Up to £4 million funding available for business, Research Technology Organisation (RTO) and university collaboration

We are excited to announce the Henry Royce Institute’s Industrial Collaboration Programme (ICP) 6 is currently open for applications.

Each year, The Henry Royce Institute’s Industrial Collaboration Programme offers grant funding for research, development, and innovation sprint projects that address key national materials challenges.

This funding helps businesses, universities and research and technology organisations collaborate to solve real-world problems. Royce is awarding up to £4 million under this Industrial Collaboration Programme 6 (ICP6) for projects that cost between £50,000 and £130,000.

Projects which explore innovative ideas with a focus on technology translation in line with the UK’s national materials innovation strategy (NMIS) can apply for a proportion of their total project costs.

Please note that these awards are not offered to support fundamental research projects.

Full details of the ICP6 is available on the Henry Royce Institute website. We have summarised some frequently asked questions below from this guidance:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What problems can Royce at Cranfield help you to solve using ICP6?

We can help you to address challenges in:

1. Energy solutions, rising to the net zero challenge, including:

• Materials for hydrogen transport, storage and use.
• Materials for heat exchange, heat storage and waste heat recovery.
• Materials for advanced nuclear fuels.

2. Advanced surface technologies and materials durability: enhancing product safety, performance and lifetime, including:

• Materials and modelling for surface engineering and tribology.
• Surface treatments and materials for demanding environments.

You will need to show in your application that the project addresses Royce’s cross-cutting themes of sustainability, sustainability by design principles, or materials 4.0.

My problem isn’t covered by Royce at Cranfield; can I still apply for the grant?

Visit the Henry Royce Institute website for more information on scope and project themes outside Royce at Cranfield’s expertise. If you’re struggling to find the right partner to work with, contact the Royce Research and Business Engagement team to discuss your potential project idea and find out more about expertise and capabilities across Royce, using grants@royce.ac.uk

What mix of organisations do we need to be eligible for ICP6 funding? 

Applications can have a maximum of three partners and must include at least one: 

• not-for-profit or Research Technology Organisation or charity or Higher Education Institution  
• and at least one company.  

Please note, partners that don’t claim grant funding are counted in the three partners. Subcontractors and Royce facilities are not counted in the three partners.

Who can lead the project? 

To be eligible the project must be lead by: 

• a senior manager from industry (R&D Manager/Chief Technical Officer or similar), or 
• a researcher with a permanent academic position, e.g. lecturer or an early career fellowship equivalent to a permanent academic member of staff, or 
• a Higher Education Institution or Research Technology Organisation technical professional services staff.

Who will manage the grant? 

Royce has application scientists, uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between industry and academia. In addition to their research and technology responsibilities on your project, they will manage the industrial collaboration project grant for you. If you’d like an application scientist to support your project, submit this form by 30 January.

I want to work with an international organisation; can I still apply for ICP6? 

Yes. While only organisations based in the UK can receive funding, UK organisations working with an international partner are eligible to claim funding for the UK economic costs of the project. They will need a letter of support from the international partner they’re working with. Project work must be conducted in the UK, and the results must be exploited from or in the UK.

Can we use subcontractors if the partners don’t have the necessary skills? 

Yes. Subcontractors can make up a maximum 20% of the total project costs and must be included in the project plan submitted during the application. Subcontractors don’t count toward the maximum three collaborators and can be based outside the UK, so long as this is justified.

How much money can my organisation apply for? 

Not-for-profit organisations, Research Technology Organisations (RTOs) and charities, working on non-economic activities are eligible for full funding (100%) of their total project costs. 

Higher Education Institutions are eligible for 80% of their total project costs and 100% of Royce facility costs. 

Small companies can get grants for 70% of a feasibility study or industrial research, and 45% for experimental development. Small companies must meet two of the following conditions: 

• annual turnover must be not more than £15 million,
• the balance sheet total must be not more than £7.5 million,
• the average number of employees must be not more than 50. 

Medium-size enterprises can get grants for 60% of a feasibility study or industrial research, and 35% for experimental development. Medium companies must meet two of the following conditions: 

• the annual turnover must be no more than £54 million, 
• the balance sheet total must be no more than £27 million,
• the average number of employees must be no more than 250. 

Large enterprises can get grants for 25% of a feasibility study, industrial research or experimental development. Large companies are those that don’t meet the small or medium-sized company criteria above.

How does the grant work in practice?

Example

A university partners with a small company, based in Oxford, UK, and are keen to collaborate on a project to explore a feasibility study for the computational design of new anti-corrosive materials. The university determines that the full economic cost of the work is £60,000. The small company determines that the cost of labour and materials is £40,000. If the grant application is successful, the grant will pay £76,000:

For more information on what is included, how to treat VAT and the application process download the guidance document

When can we claim the funding? 

You can claim through the funding portal monthly costs (submit your claim in the last seven days of the month) or at the end of the project. Eligible claims will be paid in 30 days of receipt. 

When do I need to apply for the ICP6 grant? 

Applications close 16 February 2026. We recommend getting in touch with the partner you want to collaborate with today to work out your application. 

When will we find out if our application is successful? 

Applicants will be notified by w/c 27 April 2026 and both successful and unsuccessful eligible applicants will receive feedback on their applications w/c 4 May 2026. 

When do we need to start the work? 

Projects must start on 1 July 2026 and finish by 30 November 2026 (five months). All costs must be incurred during these five months. 

I’ve missed the briefing webinar; how can I find out more information? 

The briefing webinar was recorded on 3 December 2025 and is available to watch on YouTube

More detail is available in the guidance document, along with information on how to apply.

Templates for your application are available in the resources side bar.

TIMELINE FOR THE ICP6 APPLICATION AND PROJECT

The above answers are summarized from the guidance documentation for ease of reference. For more details, including the guidance document, Royce grants claims guide, ICP6 award letter conditions, ICP6 gantt template, the link to the application portal (flexigrant application portal), to watch the ICP6 briefing webinar and see the briefing slides, visit www.royce.ac.uk/industrial-collaboration-programme/icp6/

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