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£10k for Black-owned Restaurants 🍽️, Funded Doctoral Fellowships 🩺, 6-Month Equity-free AI Accelerator for Social Enterprises 🎢 - Plus Last Chance for 50% Off!
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Ben Mushen
November 30, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 27 minutes
In partnership with
Hey there,
Here’s another edition of our monthly funding roundup!
This month, we added 301 new opportunities to the directory of which 261 are still live.
We’ve listed a roundup of some of those still live below with short summaries for you to mull over! We’ve even segmented them based by type, following some very handy feedback!
Have a scroll through and see what looks relevant to you and your organisation. Or feel free to forward this email to a friend who you think could stand to benefit.
Feeling overwhelmed by the number of opportunities in this email or want to cut through them and receive recommendations specifically relevant to you?
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Before we get into it
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To make your life easier, below is a handy table of contents of all the opportunities listed in this month’s newsletter. We’ve broken them down by rough support type - hopefully this makes them even easier to navigate!
Just click to skip to the opportunities which tickle your fancy (on web only)
This edition's opportunity list
🚀 Accelerators & Business Support
Global Solvers Accelerator
Support Type: Accelerator Program, Capacity Building
The Global Solvers Accelerator is an eight-month program designed to connect grassroots experiences, empower community leaders, and unleash transformative change. It engages emerging change agents from diverse regions to develop competencies for global citizenship, sustainable development, and collective leadership.
Application Deadline: 15/12/2024
FundingHero Accelerator
Support Type: Business Support, Accelerator
The FundingHero Accelerator is a 12-week programme designed to help tech founders secure external funding by providing comprehensive support in fundraising strategy, investment materials, pitching, and due diligence.
Application Deadline: 06/12/2024
Grow AI Accelerator
Support Type: Grant, Accelerator
A 6-month equity-free acceleration program for impact organizations and social enterprises harnessing AI and ML to create meaningful social impact.
Funding Available: Up to $250,000
Application Deadline: 08/12/2024
AI Adoption Assessment Toolkit
Support Type: Business Support
The AI Adoption Assessment Toolkit from Digital Catapult is designed to guide organisations in evaluating their digital and data maturity, and to assist in successful AI adoption.
BridgeAI Standards Community
Support Type: Business Support
The Innovate UK BridgeAI Standards Community, hosted by BSI, is an online space for SMEs offering insights and guidance on key standards, research, and case studies, as well as providing the opportunity to connect and collaborate with other businesses and BSI experts.
Britain's Got Startups
Support Type: Business Support
Britain's Got Startups provides regional businesses a platform to connect with local, London-based, and international investors, offering opportunities for fundraising and business growth.
Funding Available: £150,000 to £10,000,000
Application Deadline: 3/12/2024
EIT Digital – EIC Fast Track
Support Type: Business Support
The EIT Digital – EIC Fast Track programme allows EIT Digital supported companies to apply directly to Step 2 of the EIC Accelerator, bypassing the initial short application evaluation.
Funding Available: Grant funding of up to €2.5 million and equity investments of up to €15 million per company.
NCSC Funded Cyber Essentials Programme
Support Type: Business Support
Small organisations from specific sectors in the UK are offered practical support to achieve Cyber Essentials Plus at no cost.
Tech Nation Climate Growth Programme
Support Type: Business Support
The Climate Growth Programme is a 4-month programme for climate tech startups aimed at bridging the gap between climate innovation and industry.
Application Deadline: 13/02/2025
Tees Valley Innovation Challenge - Redefining Safety Compliance in Logistics
Support Type: Business Support
The challenge seeks to develop a streamlined digital solution for confirming that operatives have read and understood important safety, HR, Quality, and business information, eliminating paper and enhancing traceability for the HSE, HR, Quality, and Media teams.
Funding Available: Up to £10,000
Women's International Networking Programme 2025
Support Type: Business Support
The Women's International Networking Programme (WIN) is designed to support female founders, leaders, and executives in expanding their businesses internationally through networking, seminars, and a trade mission.
