Northern Ireland businesses can access grants of up to £20,000, with applications closing at noon on 4th September

Applications are now open for the latest round of Invest Northern Ireland’s Business Innovation Grant (BIG), offering financial support to help sole traders, micro-businesses and SMEs develop and commercialise innovative products, services and processes.

The programme provides grants of between £5,000 and £20,000, covering up to 70% of eligible project costs. Businesses must contribute the remaining 30%. Alongside funding, successful applicants will enter the Innovate NI programme, receiving advice and guidance to help progress their project through the innovation framework. Applications close at 12 noon on Friday 4th September 2026.

BIG is intended to make innovation more accessible to smaller businesses, for which the cost and commercial risk of developing a new idea can often be prohibitive. Since the programme launched in November 2024, Invest NI has offered £2.3m in support to 160 businesses planning combined investment of £3.6m.

Funding can support a broad range of innovation and commercialisation activities, including:

  • Market research and validation
  • Development and testing of a minimum viable product
  • Product, service or process design and validation
  • Market-entry planning and strategy
  • Consultancy or subcontracted product development
  • Establishing manufacturing and supply chains outside Northern Ireland
  • Market-development visits, trade fairs and exhibitions outside Northern Ireland
  • Product launches and demonstrations

Who is eligible?

To apply, a business must:

  • Be based in Northern Ireland
  • Operate outside primary agriculture, forestry, logging, fisheries and aquaculture
  • Not currently be an Invest NI client or have received Invest NI grant support during the past five years, subject to specified exceptions
  • Have a qualifying innovation project

Innovate NI defines innovation as the development and implementation of a new or improved product, service, model or process which is novel or significantly different and will either be brought to market or introduced within the business to create value.

Businesses should not assume that innovation must involve advanced technology or an entirely new invention. A substantially improved service, internal process or business model may qualify where it is meaningfully different and can deliver identifiable commercial value.

Derry Chamber encourages eligible members with a credible project to review the guidance promptly and allow sufficient time to complete the application. Businesses must begin by using Innovate NI’s online eligibility checker, which will provide qualifying applicants with instructions on submitting a full application.

Check your eligibility and apply for the Business Innovation Grant.