How the venture will respond to what it learns.

Where the proposed milestone involves a product, demonstrator or dataset, applicants should describe the relevant governance, data protection, safety, security and assurance arrangements. Any residual risks and proposed mitigations should be clearly identified.

Applications must also address equality, diversity and inclusion, including:

• The composition and development of the venture team;
• The accessibility and inclusiveness of the proposed product or service; and
• Whether intended users and beneficiaries include groups that AI systems frequently underserve.

Applicants should describe specific actions rather than restating general commitments. These matters will be considered as a secondary assessment criterion and revisited during completion reporting.

International collaboration and Trusted Research

Applicants proposing to work with international partners, customers or investors should review RAi UK’s Trusted Research guidance and complete the NPSA and NCSC Trusted Research checklist for academia.

Depending on the outcome, applicants may need to escalate matters within their venture or partner institution. The application timetable is short, so applicants should allow sufficient time for any required review or approval.

Further guidance on international collaboration and the protection of intellectual property, sensitive research and personal information is available from the National Protective Security Authority.

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How to apply

Applicants must complete both stages:

1. Register an intention to submit by 12 October 2026. Registration is mandatory. Applications from ventures that have not registered will not be assessed.
2. Submit the completed application by 16:00 on 14 October 2026.

Applicants are responsible for obtaining any internal approvals required by their venture, investors or associated institution before submission.

Applications must use the provided template, complete every required section and be submitted as a PDF through the online application portal. A confirmation email will be issued following successful submission.

Submission Link

What your application must contain

• Venture and team: venture name, originating accelerator or research base, innovation background, team members and relevant capabilities.
• Progress to date: key milestones already achieved, including relevant RAi UK-aligned or partner accelerator activity.
• Proposed activity: the specific technical, product or validation milestone to be achieved.
• Use of the award: an itemised budget and an explanation of how each cost contributes to the milestone.
• Distinctiveness and growth potential: the chosen market or technology route and the evidence supporting it.
• Evidence and measurement: the baseline position, target outcome, delivery timetable and evidence that will be provided at completion.
• Responsible innovation and EDI: the matters described in the section above.
• MFA compliance: all required declarations concerning minimal financial assistance and any additional information requested by the fund administrator.

Incomplete applications may be excluded where the missing information prevents an eligibility or quality assessment.

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Assessment

How applications will be assessed

RAi UK will first conduct eligibility and compliance checks, including MFA screening. Eligible proposals will then be considered by a panel drawn from the RAi UK network and assessors with relevant venture, investment or commercial experience.

Alignment with at least one Industrial Strategy sector is an eligibility requirement. Applications that do not demonstrate this alignment will not proceed to assessment.

The two routes carry the same weighting. Neither route is preferred. Applicants should select the route best supported by their evidence.

The weightings are indicative and may be adjusted to reflect the governing programme terms. Assessment will also consider eligibility, sector alignment, MFA compliance, the availability of funds, and the overall quality and completeness of the application.

Secondary considerations

Responsible innovation, equality, diversity and inclusion will be assessed alongside the weighted criteria. Where applications are closely ranked, these considerations may be decisive.

The panel will also consider whether:

• The proposed resources are adequate and fully justified;
• Financial and delivery risks have been identified and mitigated; and
• Dependencies on external validation or third parties create a material risk of delay.

Conflicts of interest

Panel members must recuse themselves where an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest exists. This includes circumstances in which a panel member:

• Has a financial interest in an applicant;
• Is, or has previously been, an employee, adviser, director, founder, investor or consultant of an applicant;
• Has a close personal or family relationship with an applicant or its founders;
• Has a current or recent research, commercial or professional relationship with an applicant;
• Has been involved in creating, managing or accelerating the applicant through their organisation; or
• Has another relationship that could reasonably be perceived as affecting their impartiality.

Only general feedback will be provided to unsuccessful applicants.

What happens after submission

1. RAi UK completes eligibility, compliance and MFA checks.
2. Eligible applications are assessed according to the published criteria.
3. Successful applicants receive an award offer and complete the required agreement and pre-award documentation.
4. Funded activity begins and proceeds according to the agreed delivery plan, timetable and budget.
5. Recipients submit claims, monitoring information and completion evidence in accordance with the award terms.

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After the award

Award conditions and monitoring

Awards will be subject to formal acceptance of the applicable award terms and MFA requirements.

Successful applicants must:

• Agree a delivery plan, milestone timetable and budget before beginning the funded activity;
• Retain appropriate records supporting expenditure, outputs and external validation;
• Complete all activity and incur all eligible expenditure by 31 March 2027;
• Submit evidence of the required innovation output and of distinctiveness and growth potential under the chosen route;
• Obtain advance approval for material changes to the activity, budget or delivery timetable; and
• Contribute to RAi UK reporting for 12 months after the funded activity ends, including case-study material and follow-up enquiries about venture progress.

Intellectual property and publication

There is no open-source, open-data or open-innovation requirement attached to this call.

Intellectual property arising from the funded activity will remain with the venture, subject to pre-existing arrangements with the originating university. Recipients must provide non-confidential information that RAi UK may use for reporting and case studies. The call does not require the disclosure of commercially sensitive information.

Recipients must agree to the publication of award details where required by subsidy control transparency rules. Awards exceeding the applicable publication threshold must be recorded on the UK subsidy transparency database.

Awards will be confirmed only after acceptance of the non-negotiable terms and conditions contained in the Award Letter, including the fixed end date of 31 March 2027.

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Contact/Questions

You can listen back to our webinar detailing the opportunity.

Please consult our latest FAQ document.

Further questions about this funding opportunity or the submission process should be sent to info@rai.ac.uk.

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