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ClosedUpdated 9 Jun 2026Mixed

Contracts for Innovation: industrial human relevant drug models

Innovate UK · United Kingdom. Majority of project work must be carried out in the UK.

Funding to develop and commercialise non animal methods for assessing pre clinical pharmacokinetics and cardiovascular safety of new medicines. Delivered under the Innovate UK AIM programme in partnership with NC3Rs.

Summary

Deadline

15 Apr 2026

Complexity

Medium

Time to apply

20-60 hours

Updated

9 Jun 2026

Funding to develop and commercialise non animal methods for assessing pre clinical pharmacokinetics and cardiovascular safety of new medicines. Delivered under the Innovate UK AIM programme in partnership with NC3Rs.

Eligibility

Applicant types

Not specified

Business size

SME, Large

Industries

Drug discovery, pharmacokinetics, cardiovascular safety, in vitro and in silico modelling technologies

Match funding

Needs verification

Requirements

Organisation of any size. Includes organisations based in the EU, EEA or internationally. Single legal entity only. Duplicate record — same as Contracts for Innovation: industrial human relevant drug models; single legal entity lead. Development of new or improved non animal approaches for PK and cardiovascular safety studies. Must support reduction targets in animal use by 2030. Must demonstra...

Eligible applicants

Organisation of any size. Includes organisations based in the EU, EEA or internationally. Single legal entity only.

Funding and scope

Benefit amount

Up to £200,000 inclusive of VAT per project

Total fund available

£2,000,000 (inclusive of VAT)

Funding intensity

Not specified

Payment type

Reimbursement (in arrears)

Eligible scope

Development of new or improved non animal approaches for PK and cardiovascular safety studies. Must support reduction targets in animal use by 2030. Must demonstrate feasibility and groundwork for Phase 2.

Eligible expenses

  • Eligible project costs up to £200,000 inclusive of VAT. Overheads permitted. Costs must reflect fair market value and exclude profit.

Ineligible costs

  • Costs outside CfI industrial human relevant drug models scope.

Application and risks

Application platform

Innovation Funding Service

Competitiveness

Closed / Not accepting applications

Decision timeline

Not specified

Assessment process

Reviewed by three independent assessors. All scores count toward funding decision. Portfolio approach applied.

Application sections

  • Project details. Application questions. Finances. Project Impact.

Application components

Not specified

Decision risks

High volume of applications expected. Maximum of 12 contracts expected. Portfolio approach may limit awards. Outstanding payments to Innovate UK may influence decision.

Timeline and partners

Opening date

Not specified

Project duration

Six to nine months

Project start

30 Jun 2026

Project end

30 Mar 2027

Co-funders

Not specified

Collaboration rules

  • Applicant may use subcontractors for specialist skills. Majority of work and key deliverables must be completed by the applicant.

Consortium requirements

  • Contracts awarded to single legal entity; subcontractors as permitted in IFS guidance.

Additional guidance

[{"label":"Delivery Partner","value":"National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research"},{"label":"Research Category","value":"Phase 1 technical feasibility study"},{"label":"Phase Structure","value":"Two phase competition. Contracts awarded only for Phase 1. Only successful Phase 1 applicants invited to apply for Phase 2."},{"label":"Future Phase Funding","value":"Up to £6,000,000 inclusive of VAT expected for Phase 2. Phase 2 contracts up to £1,500,000 inclusive of VAT."},{"label":"Specific Themes","value":"Pharmacokinetic studies. Cardiovascular safety."},{"label":"R&D Requirement","value":"At least 50 percent of contract value must be directly attributed to R&D services."},{"label":"Ineligible R&D Activities","value":"Quantity production. Commercial supply to recover R&D costs. Incremental adaptations of existing products."},{"label":"VAT Rules","value":"VAT status must be declared. Total eligible project costs inclusive of VAT must not exceed £200,000. VAT is responsibility of invoicing business."},{"label":"Payment Structure","value":"Monthly payments in arrears against completed milestones. No advance payments. Invoices must be submitted within 30 days of each monitoring period."},{"label":"Intellectual Property","value":"Applicant retains foreground and background IP. Must grant certain royalty free licences to the funder."},{"label":"Route to Market Requirement","value":"Must demonstrate credible commercialisation plan and route to market. Must intend to exploit outputs in the UK."},{"label":"Government Targets Alignment","value":"Must contribute to reduction of more than 35 percent of dedicated PK studies using dogs or NHPs and more than 50 percent reduction in cardiovascular safety studies using dogs or NHPs by 2030."},{"label":"Appendices Allowed","value":"Technical appendix PDF up to two A4 pages. Project plan or Gantt chart PDF up to two A4 pages. Optional cost appendix spreadsheet PDF."},{"label":"Subsidy Control","value":"Not subject to subsidy control. Procurement under the Procurement Act 2023 R&D exemption."},{"label":"Contract Rules","value":"Draft contract terms are non negotiable. Project must not start before contract approval. Failure to complete project setup within 30 days may result in withdrawal."},{"label":"Renewal Rules","value":"Only Phase 1 successful applicants may apply to Phase 2. Phase 2 funding not guaranteed."},{"label":"Important Notes","value":"Competition subject to sufficient high quality applications. Funding allocations may be adjusted. Funding may be withdrawn under exceptional circumstances. Adoption of solution subject to separate procurement exercise."}]

Quick facts

Status
Closed
Deadline
15 Apr 2026
Funding amount
Up to £200,000 inclusive of VAT per project
Funding band
Small (£50k-£500k)
Funding type
Procurement contract
Payment type
Reimbursement (in arrears)
Audience
Mixed
Industry
Drug discovery, pharmacokinetics, cardiovascular safety, in vitro and in silico modelling technologies
Last updated
9 Jun 2026
Published
Not specified