ATI funding: a business guide

Flying has increased in popularity since COVID-19 to the extent that between April and June 2025, the UK saw record numbers of passengers pass through its airports. As a result, the UK’s aviation sector is thriving and plays a vital role in the UK’s economy. 

The Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) aims to maintain and accelerate this growth while making the sector more sustainable. It offers grant programmes aimed at delivering clean growth for the UK aerospace sector in line with the Destination Zero strategy.

The ATI has been instrumental in supporting aviation giants like Boeing and Airbus through targeted funding. It has now created a separate stream of grant funding for SMEs, providing tailored direct support to businesses embarking on innovative and high impact projects. 

Let’s look at the latest ATI funding programmes and the opportunities for aerospace businesses across the supply chain.

What is ATI funding?

ATI funding is a series of programmes aimed at supporting businesses in developing technology to make the aerospace sector more sustainable. All applications must demonstrate close alignment with its Destination Zero strategy. 

The latest funding programmes are as follows:

ATI SME Programme

Specifically tailored to support SMEs in the supply chain to develop innovative technology in line with the ATI’s strategy. Total grant funding requests must not exceed £1.5 million. It is available to SMEs within a consortium as well as individual SME businesses.

Projects must be between 12 and 36 months in duration and focus on innovation in three technologies: 

• zero-carbon emission aircraft 
• ultra-efficient aircraft 
• cross-cutting enabling 

The ATI SME Programme is designed to ensure that businesses in the wider supply chain can benefit too, as well as encouraging further investment in the aerospace sector overall.
For more information, visit the ATI SME Programme page.

ATI Strategic Programme

The institute’s flagship programme focuses on supporting technology R&D that delivers clean growth to the sector. It is a two-stage application process with an Expression of Interest before a Full Stage Application.
For more information, visit the ATI Strategic Programme application support page.

ATI Non-CO2 Programme

This programme is focussed on reducing aircraft non-CO2 emissions and in turn minimising their impact on the environment. All applications need to align with the Non-CO2 Technologies Roadmap.
For more information, visit the ATI Non-CO2 Programme page.

What businesses are eligible for ATI Funding? Who can apply

Each ATI funding programme has different rules around the types of organisation that can apply and the relationship between them.

The ATI encourages collaboration between organisations and, as such, some programmes will be available to a lead organisation and project team. It’s important to check the requirements for both of these before applying.

There is some commonality across all funds which requires you to:

• Be a registered organisation in the UK
• Carry out your aerospace research project work in the UK
• Intend to exploit the results from or in the UK

Note: Organisations that are in financial difficulty will not be awarded grant funds. Innovate UK will conduct financial viability and eligibility tests at the application stage.

How to apply

Applying for ATI funding can be complicated and time-consuming. Often the Expression of Interest or Outline stage (in the case of the SME programme) of the application is more in depth than organisations expect. ForrestBrown experts can support your organisation in the application process across the outline and full stage applications. You can see a full breakdown of competition deadlines here.

How do I make an application to an ATI programme?

ForrestBrown’s experienced grants team, led by Karim Budabuss, can support you at both stages of an ATI funding application. The grant advisory team combines technical and financial expertise. 

Our team is on hand to help you through every step of the funding process. We start with a workshop to assess your project or projects’ feasibility, then support you through the application process and beyond.