This listing outlines Analysis for Innovators (A4I), a programme open to UK-registered small and medium-sized enterprises that connects businesses with leading measurement scientists, specialist facilities, and technical expertise to solve measurement and analysis challenges. The latest round opens on 15 September 2026 and closes on 6 October 2026 at 10:00.
Programme Overview
• Purpose: A4I is designed to help businesses overcome challenging measurement and analysis problems that are holding back innovation, productivity, and growth.
• Model: The programme connects SMEs with leading measurement scientists, specialist facilities, and technical expertise from across the UK’s national measurement and innovation infrastructure.
• Approach: Through collaborative research projects, participating businesses can access support that would otherwise be difficult to obtain, helping them address complex technical challenges and accelerate commercial innovation.
• Key benefits: The programme provides access to world-class expertise and facilities to help businesses improve products, services, and processes, reduce costs, demonstrate compliance, and reach new markets.
Registration Details
• Opens: 15/09/2026
• Closes: 06/10/2026 10:00
• Opportunity Type: Funding, Other, Training and resources
• Location: East Midlands, East of England, London and the South East, North East (England), North West (England), Northern Ireland, Scotland, South West (England), Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire and The Humber
• Award: Successful Stage 1 applicants will be invited to submit a Stage 2 project proposal, with total project costs between £15,000 and £100,000. Up to 70% of the costs of the project will be provided through free access to the measurement expertise and world-leading facilities of the programme partners (funded by A4I), with the remaining proportion contributed in-kind by the industrial applicant.
• Sector: Chemistry, Electronics, Energy, Geospatial, Health, Industrial Maths, Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Materials, Photonics, Quantum, Robotics & AI, Security & Defence, Sensors, Space, Transport, Water
Supporting UK Innovation Through Measurement Expertise
Analysis for Innovators helps companies to:
• improve reliability of products, services and processes
• improve performance of existing products
• improve manufacturing output
• reduce rejection rates and associated costs
• demonstrate compliance with standards and specifications
• access new markets
Through the programme, SMEs gain access to cutting-edge facilities, expert scientific knowledge, and specialist research capability that can help unlock innovation and tackle technical challenges that cannot easily be solved using off-the-shelf approaches.
Who Can Apply
• Eligibility: A4I is open to UK-registered SMEs only; company size category definitions are available via the programme link.
• Application limit: A business may make only one application to this competition round.
• Minimal Financial Assistance: Funding from this competition will be subject to Minimal Financial Assistance limits; applicants become ineligible if they exceed this limit.
• Declaration: A completed declaration must be submitted as part of the Stage 2 application.
Eligible Projects and Costs
• Collaborative research: Successful applicants will undertake a collaborative research project involving expert measurement scientists and cutting-edge facilities provided by the UK National Measurement Institutes.
• Duration: Projects must be between 3 and 9 months in duration.
• Value: Projects must be between £15,000 and £100,000 in value.
• SME contribution: SMEs will be required to provide 30% of the project costs via an in-kind contribution; the remainder will be funded by A4I programme support for the programme partners.
Programme Partners
Together, the programme partners run some of the most advanced facilities, techniques, and technologies available in the world. A4I matches the best UK measurement scientists and facilities with companies that have analysis or measurement problems.
The programme partners are:
• The National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
• The National Measurement Laboratory (NML) at LGC
• The National Gear Metrology Laboratory (NGML) at Newcastle University (NCL)
• TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory (NEL)
• The National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
Possible partners highlighted in the listing include:
• Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
• National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
• The National Gear Metrology Laboratory (NGML) at Newcastle University (NCL)
• The National Measurement Laboratory (NML) at LGC
• TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory
Application Process and Brokerage
• Stage 1: This is an initial expression of interest and asks companies to explain their measurement challenge in simple terms. At Stage 1, applicants are not required to propose solutions, project plans, or budgets. If successful, these details will be worked on with an A4I programme partner and submitted at Stage 2.
• Stage 1 review: Applications are reviewed by scientific experts from the programme partners to assess whether the partner could have the right expertise to help with the challenge, and to ensure that the problem cannot be solved by routine measurements that are commercially available.
• Brokerage: All eligible applications deemed in scope at Stage 1 move forward to Brokerage meetings, which are confidential discussions between the applicant and at least one of the partners. They provide an opportunity to explain the challenge in more detail and focus on potential approaches. Each applicant may meet more than one partner if more than one partner is identified as having relevant expertise. These meetings will take place 4–18 November 2026.
• Match-making: After Brokerage, both the company and the partners are asked whether, having spoken in depth, they believe there is a viable project opportunity and would like to proceed. A match-making process then determines which applications will be taken forward to Stage 2, and with which partner.
• Stage 2: This asks for full project proposals, including budgets and plans for the work activities and a route for exploitation of the outputs. These are developed collaboratively between the company and project partner.
• Stage 2 assessment: Proposals are assessed by independent external reviewers and scored according to strict criteria to produce a ranked list, from which the funding line can be drawn.
• Competitive process: The programme has a funding limit, so it is possible that some Stage 2 proposals will not be successful even if they score highly. The highest-ranked proposals above the funding line will be accepted and should start by 1 April 2027, once project contracts are in place.
• Successful Stage 2 projects will start in April 2027 and can cost up to £100,000.
Briefing and Support
• Webinar: NPL (National Physical Laboratory) will hold a webinar for potential applicants on Tuesday 22 September at 2.30pm; registration is available through the provided link.
• Guidance: The guide for applicants is available to download.
• Contact: If you experience any technical difficulties whilst using the application form, or have any questions regarding the programme or this Stage 1 Call, please contact CompetitionsOffice@npl.co.uk.
This A4I round offers UK SMEs a structured route to access national measurement expertise and advanced facilities through a competitive selection process. Interested businesses should review eligibility and registration requirements carefully before submitting a Stage 1 expression of interest by the stated deadline.