All Access Pass: The Future of Inclusive Tourism
Support Type: Business Support, Funding Opportunity
The 'All Access Pass' programme invites organisations to develop pioneering solutions for the tourism industry using 5G and immersive technologies to enhance accessibility and inclusivity.
Funding Available: Funding opportunity for the organisation with the most compelling idea and pitch.
Application Deadline: 06/12/2024
EIT Digital Champions
Support Type: Business Support, Fundraising Support
EIT Digital Champions is a competition aimed at identifying and supporting fast-growing European deep tech companies by providing them with tailored fundraising support and connecting them with international investors.
Application Deadline: 02/12/2024
Access Training - Fully Funded Training via UK Shared Prosperity Fund
Support Type: Grant, Business Support
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund provides fully funded training for employees of organisations based within the Sunderland City Council area, as part of the Sunderland Skills and Inclusion Programme.
Digital Catapult: Smart Nano Technology Access Programme
Support Type: Business Support, Mentoring
The Smart Nano NI Technology Access Programme connects industry to expert mentoring, cutting-edge photonics equipment, and future networks testbed facilities (including 5G and IoT).
Application Deadline: 02/12/2024
MentorMe Program
Support Type: Business Support, Mentorship
The MentorMe Program is a structured mentorship initiative designed to support startups through various stages of development, offering topic-based mentoring, on-demand support, and networking opportunities.
Innovating for Growth Skills Bootcamp
Support Type: Skills Bootcamp, Business Support
The Innovating for Growth Skills Bootcamp is designed to upskill teams in businesses of all sizes to become innovation ambassadors, focusing on embedding innovative practices and driving growth.
Funding Available: Up to £3,150 or 90% of the programme funded.
Skills Bootcamp in Digital
Support Type: Skills Bootcamp, Business Support
The Skills Bootcamp in Digital offers sector-specific skills training in collaboration with leading employers, providing opportunities for career progression and job experience.
BridgeAI: Access to Hartree Centre Training Portal
Support Type: Training, Business Support
Accelerate your digital expertise with the Hartree Centre Training Portal, part of Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme, offering courses to enhance digital skills and AI capabilities.
Digital Standards Training
Support Type: Training, Business Support
BSI’s expert-led standards training, available free of charge to SMEs, focuses on internationally recognised standards to increase productivity and efficiency in AI development or adoption.
Level 1 Award in Developing Enterprise Skills
Support Type: Business Support, Training
The Award in Developing Enterprise Skills is a 5-day course designed to help individuals develop the skills needed to launch a successful business, covering topics like budgeting, funding sources, and sales skills.
Funding Available: Fully funded for eligible residents
🎓 Fellowships
Career Development Award
Support Type: Fellowship
The Career Development Award supports researchers in becoming independent researchers within the Medical Research Council's remit to improve human health. It provides funding for salary and project costs for up to five years.
Funding Available: No limit on the amount of funding; covers salary and project costs for up to five years.
Application Deadline: 16/04/2025
Clinician Scientist Fellowship
Support Type: Fellowship
The Clinician Scientist Fellowship supports healthcare professionals to become independent researchers in medical research fields, covering salary and project costs for up to five years.
Funding Available: Funding covers 80% of the full economic cost and 100% of permitted exceptions, including salary, research costs, and training activities.
Application Deadline: 15/01/2025
Daphne Jackson Fellowship
Support Type: Fellowship
These fellowships are for those looking to return to a research career after a break of two or more years for family, health or caring reasons. The aim is to give participants the confidence and skills they need to make a successful return to research.
EPSRC Open Fellowships Dec 2023: Responsive Mode
Support Type: Fellowship
The EPSRC Open Fellowships are personal, career development-focused awards for researchers at all career stages beyond postdoctoral level, aiming to develop, expand, or establish a programme of research.
Funding Available: No limit on the value of the grant; EPSRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost.
Application Deadline: 12/12/2024
EPSRC Open Plus Fellowships Dec 2023: Responsive Mode
Support Type: Fellowship
These are personal, career development focused awards for researchers with a PhD or significant experience in a relevant field. The fellowship can be up to five years long, focusing on research in discovery science, innovation, instrumentation and technique development, or software engineering.
