Business Innovation Grant (BIG)

AMOUNT

£5,000–£20,000 per grant, covering 70% of eligible project costs.

DEADLINE

Current round closes 12 noon, Friday 4 September 2026. Multiple rounds run per year; check the site for future cycles.

DEADLINE

Current round closes 12 noon, Friday 4 September 2026. Multiple rounds run per year; check the site for future cycles.

FUNDING TYPE

Grant

FUNDING TYPE

Grant

CAN YOU GET THIS?

You must be a Northern Ireland-based business with a genuine innovation project, not currently an Invest NI client.

Eligible businesses include sole traders, micro-businesses, and SMEs operating in any sector except primary agriculture, forestry, logging, fisheries, or aquaculture. You cannot have received Invest NI grant support in the last 5 years (with limited exceptions like Innovation Vouchers or Covid-19 support).

YOUR REAL ODDS

Competitiveness is unclear from public data, but the programme runs multiple rounds per year, giving multiple shots at funding.

The grant covers 70% of eligible costs, so you must demonstrate you can fund the remaining 30%. Having a clearly defined innovation project with a credible path to market will strengthen your application.

WHAT IT TAKES

Complete the online eligibility checker on the Innovate NI site — 15–30 minutes
Prepare your innovation project details, including how it meets Innovate NI's definition of innovation and your commercialisation plan — Several days
Submit your full application before the noon deadline — 1–2 hours to finalise and submit

WORTH KNOWING

Successful applicants join the Innovate NI programme and receive ongoing advice and guidance across the innovation framework — so this grant offers structured support beyond just the cash.

Apply on the funder’s site →

Freed Fellowship

$500 grant monthly; winners also eligible for a $2,500 year-end grant.

Any US small business owner can apply for a $500 monthly grant with no equity or repayment required.

Texas Job Creators Quest Grant

$100,000 total pool distributed across ~30 recipients; individual awards have ranged from $1,500 to $10,000.

Texas-based small businesses led by underrepresented founders with $100K–$3M in annual revenue can apply for this grant.

BELLE Capital USA Grant

Grant amount varies; no specific figures disclosed.

Early-stage startups in tech, health, or cleantech with at least one female founder or female C-suite executive.

This is 1 of 1,600+ open opportunities.

$50B+ in available capital across grants, VC funds, CDFIs, and accelerators. Filter by your industry, stage, and region, and see everything you qualify for.

Explore the funding database →

$19/month · cancel anytime