Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation: CR&D Round 2

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to invest up to £7 million to support the development and adoption of sustainable technologies for the manufacturing of medicines. Total funding: £7 million Minimum award: £500,000 Maximum award: £1 million Location: National Who can apply: Public Sector, Non-profit, Private Sector, Local authority Closing date: 2026-12-02 11:00 (UK time) Eligibility Who can apply Your project Your project must: - have a grant funding request of between £500,000 and £1 million - last between 9 and 12 months - start by 1 April 2027 - end by 31 March 2028 Any organisation receiving funding must carry out its project work in the UK, intend to exploit the results in the UK, and spend most of the funding within 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. If your project’s grant funding request or duration falls outside of our eligibility criteria, you must provide justification by email to [email on the official page] at least 10 working days before the competition closes. We will then decide whether to approve your request. If your project does not meet our criteria and you have not requested justification approval, your application will be made ineligible and it will not be sent for assessment. Lead organisation To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered: - business of any size - research and technology organisation (RTO) - catapult centre - not for profit organisation - public sector organisation - charity The consortium must contain at least one UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME) claiming grant funding on this application. More information on the Summary Description Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will work with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to invest up to £7 million to support the technical development and commercial readiness of sustainable technologies for the manufacturing of medicines. This is subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received. This funding is part of the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation. The aim of this competition is to drive innovation in sustainable medicines manufacturing across three key pillars: - green chemistry - circularity - productivity and resource efficiency These new manufacturing innovations are expected to support more environmentally sustainable manufacturing processes with significant and measurable improvements in at least one of the following areas: - productivity - waste reduction - emissions reduction - energy use reduction - resource efficiency We define sustainable medicines manufacturing as the process of producing medicines in a manner that minimises environmental impact, conserves natural resources, and ensures economic and social sustainability. This approach focuses on reducing waste, energy consumpti Objectives Your proposal The aim of this competition is to drive innovation in sustainable medicines manufacturing across three key pillars: - green chemistry - circularity - productivity and resource efficiency You must also consider both critical enablers; regulations and measurements, standards and data. Proposals must include sustainability claims that are evidenced through baseline measurements and clearly defined metrics to quantify anticipated improvements. These new manufacturing innovations are ex Dates 13 October 2026 Online briefing event: register to attend (Briefing slides will be available to download from Supporting Information after the event) 15 January 2027 Invite to interview 25 January 2027