Innovate UK Launches 10 Million Next Wave Funding for Early-Stage Createch Startups, Including Music
Innovate UK, the UK’s national innovation agency, has opened a new competition that could award up to £10 million in grant funding to early‑stage createch companies. The call, titled Next Wave: Breakthrough Wave 1, is aimed at UK‑registered businesses that can demonstrate a research project costing between £100 000 and £500 000.
The competition runs from 23 June to 11 August 2026 and focuses on projects that are “clearly innovative and ambitious” and that could be market‑ready within 12 months of the research phase. Eligible organisations include micro, small and medium‑sized companies across five frontier industries: music, performing and visual arts, video games, advertising and marketing, and film and TV.
Music‑related startups are explicitly welcomed. Emma Cooper, the creative industries knowledge‑transfer manager at Innovate UK Business Connect, told the Music Ally NEXT conference that the programme is designed to double the number of high‑growth creative businesses in the UK by 2035. She said the investment will target areas where the UK has a strong global position and scalable business models.
Cooper explained that the grant will cover 70 % of a project’s cost, meaning applicants must secure the remaining 30 %. She added that the Business Connect team will help applicants navigate the application process, noting that many startups find grant applications daunting.
The Next Wave competition is the first in a planned series of “waves” that will later focus on engines and anchors—digital platforms and large cultural organisations—as well as on investment. The initiative is part of Innovate UK’s broader strategy to support the createch sector, a term the UK government uses to group creative industries with technology‑driven innovation.
Innovate UK operates under UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a non‑departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The agency’s mandate is to fund and support organisations that develop new products and services. The Next Wave call is therefore aligned with UKRI’s industrial research agenda.
The competition’s eligibility criteria require that applicants be UK‑registered businesses. Projects must be in the early‑stage research phase and should aim to create new revenue streams through products, services or intellectual property. The funding is intended to accelerate the transition from research to market, with a 12‑month window from the completion of the research to a commercial launch.
While the call is open to all createch sectors, music‑specific projects could range from software that supports recorded music production to tools that enhance live performance or marketing solutions for artists. The competition’s focus on early‑stage research means that companies with prototypes or pilot studies are encouraged to apply.
The funding amount—up to £10 million—will be distributed across multiple projects. Each project can receive a grant of up to £500 000, subject to the 70 % funding rate. The remaining 30 % must be sourced by the applicant, typically through equity, debt or other public or private funding.
The Next Wave: Breakthrough Wave 1 competition is part of a broader UK effort to strengthen the creative economy. By targeting createch, the government aims to build on the country’s reputation for innovation while addressing the scaling gap that many UK startups face.
Applications close on 11 August 2026. Interested companies can find full details and submit proposals through the Innovate UK Business Connect portal.
In summary, Innovate UK’s new competition offers a significant opportunity for music and other creative‑tech startups to secure early‑stage research funding. The programme’s focus on rapid market readiness and its alignment with UKRI’s industrial strategy position it as a key resource for companies looking to move from prototype to product.