Funding Available: No limit on the value of the grant. EPSRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost of the project.
Application Deadline: 12/12/2024
EPSRC Postdoctoral Fellowships Dec 2023: Responsive Mode
Support Type: Fellowship
These are personal, career development focused awards for exceptional, ambitious and talented researchers and technical professionals who wish to develop, expand or establish a programme of research or technical development alongside personal and professional development.
Funding Available: We will fund 80% of the full economic cost of your project.
Application Deadline: 12/12/2024
ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships
Support Type: Fellowship
The ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships provide funding for postdoctoral researchers to develop publications, networks, research skills, and professional skills.
Application Deadline: 25/03/2025
Future Leaders Fellowships: Round 10
Support Type: Fellowship
Funding to support ambitious research and innovation across UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s remit.
Funding Available: No limit to the amount of funding, UKRI will fund 80% of the full economic cost.
Application Deadline: 18/06/2025
International Fellowships for PhD and Early Career Researchers 2025
Support Type: Fellowship
The programme provides early career researchers and AHRC-funded and ESRC-funded doctoral students with access to internationally renowned collections, programmes, and expertise at host institutions.
Funding Available: £4,850 - £12,750
Application Deadline: 13/03/2025
Post-Doctoral Clinical Research Training Fellowship
Support Type: Fellowship
The fellowship provides funding to reacquire research skills for registered healthcare professionals who have a PhD and are working outside of research. It covers salary and project costs for three years.
Funding Available: Covers salary and project costs for three years, funding 80% of the full economic cost.
Application Deadline: 15/01/2025
🤑 Grants
Community Power
Support Type: Grant, Business Support
The Community Power fund aims to empower local communities to influence and change their environments and services. It offers funding to partner organisations to deliver activities that increase community power.
Funding Available: £50,000 to £80,000 per partner organisation
Application Deadline: 08/01/2025
Contracts for Innovation: Fusion Industry Challenges
Support Type: Grant, Business Support
Solutions sought for two fusion energy challenges: novel concepts for robust diagnostics systems, and robust components for sensing and control.
Funding Available: Up to £250,000 per project inclusive of VAT
Application Deadline: 20/12/2024
Department for Transport: High Assurance Detection Systems 2024
Support Type: Grant, Business Support
HADeS aims to enhance UK airports’ checkpoint security screening capability for passengers and baggage.
Funding Available: Up to £80k per project depending on track, with a total of up to £500k available.
Application Deadline: 13/12/2024
EU Mission: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities
Support Type: Grant, Business Support
The EU Mission aims to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030, acting as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050.
Funding Available: €360 million for the period 2021-23
European Space Agency: Commercial Applications of Space-Enabled Robotics: Agriculture
Support Type: Grant, Business Support
ESA seeks proposals for services that combine the use of satellite technologies and robotics for agriculture applications, offering zero-equity funding and technical guidance.
Funding Available: Zero-equity funding (50-80% depending on SME Status and Member State Approval) - maximum €500k for feasibility studies, case-by-case assessment for demonstration projects.
Application Deadline: 15/01/2025
European Space Agency: Maritime Decarbonisation Through Autonomy
Support Type: Grant, Business Support
This initiative supports the development of maritime autonomous systems to enhance energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in the maritime sector.
Funding Available: Zero-equity funding (50-80% depending on SME Status and Member State Approval) – maximum €500k for feasibility studies, case-by-case assessment for demonstration projects.
Application Deadline: 28/02/2025
Uber Eats and Enterprise Nation Black Business Fund
Support Type: Grant, Business Support
A fund providing grants and business support to Black-owned restaurants, offering a £10,000 grant and additional mentorship opportunities.
Funding Available: £10,000 per restaurant
Application Deadline: 12/12/2024
UK Export Network
Support Type: Grant, Business Support
The UK Export Network provides funding opportunities to help music creators reach new audiences overseas through various grants and support schemes.
