Innovate UK Canada–UK collaborative R&D

[TO CONFIRM: this competition has closed. Keep this article as a record, update it, or remove it?]

UK registered organisations could apply for a share of up to £3 million for collaboration with Canadian SMEs on joint R&D projects. Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, worked with the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) on the competition.

Key facts

• Competition opened: Monday 4 November 2024
• Competition closed: Wednesday 16 April 2025 at 11am
• Funding type: grant
• UK partners could request up to £300,000 per project; Canadian partners together up to CA$500,000
• Projects had to last between 12 and 24 months, start by 1 September 2025 and end by 31 August 2027
• Focus areas: life sciences, digital and emerging technologies, and sustainability and net zero

Who could apply

Consortia had to include at least one business registered in Canada that was a separate legal entity, not linked to the UK partners. UK participants applied to Innovate UK through the Innovation Funding Service; Canadian partners submitted a parallel application to NRC IRAP. A project had to be selected by both Innovate UK and NRC IRAP to be funded.

Planning a bid for a future international collaboration competition? Our bid management service can help.