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Innovate UK

Accelerator·Swindon, UK·~GBP 2.5B per year (core budget 2025-26)

Innovate UK is the United Kingdom's national innovation agency, operating as part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Established originally as the Technology Strategy Board, it provides grants, loans, expert support and industry connections to help businesses develop and commercialise new technologies. Its flagship programmes include the Biomedical Catalyst, the Growth Catalyst scheme and Bridge AI. Innovate UK has backed companies across quantum computing, clean energy and advanced manufacturing, and is recognised as a key funder behind the UK's position as Europe's leading deep tech hub.

Focus Areas

Advanced ManufacturingClean EnergyLife SciencesDefenceDigital TechnologiesAIQuantumSemiconductorsEngineering Biology

Portfolio

2 companies in our directory

Grayscale AI logo

Grayscale AI

Defence Tech·Seed

Grayscale AI is a London-based startup founded in 2020 by Dragos Stanciu, developing neuromorphic AI systems that mimic human neural networks for autonomous drones, robots, and vehicle navigation. Drawing on computational neuroscience research from the University of Edinburgh and ETH Zurich, the company's technology delivers up to 500x greater energy efficiency than traditional computing with edge processing under 100 milliseconds. Grayscale AI has validated its technology through partnerships with HORIBA MIRA, AVL, and Smart Mobility Living Lab London. The company participates in NATO's DIANA accelerator programme and has received grant funding from Innovate UK and the US Army xTech programme, alongside backing from Techstars.

TidalSense logo

TidalSense

MedTech·Growth

TidalSense was founded in Cambridge in 2013 and is led by chief executive Dr Ameera Patel, a physician and engineer, alongside co-founder and chief engineering officer Julian Carter. Its N-Tidal device reads the carbon dioxide waveform of ordinary tidal breathing, so a patient breathes normally into a handheld sensor for 75 seconds instead of performing the forced manoeuvre spirometry demands, and machine learning models classify the resulting curve. A clinician can assess four to six patients an hour rather than roughly one, and any healthcare professional can run the test after ten minutes of training. In March 2025 N-Tidal Diagnose became the first non-spirometry AI diagnostic device to receive CE marking under EU MDR (Class IIa) for COPD. It entered NHS service in September 2025 and has raised $40M in total, including $11M in grants and a $19M round led by Cross-Border Impact Ventures in July 2026.