Funding Available: Up to £5,000 from PRS Foundation; £5,000 – £50,000 from BPI’s Music Export Growth Scheme.
5G Ecosystem - Proof of Concept Call
Support Type: Grant
The call aims to accelerate the development, testing, and deployment of innovative 5G applications by providing funding and resources.
Funding Available: Up to £45k per project, plus access to facilities
Application Deadline: 13/12/2024
2049: Canada-UK Collaborative R&D
Support Type: Grant
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £3 million for collaboration with Canadian SMEs on joint R&D projects.
Funding Available: Up to £3 million
Application Deadline: 16/04/2025
Action for Women's Health
Support Type: Grant
Action for Women’s Health is a $250 million global open call launched by Pivotal to fund organizations improving women’s mental and physical health.
Funding Available: Between $1 million and $5 million USD per awardee.
Application Deadline: 10/01/2025
AF3: Supporting Partners Programme
Support Type: Grant
The Supporting Partners programme provides solutions and support for partners and spouses of serving personnel, including Reservists, to reduce the challenges that Service life can sometimes present.
Funding Available: £10,000 - £60,000
Application Deadline: 08/01/2025
AHRC Responsive Mode Pilot: Mission Awards
Support Type: Grant
Funding opportunity for invited teams to advance ambitious arts and humanities research agendas, research leadership, and research teams through a pilot approach to team-convening.
Funding Available: £2,000,000 - £3,000,000
Application Deadline: 23/01/2025
AHRC Responsive Mode: Catalyst Award: Round Six
Support Type: Grant
Awards to support researchers without prior experience of leading a significant research project to accelerate their trajectory as independent researchers, unlocking their potential, building leadership and convenor experience.
Funding Available: £100,000 - £300,000
Application Deadline: 30/01/2025
Design Foundations Round Six
Support Type: Grant
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £2 million for people-centred and systemic design projects across a range of themes and innovation areas to influence, inform and de-risk research and development activities.
Funding Available: £2,000,000
Application Deadline: 15/01/2025
Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme
Support Type: Grant
Funding to develop and test novel therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and other interventions at any stage from early development to early-phase clinical studies and trials.
Funding Available: No limit on the amount of funding; usually funds 80% of a project's full economic cost.
Application Deadline: 19/03/2025
Energy Project Enabling Fund
Support Type: Grant
The Energy Project Enabling Fund provides capital grants to support the development and delivery of local energy projects in the North East and Yorkshire region.
Funding Available: £30,000 to £245,000
Application Deadline: 08/12/2024
Family Focus Programme 2024/25
Support Type: Grant
The Family Focus programme offers grants to fund projects that explore and pilot solutions for family members of wounded, injured, and sick serving personnel or Veterans.
Funding Available: £50,000 to £100,000
Application Deadline: 18/12/2024
Fulfilling Futures Programme 2024/25
Support Type: Grant
This programme offers grants to improve the quality of life for Veterans who have experienced significant negative impacts related to their service.
Funding Available: £50,000 to £300,000
Application Deadline: 04/12/2024
Santander Seed Fund
Support Type: Grant
The Santander Seed Fund provides a small equity-free grant to aspiring University of Sunderland entrepreneurs and freelancers to help get their business ideas off the ground.
Funding Available: Up to £1,000
🏦 Equity / Loans
Support Type: Grant, Loan
The Social Impact Investment Fund (SIIF) is a £2.375 million fund supporting charities and social enterprises in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, offering capital grants and loans to social and third sector organisations.
Funding Available: Grants: £10,000 – £25,000; Social Loans: £10,000 – £75,000; Revenue Participation Agreements: £10,000 – £75,000
Fuel Ventures Funding
Support Type: Investment, Venture Capital
Fuel Ventures provides funding to early-stage tech companies, focusing on Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A rounds. They invest in a variety of sectors including SaaS, platforms, marketplaces, biotech, medtech, and hardware.
