Description

The Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund (CKAF) Spring supports eligible government research and public sector bodies to unlock the commercial potential of existing knowledge assets (KAs). It provides grant funding to develop a pre-existing, identifiable knowledge asset toward a viable commercial market. The ambition is to move these assets closer to commercial readiness, including market understanding, commercial strategy and IP positioning.

Funding Amount

• Per project: Grant funding requests must be between £50,000 and £250,000. Projects may request up to 100% of eligible costs.
• Project duration must fall within the approved periods (6, 12 or 18 months) with specific spending profiles.

Submission deadlines

• Competition opens: 17 December 2025.
• Competition closes: 7 May 2026 at 11:00 am UK time.
• Panel assessment/interview dates: 7–9 July 2026 (online interviews for shortlisted applications).
• Applicants notified: around mid-July 2026.
• Earliest project start: 1 September 2026.

Submission conditions

Applicants must:

• submit complete proposals through the Innovation Funding Service;
• ensure all eligibility, financial and subsidy provisions are met;
• base their applications on a pre-existing Knowledge Asset and demonstrate ownership or rights to that asset;
• show evidence of organisational support and letter(s) of support as required by guidance;
• attend an interview if shortlisted as part of assessment.
• Projects may include subcontractors, but these must be justified and managed appropriately.

Eligible types of organisations

To lead a project, the organisation must be:

• a UK-registered Public Sector Research Establishment (PRSE) or similar eligible public body undertaking research as a primary function;
• this includes UKRI wholly owned institutes and other public sector bodies that meet eligibility criteria and hold the Knowledge Asset intended for commercialisation.

Eligible organisations must not act in a way that confers selective commercial economic advantage under subsidy control rules.

Eligible applicants do not include standard universities, private companies or purely commercial entities without qualifying status under the eligibility rules.