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