Making innovation grant funding more accessible
Innovation funding can help you develop, prove and commercialise new technology without giving away equity. But, you need the right opportunity, a credible project, strong commercial evidence and a compelling case for why public funding should support what happens next.
We empower technology founders to find relevant funding, shape stronger projects and build competitive applications.
Applying for a grant? Join a Grant Funding Sprint.
Our Grant Funding Sprints are small, competition-specific cohorts designed to help you build a stronger application before the deadline.
You don’t hand your application over to a consultant. You build it with expert guidance, practical frameworks, peer momentum and assessor-level challenge.
Grant Funding Sprint
4 days over 2 weeks · 6–10 companies · Expert-led
A comprehensive course for companies planning to apply for UK grant funding. Bring a real, or an example, application along: this is a hands on course.
Over the Sprint, we’ll help you understand what the funder is really asking for, shape a stronger project and commercial case, and develop the evidence and narrative needed to support your application. We’ll show you how to use AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT to speed up research, structure and drafting, without producing generic, repetitive applications that are difficult for assessors to follow.
Should you actually apply? We start with eligibility, scope, competition fit and whether your proposed project aligns strongly enough with the funder’s objectives.
You’ll identify any major gaps before investing significant time in an application.
Develop the foundations of the application:
- the problem and opportunity
- innovation
- market need
- project rationale
- commercial opportunity
- intended outcomes
- additionality
- why this project, why now
Work through your example application using our templates, prompts and frameworks.
Use AI where it helps, without outsourcing the thinking that makes the application credible and authentic.
Bring your emerging application into a live working 45 to 60 minute 1:1 session. This helps to maintain confidentiality at a key stage of the writing process. We’ll challenge:
- commercial evidence
- project logic
- customer need
- risks
- route to market
- project structure
- value for money
- what the funder still needs to believe
Use the feedback to strengthen your application and close remaining evidence gaps.
We’ll review the application through an assessor lens and identify the weaknesses, inconsistencies and highest-priority improvements. You’ll receive comments and priorities to focus on, rather than rewrites or content creation. This will be booked in at the start of the sprint to ensure we have time to assess everyone’s application.
- a stronger project proposition
- clearer alignment with the competition
- a more credible commercial case
- practical application templates and tools
- expert feedback throughout development
- an assessor-style final review
- access to Grant Funding Fundamentals (worth £95)
Specialist Grant Funding Sprints
£649 + VAT per seat
Based on upcoming and live grant funding competitions, these specialist Sprints are tailor-made to the requirements of each fund.
- Engineering Biology Collaborative R&D
- National Materials Innovation Programme: collaborative research and development
- Engineering Biology Investor Partnership
- Small medium enterprise champions: frontier AI phase one
- Growth Cohorts: Next generation low carbon concrete cohort entry
Need more support with your application?
Sometimes a Sprint or training isn’t enough. For strategically important applications, we provide more hands-on support.
An expert review of the overall case, evidence, narrative and individual responses before submission.
Book a Grant Review →Structured 1:1 guidance, 2 x 4-hour workshops and a grant review are included.
Book Grant Coaching →For complex or strategically important applications where additional delivery capacity is genuinely needed, we can work more deeply with your team on grant development and writing.
Talk to us about Grant Writing → Learn more about Commercial Work Packages →Build your strategic grant funding capability
You don’t need to outsource every grant application. Our training helps founders and innovation teams understand how funders think, build stronger projects and approach grant funding more strategically.
To help you identify any gaps in your grant funding project idea that you need to address.
Canvas: coming soonOur practical online course covers the foundations of innovation grant funding and application development.
Explore Grant Funding Fundamentals →Live sessions focused on the practical challenges of grant funding from understanding Innovate UK to best use of AI in the writing process.
Join the waitlistTraining, workshops, clinics and application support for accelerators, universities, investors and founder programmes.
Explore programme support →In their words
“We’ve partnered with Sharp Insights, who have helped LeafyColl secure over £400k in grant funding across multiple projects. They provide advice on grant strategy and project scoping, as well as ensuring we have a strong commercial case underpinning our grant applications. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with them as we commercialise our technology.”
“I found the tips in the Grant Funding Fundamentals online course and workshops to be incredibly practical. The guidance was immediately applicable, helping me feel far more prepared to build a grant strategy. I highly recommend this workshop to anyone looking to strengthen their approach to grant writing and boost their confidence in navigating funding applications.”
Looking for funding? Start here.
Know which competition you’re applying for? Join the relevant Grant Funding Sprint. Need more hands-on application support? Talk to us about coaching, review or writing.
Book a 30-minute call →