Innovate UK is launching a new cyber security competition aimed at strengthening the protection of the UK’s most critical services by bringing together innovative cyber suppliers and organisations operating across Critical National Infrastructure.
The Contracts for Innovation: Cyber Scale in Critical Sectors programme introduces two closely linked funding streams. One is aimed at cyber security innovators ready to scale their solutions, while the other supports critical sector organisations looking to safely trial and adopt new cyber technologies in real‑world environments.
Together, the two streams are designed to remove some of the biggest barriers to innovation in cyber security, enabling new technologies to be tested, refined and proven in live or operationally relevant settings.
For cyber security firms, the competition offers a funded route to commercial scale. It is aimed at UK companies whose solutions are at Technology Readiness Level 7 and show strong potential for wider adoption. Successful projects will allow suppliers to demonstrate how their technologies work in practice, generate operational evidence, and progress solutions towards market readiness through targeted research and development.
At the same time, the programme gives organisations responsible for essential services a low‑risk opportunity to trial emerging cyber security solutions. By taking part as partners or end‑users, organisations can test innovative technologies against their own systems and challenges, influence how solutions are developed, and strengthen their cyber resilience without the cost and risk of traditional procurement.
The competition focuses on some of the most pressing cyber security challenges affecting Critical National Infrastructure. These include proactive cyber defence, improving operational security and incident response, detecting and evicting sophisticated cyber actors from live networks, and developing threat hunting approaches tailored to complex operational environments. Securing legacy systems that remain critical to day‑to‑day operations is also a key area of interest.
Projects may involve organisations operating across a wide range of critical sectors, including chemicals, communications, emergency services, energy, food, health, space, transport and water.
Collaboration sits at the heart of the programme. Cyber security innovators are expected to work closely with end‑users and potential customers, ensuring solutions are tested in realistic conditions and designed to meet genuine operational needs. For critical sector organisations, this means providing insight, access and validation while helping shape technologies before they reach wider deployment.
Innovate UK funding supports the projects, creating a structured and lower‑risk route for both innovation adoption and commercial growth.
The competition was published on 22 April 2026 and opens for applications on 1 May 2026. An online briefing event will take place on 7 May 2026 at 11:00.
Full details will be available via the Innovation Funding Service and Innovate UK Business Connect platforms. Organisations and innovators interested in taking part, or discussing whether the programme is right for them, can contact Marta Fernandez Aguilar, Innovation Lead for Cyber Scale in Critical Sectors, at marta.fernandezaguilar@iuk.ukri.org.
Innovate UK is encouraging both cyber innovators and critical sector organisations to engage early and help shape the next generation of cyber security solutions protecting the UK’s essential services.