Funding Available: Up to £250,000 for Pre-Seed SEIS Fund; £1-3m for Scale-up EIS Fund; £2-£5m for Follow On EIS Fund; £500k - £7.5m for VCT Fund
Defence Innovation Loans 2024-25
Support Type: Loan
Loans of up to £1m to help convert mature defence innovations into strong business propositions, with a below market interest rate of 7.4% per annum.
Funding Available: £100,000 - £1,000,000
Application Deadline: 10/12/2024
North East Investment – Loans
Support Type: Loan
The Culture and Creative Investment Programme offers loans to support commercially viable, growth-minded businesses in the cultural and creative industries in the North East region.
Funding Available: £50,000 – £150,000 (amounts outside this range considered in exceptional cases)
The 10 Week Challenge
Support Type: Business Support, Investment
A 10-week programme designed to help individuals launch a business through weekly challenges, with opportunities to win investment prizes.
Funding Available: £20,000 to £50,000 in investment prizes
British Business Bank Growth Guarantee Scheme
Support Type: Loan, Business Support
The Growth Guarantee Scheme supports access to finance for UK smaller businesses, providing a 70% government-backed guarantee on loans up to £2m.
Funding Available: Up to £2m per loan, depending on business type and location.
Enterprise Answers Business Finance
Support Type: Loan, Business Support
Enterprise Answers provides loan finance to businesses across the North of England, predominantly in the North West and Yorkshire. Funding is available from £10,000 up to £150,000 for a variety of business needs including working capital, growth, equipment, and premises.
Funding Available: £10,000 to £150,000
UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund
Support Type: Equity Investment, Convertible Loan
UKI2S invests in innovations from the UK’s science and knowledge base, specialising in engineering biology, defence & security, fusion energy, and space.
Funding Available: £100k to £500k, with potential follow-on funding up to £1.5m.
North East Investment – Equity
Support Type: Equity Investment
Through the Culture and Creative Investment Programme, funded by the North East Combined Authority, £625K of equity finance is being invested in the region’s cultural and creative industries.
Funding Available: £50,000 – £100,000, up to 50% of a wider funding round.
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Thanks for reading,
Ben Mushen
Founder of the North East Support Directory
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Disclaimer: The content on this email/website and all subsequent support detail pages, has been AI-generated, based upon publicly available information found on grant and/or business support websites, sourced either via URL submissions by North East Support Directory users, or via research, discovery and submission by the North East Support Directory team. The information from these websites has been extracted, processed, summarised, and categorised using the latest AI technology to produce content on the North East Support Directory that is easier for query and consumption for our users. The North East Support Directory and it's owners assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site. The information contained is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness. The North East Support Directory's primary objective is to provide high-level, easy to query, find, and understand information and eligibility criteria regarding grants, finance, business support, and more, so it's users can make more informed, efficient decisions on where to spend their time in reaching out for support. The North East Support Directory acknowledges that eligibility criteria can be complex, and so advises that for full, true, and up-to-date opportunity details and conditions, users should visit the corresponding grant or support programme site directly. Users can do so by clicking the 'View Opportunity' link next to each opportunity, or by searching the support title in your search engine of choice. Please note that your visit via the 'Vier Opportunity' link will be tracked by the North East Support Directory. No personal details or protected information will be tracked or guarded against your North East Support Directory account. The only data we track is the number of times that each website is visited via the North East Support Directory. The collection of this data may later be used to form insights in regards to, but not limited to; grant and/or support programme demand, appetite, and popularity; identifying 'hot' and 'cold' areas of the region, and those in need of greater support; and potentially in informing future grant and/or support offerings. These data/insights may later be shared or sold to local authorities, business support organisations, or others, to inform future grant and/or support opportunities. The North East Support Directory would like to highlight that the AI generated information on this page is generated and produced for entertainment purposes only and is for the sole use of the recipients. All supporters expressly disclaim all representations, warranties, assurance of any kind, expressed or implied. Should any user, grant-making body, support provider, or other, have any questions or query in regards to the content on this email or website, or wish to update/remove any of this AI generated content for any reason, then they should contact [email protected], and someone in the team will try to get back to your query as soon as possible.