UK launches three AI competitions for SMEs

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, has launched three GBP5 million AI competitions, to help catalyse AI-driven economic growth. 

These opportunities – which include grants of GBP100,00-200,000 – were published on the UK Government’s Innovation Funding Service website on 13 October, as part of the first phase of the ‘BridgeAI Deployment Catalyst Programme’. 

The programme is designed to help UK-based SMEs across seven key sectors of the UK economy, including defence, move their AI and machine learning technologies beyond pilots and into live operational use, the UK Government says. 

Spanning three phases, the programme is expected to have up to GBP52 million available, with GBP5 million earmarked for each competition under phase one. The three competitions under phase one include: 

• AI for assurance and compliance systems 

• AI for decision critical systems 

• AI for operational systems 

The assurance and compliance competition is particularly concerned with solutions that can “monitor, test, verify, validate or evidence compliance” with regulations and processes. 

Meanwhile, the decision competition is intended to deliver capabilities that “help people make consequential judgements, recommendations or decisions”.  

While the operational systems competition regards the integration of workflows, processes and software to help deliver coordinated activity. 

As part of their applications, Innovate UK says companies must demonstrate how their solutions are novel in their particular context, and explain any potential deployment or integration obstacles. 

BridgeAI competition entry requirements 

For each of the competitions, applicants must form a consortium of two to three organisations, the government says. 

Companies are required to have existing AI solutions at technology readiness level five or six.  

This means that their components must have at least been tested in a relevant environment and may have been taken forward to the prototype stage. 

Furthermore, grant funding must be primarily spent in the UK, with project work also carried out in the country, as part of efforts to ensure that domestic sectors retain the value of the project. 

The deadline for applications under each of the competitions is 8 December, with applicants notified of outcomes in February 2027.