In the dynamic landscape of life sciences, innovation is the heartbeat that drives progress. From groundbreaking drug formulations to cutting-edge medical devices, businesses in this sector play a pivotal role in advancing healthcare and improving lives.
But what if there were a way to supercharge these efforts, providing a financial boost to fuel growth and increase resilience?
Enter the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF), a government initiative aimed at doing just that. Learning the lessons of COVID-19, this funding opportunity seeks to address supply chain weaknesses within the UK life sciences sector by providing support to fast-track capital investment in manufacturing facilities.
What is the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF)?
The LSIMF is part of the Global Britain Investment Fund and makes £520 million available for life sciences manufacturing over five years (2025-2030). The funding aims to build resilience for future health emergencies and capitalise on the UK’s world-leading research and development capabilities.
What projects are eligible for the LSIMF?
Life science manufacturers operating in the following fields are eligible to apply for funding from the LSIMF:
- Human medicines, including the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and finished products. The fund is open to applications across the breadth of Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRCA) licenced medicines for human use.
- Medical diagnostics for both disease identification and monitoring in human health.
- MedTech products, including all types of medical devices related to human health.
Full details are not yet available for the latest phase of the LSIMF, but it’s expected that the total value of eligible projects will be in excess of £10 million, with a grant intervention rate of somewhere between 20% and 30%. Project durations could span 12-36 months as a guide.
Find out more about claiming Patent Box relief for medical devices.
What are the fund’s objectives?
The LSIMF will prioritise applicants based on their alignment with the fund’s objectives:
- Creating economic opportunity through investments that will provide high-wage, high-skilled jobs.
- Deploying cutting-edge innovations (at both pilot and commercial scale) which can be embedded in either the product itself or the manufacturing process.
- Increasing health resilience, either through increased domestic capacity or by providing flexible capabilities that can be redeployed in some way in a future health emergency.
- Minimising the environmental impact, which might include a reduction in input resources or using alternative input materials to become more sustainable or support the government’s net zero target.
What sort of projects were supported in previous rounds?
Outcomes of previous rounds of the LSIMF included funding for the following projects:
- £75 million to grow the manufacture of innovative medicines for neurological conditions, creating 39 jobs in North Wales and safeguarding a further 37.
- £151 million to increase production capacity for critical gene therapy and vaccine components at a facility in Liverpool, creating 174 jobs and safeguarding a further 156.
- £14 million to create 17 jobs and protect a further 6 in London by establishing commercial scale manufacture of DNA.
- £36 million to modernise the manufacture of antibodies for diagnostic testing in a new facility in Northern Ireland, creating 90 new jobs.
When can I apply to the LSIMF?
The LSIMF is open for expressions of interest applications on a rolling basis.
Applications will undergo assessment in quarterly rounds until all the funding has been allocated:
- Round 1 – applications were open from 30 October 2024 to 29 November 2024;
- Round 2 – applications were open from 1 February 2025 to 28 February 2025;
- Round 3 – applications were open from 1 May 2025 to 30 May 2025;
- Round 4 – applications were open from 1 August 2025 to 12 September 2025;
- Round 5 – applications were open from 3 November 2025 to 28 November 2025; and
- Round 6 – applications were open from 2 February 2026 to 27 February 2026.
- Round 7 – open for applications from 1 May 2026 to 29 May 2026.
- Round 8 – open for applications to 14 August 2026.
Eligibility is predominantly capital expenditure projects with a total cost of at least £8 million. Applicants are required to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) with a summary of the project, which will be used to assess eligibility.
Life Sciences Transformational R&D Investment Fund (TRIF) Pilot
The UK government has launched the Life Sciences Transformational R&D Investment Fund (TRIF) Pilot. The £50 million capital grant opportunity for large-scale R&D projects in the sector complements the LSIMF.
Read our article to find out all you need to know about the Life Sciences Transformational R&D Investment Fund (TRIF) Pilot and the support our experienced grants team offer.
