We’re on hand to explore grant opportunities for your business.
Grant advisory and application support
A strategic approach to grant funding
Funding for innovation is increasingly in demand, with investment needed to tackle some of society’s biggest challenges, from energy security to net zero. Grant funding can help to support longer term, high-risk R&D.
We work with you to identify, assess and manage applications for government grants to support the delivery of your latest project or transformation of your business. Once you have your grant offer in principle, we can also assist with the due diligence process.
Alongside our expertise in incentives including R&D tax relief, Patent Box and capital allowances, our grant advisory service ensures you're making the most of opportunities across the full innovation toolkit.
Our recent grant work
~£
0.5
m
SBRI: Clinical biomarker tools
~£
1
m
UK Switzerland Collaboration
£
1.5
m
SBRI: Quantum Computing testbed in the NQCC
£
500
k
Bio-medical Catalyst
£
2.5
m
Future Farming: Mid-stage R&D
£
500
k
Semi-conductors manufacturing
Due diligence
~£
3
m
Automotive Transformation Fund
Latest grant funding opportunities
Our experts are constantly scanning the grants landscape for relevant opportunities to help transform the businesses we work with…
LIVE: National Space Innovation Programme – Call 2 (expression of interest)
- Focus:
- Space
- TRL focus:
- TRL 1-4 (kick starter proposals); 5-9 (major project proposals)
- Deadline:
- 23 April 2025
- Budget:
- £17m
LIVE: Innovate UK innovation loans future economy (round 20)
- Focus:
- SMEs
- TRL focus:
- TRL 5+
- Deadline:
- 7 May 2025
- Budget:
- £25m
LIVE: Contracts for Innovation: READ-OUT digital cognitive dementia assessments
- Focus:
- Cognitive dementia
- TRL focus:
- TRL 7+
- Deadline:
- 14 May 2025
- Budget:
- £1.2m
LIVE: Developing semiconductor hardware for critical technologies
- Focus:
- Semiconductor
- TRL focus:
- TRL 4+
- Deadline:
- 29 May 2025
- Budget:
- £5m
LIVE: Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund
- Focus:
- Life sciences manufacturing
- TRL focus:
- TRL 7+
- Deadline:
- 30 May 2025 (open on a rolling basis)
- Budget:
- £520m
LIVE: Automotive Transformation Fund (expression of interest)
- Focus:
- Automotive
- TRL focus:
- TRL 4+
- Deadline:
- TBC (open on a rolling basis)
- Budget:
- £850m
Our grant advisory service
We provide support for a range of grants, be they offered by national or regional government, Innovate UK or Horizon Europe.
Whatever the source, we can help with:
Defined grants (also known as accelerated tax deductions), which apply to prescribed investments and are likely to be government-backed. They are often challenge-led, and usually competitive.
Negotiated grants are less common than defined grants and are designed with employment creation or capital investment in mind.
Location grants are often available to businesses locating to a new region or country. Our location strategy consultancy can help negotiate them as part of our wider location strategy service, where we define the project, evaluate locations based on agreed success criteria, visit shortlisted locations and perform due diligence on finalist locations prior to recommendations.
In addition to supporting the grant application process, ForrestBrown can also assist with post-offer in principle grant due diligence.
Read about the changing grants landscape and view the latest grant funding opportunities.
How can I determine eligibility for grant funding?
Determining eligibility for grant funding is a critical component of your likely success. In general, if you answer ‘yes’ to any of the following questions, it’s worth speaking to us about your options:
- Are you operating in a critical industry such as life science, agritech, net zero, quantum computing, semiconductors or developing AI applications?
- Are you planning significant capital expenditure in a future project?
- Do you plan to increase your UK headcount?
- Do you plan to safeguard UK jobs that would otherwise be lost?
- Are you undertaking business improvements?
How to identify and secure grant funding with ForrestBrown
Our two-phase process goes beyond simply writing bids. We give you access to the latest intelligence and strategic advice on grant funding that best fits your business objectives before we even start an application. And we continuously scan the horizon for new opportunities.
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1
Understanding your objectives
We work with you to understand the challenges and opportunities for your business, reviewing your existing technology portfolio, R&D ambitions and future investment plans. Through workshops or structured interviews with your team, we build a brief to inform our continuous grant scanning service, alerting you when opportunities match your requirements.
Are you aware of all grant opportunities available to you? Our team is constantly horizon-scanning to ensure we have a comprehensive picture of the grant funding landscape.
-
2
Assessing feasibility
Should a specific grant opportunity be identified, we undertake a project incentive viability analysis to inform your decision on whether to proceed with an application. We explore counter-factual scenarios, analyse the strength of competition and make a recommendation on whether to proceed with an application based on the likelihood of success and potential value of funding.
Do you have clear decision-making criteria in place to inform whether you proceed with an application? Are you aware of how your project compares to potential competitors?
-
3
Preparing your application
Provided the conclusion to the feasibility step is positive, we then proceed by preparing and supporting a formal submission. We ensure your application meets the appraisal criteria and clearly demonstrates the need for the level of grant sought.
Do you know how funding decisions will be made? We regularly work with grant-making bodies and can advise on the level of investment to request, and the evidence required to support this.
-
4
Negotiating on your behalf
Our work is not done when an application is submitted. Our team are on hand to support your meetings with the awarding body, attending with you or preparing your team to answer questions on all aspects of your application.
Is your team experienced in negotiating with awarding bodies? We can brief you on dos and don’ts, or support your correspondence and meetings to agree a positive outcome.
-
5
Managing compliance
Once a grant offer has been made, we’ll review the terms to ensure you’re aware of any strings attached, including measurement and reporting requirements.
Would you value an expert review of your grant offer before you commit? Our team will identify any unusual or onerous conditions you need to consider.
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Proven success
Grant Nash, Chief Financial Officer, IXICO
ForrestBrown supported us in prioritising the information we needed to provide and then took responsibility for completing the application. The team took on the heavy lifting allowing us to take a more review-based role, saving us time and effort.
Get the latest grant opportunities direct to your inbox
Keeping up to date with the latest grants available can be challenging. Sign up for our regular email newsletter, Grant Scan, for a snapshot of the best opportunities across the grants landscape.
Our grant advisory team
Led by Karim Budabuss, our team of grant advisory experts has extensive experience advising clients on accessing grant funding in the UK.
We specialize in securing funding for innovative technical solutions which help to achieve business objectives while aligning with priorities for government grant provision.
Karim previously led decarbonisation grant advisory for a Big Four firm and brings in-depth knowledge of grants to supplement ForrestBrown’s track record of excellence across the wider innovation toolkit.
Drawing on award-winning tax expertise and industry-experienced sector specialists, we can assemble a team tailored to meet your requirements.
How much does grant advisory support cost?
- Our fees typically consist of a fixed fee for step one, with a contingent fee for steps two to five calculated as a percentage of the grant offered.
- The contingent element is payable on confirmation of the grant application outcome.
Grants and R&D tax relief
As the UK’s leading innovation incentives adviser, we’re experienced in advising clients on how grant funding interacts with R&D tax relief.
To find out more, read our article explaining how grants and R&D tax relief can work together.
Our latest grant insights
Access grant funding to power your innovation
Our team takes a strategic approach to grant funding. From matching you with the right opportunity to managing compliance once funding is secured, we help you manage every stage of a successful grant application.
- Telephone
- 0117 9269022
- hello@forrestbrown.co.uk