Research commercialisation - Proof of Concept Fund 2026-2027: guidance

Eligible project costs

What the fund will support

The fund will support activities to:

• further develop research toward user/market readiness
• develop commercialisation plans to reach users/markets

Projects will be funded at 100% full economic cost (FEC).

There is not an exhaustive list of activities that will be covered by the funding. Applicants should explicitly state the detailed activities the funding will cover in the application form.

Example activities which the fund will cover include:

• development of prototypes
• product, process and service design
• market exploration
• user testing and feedback
• developing routes to markets, users or audiences
• development of the business model including future financial sustainability
• developing product, process or service value chains including scale up requirements
• developing understanding of market, user or audience segmentation and positioning
• developing intellectual property strategy
• establishing or demonstrating freedom to operate
• developing regulatory or standards requirement needed to reach users and audiences
• validation studies
• prototype demonstration
• ‘technical’ and real-world concept optimisation

Resources to access specialised expertise or to subcontract elements of the project are an eligible cost. Examples include legal requirements, expert business advice and investor input, support with regulatory requirements or standards. These costs will need to be justified in your application. If external support is required, the contractual obligations around IP must be agreed and made clear in the application process.

What the fund will not support

This fund cannot to be used to support the following activities:

• fundamental or curiosity-driven research
• discovery research
• public engagement activities
• the filing of intellectual property (for example, patent, trademark, registered design)
• generic conference attendance
• publication costs