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Businesses encouraged to apply for innovation loans

Businesses encouraged to apply for innovation loans
Dan Martin
Dan MartinDan Martin Content & Events

Posted: Thu 18th Jul 2024

Small businesses launching innovative new products, processes or services can apply for the government's latest round of innovation loans.

The scheme by Innovate UK has a total of £25m available for innovative projects by micro, small and medium sized enterprises with strong commercial potential to significantly improve the UK economy.

Individual businesses can apply for between £100,000 and £2m to fund the project's eligible costs.

The current loan offer is the 16th round of funding from the scheme that supports late stage innovation projects that have a clear route to commercial success.

They are aimed at businesses that struggle to access finance or need to raise funds alongside offers from commercial lenders or schemes backed by the British Business Bank.

Innovate UK says projects must lead to innovative new products, processes or services that are "significantly ahead of others currently available or propose an innovative use of existing products, processes or services".

They can include prototyping, demonstrating, piloting, testing and validation.

You can apply here by 12pm on 28 August. Watch a briefing about the loans below:


Apply for Innovate UK innovation loans

Further rounds of innovation loans are available as follows:

  • round 17 opens on 29 August 2024 and closes on 9 October 2024

  • round 18 opens on 10 October 2024 and closes on 11 December 2024

  • round 19 opens on 12 December 2024 and closes on 5 February 2025

Related resources

How can small businesses be innovative?

Enterprise Nation's Funding Hub

Dan Martin
Dan MartinDan Martin Content & Events
I'm a freelance content creator and event host who helps small businesses and the organisations that support them. I'm also Enterprise Nation's Local Leader for Bristol. I have 20 years of experience as a small business journalist having interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurs from famous names like Sir Richard Branson and Deborah Meaden to the founders behind brand new start-ups. I've worked for a range of leading small business publications and support groups, most recently as head of content at Enterprise Nation where I was responsible for the prolific output of content on the company's blog and social media. I now freelance for Enterprise Nation as the website's news reporter and as the host of the Small Business sessions podcast. I'm based in Bristol where I run and host regular events with the local small business community in my role as Enterprise Nation's Local Leader for Bristol. I also have strong connections with other major business organisations in the south west region. In total, I've hosted over 100 events including conferences with an audience of hundreds for international brands like Xero and Facebook and live web chats from inside 10 Downing Street. With my partner, I co-run Lifestyle District, a lifestyle blog focused on culture, art, theatre and photography.

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