About this programme
The Business Innovation Grant (BIG) is delivered by Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI) in partnership with Innovate NI, which operates as a Department for the Economy initiative within Invest NI. It supports Northern Ireland businesses to complete the innovation activities needed to either start an innovation journey or progress an existing one, moving them along the four stages of the Innovate NI Innovation Framework: ideation, selection, development, and commercialisation.
BIG offers grant support of between £5,000 and £20,000, at a rate of 70% of total eligible project costs — so eligible project costs listed in an application must total at least £7,143 excluding VAT to reach the £5,000 grant minimum. The programme is part-funded by the UK government.
The grant is aimed at start-up and established micro businesses and SMEs registered in Northern Ireland (Companies House or HMRC registration), across all sectors except primary agriculture, forestry, logging, fisheries and aquaculture. It is a competitive, time-limited call rather than a rolling scheme — Invest NI opens applications for a defined window and scores every submission against published criteria, approving the highest-ranked projects until the budget for that call is used up.
The August 2026 call opened at 9am on Monday 10 August 2026 and closes at 12 noon on Friday 4 September 2026. Invest NI reserves the right to close the call early or extend it depending on application volume. Proposed project activities are indicatively expected to take place between the start of October 2026 and the end of June 2027, with exact dates confirmed in a successful applicant's grant Letter of Offer.
How it works
Grant support runs from a minimum of £5,000 to a maximum of £20,000, at 70% of total eligible project costs. The amount offered depends on the activities detailed in the application and on Invest NI's available budget for the call.
Payment is not up front. The business funds the innovation activity itself first, then submits a retrospective claim with documentary evidence (invoices describing the work, service days and daily rate for consultancy/sub-contracting, for example) once the activity has been delivered and paid for. Costs incurred before a grant Letter of Offer is issued cannot be claimed.
Eligible activities are delivered through third-party, arm's-length providers with relevant experience — consultancy and sub-contracting costs for market research, ISO 56000 Innovation Management audits, intellectual property advice, MVP development, process design and validation, market entry planning, compliance/accreditation preparation, and travel, trade fairs or product launches outside Northern Ireland (capped at two company representatives). Consultancy/sub-contracting costs are capped at £700 per day, and hotel/overnight accommodation at £300 per person per night. Trade fair support is capped at £10,000 per event including travel and accommodation, with a maximum of two trade shows outside Europe or four inside Europe and the UK per offer of support.
Ineligible costs include capital purchases (equipment, IT, raw materials not used for supplier testing), printing/marketing collateral, recruitment, standard business advice, business plans, website development, software purchases, internal staff time, patent filing costs, and recurring/subscription costs.
Applicants must obtain a minimum of two competitive quotes (or two internet price checks with screenshots for standard items) from suppliers independent of the business, addressed to the applicant company and dated within three months of submission, to demonstrate value for money.
Who can apply
The business must be based in Northern Ireland with at least one Director residing in NI, and be a micro business or SME (fewer than 250 employees, turnover ≤ €50m or balance sheet total ≤ €43m).
The proposed project must clearly align with Innovate NI's definition of innovation: "the development and implementation of a new or improved product, service, model or process which is novel (significantly different) and has/will be introduced to the market... or implemented within the business... creating value." Buying in existing equipment or technology does not meet this definition.
The business must not currently be an Invest NI client, and must not have received an offer or payment of Invest NI grant support in the last five years (COVID-19 emergency support, the Digital Selling Capability Grant, the Economic Recovery Innovation Grant, Innovation Vouchers and Access to Finance funding such as Techstart NI Proof of Concept grants are excluded from this rule). A business that previously received a BIG offer but did not draw down payment may reapply once, with no guarantee of success; one that did draw down a BIG payment cannot apply again, including under a different entity with the same ultimate ownership. Only one application is permitted per group of companies under common ownership.
The business must demonstrate it is viable and will remain so for the support period, with evidence of sufficient resources to cover any funding gap, and that the proposed activity is a strategic fit with Invest NI's 2024-27 Business Strategy and the Department for the Economy Minister's Economic Vision.
Registered charities, government bodies or part-owned/funded organisations, schools and further/higher education institutions, NHS/Health Trust core service providers, and businesses whose main activity is primary agriculture, fisheries/aquaculture, steel, coal, shipbuilding, synthetic fibres or transport infrastructure are not eligible. Businesses already receiving other government support for the same proposed activities, or with an outstanding Invest NI clawback liability without a repayment plan, are also excluded, as are businesses that commercialised the relevant product/service or implemented the relevant process/model more than two years before applying.
Applicants must accept Invest NI's Know Your Customer (KYC) due diligence, including a credit check, ID verification, Companies House checks, and screening for bankruptcy orders, IVAs, CVAs, County Court Judgments, director disqualification, and politically exposed person/sanctions status.
How to apply
- Complete the free online eligibility checker on the Innovate NI website (available from the call's opening date) — passing this checker is the first step and does not itself count as a submitted application.
- If eligible, provide an email address to receive a link to the online application form on the Invest NI Customer Portal (MyINI), the official application and administration system.
- Gather the required information before starting: business background, details of any other business interests (active, dormant, dissolved or struck off) for the business and its senior management, a description of the proposed project and its purpose/benefits, itemised project costs, supplier quotation(s) for every project cost, and evidence of how the project will be funded.
- Complete and submit the online application, uploading a digital copy of the most recent annual accounts (Profit & Loss Account and Balance Sheet, or latest management accounts if annual accounts are not yet available) plus supplier quotations and funding evidence. Draft applications can be saved and returned to; each uploaded item is capped at 20MB.
- Submit before the call closing deadline (12 noon, Friday 4 September 2026 for the August 2026 call) — corrections or extra information after the call closes are not accepted, and appended business plans or spreadsheets are not considered as part of the application.
- Applications are scored by an assessment panel (primarily Innovate NI and Invest NI staff) against innovation, novelty, value and sustainability criteria, plus pass/fail intervention principles (strategic fit, project risk, viability, additionality, affordability). Applicants must pass both the innovation criteria and the intervention principles, and then pass KYC due diligence, to be considered for a grant Letter of Offer.
- Successful applicants are notified by email and issued a grant Letter of Offer, which must be signed and returned before support becomes available; do not start project activity or incur costs before receiving the Letter of Offer, as pre-offer costs cannot be claimed. Decisions are expected by the end of October 2026 for the August 2026 call. Unsuccessful applicants are informed by email and can request feedback or, within 30 working days, submit an appeal to bigappeals@investni.com.
Documents you’ll typically need
- Most recent annual accounts (Profit & Loss Account and Balance Sheet), or latest management accounts if annual accounts are not yet compiled
- Supplier quotation(s) for every project cost included in the application, dated within 3 months of submission and addressed to the applicant business
- Evidence of how the project will be funded (e.g. bank statement or accountant letter, for the affordability assessment)
- Photographic ID and identity documentation for KYC due diligence
- On completion: an Invest NI BIG claim pack and BIG monitoring form, with invoices/evidence for each claimed cost
Frequently asked
How much can a Business Innovation Grant be worth?
Between £5,000 and £20,000, at a grant rate of 70% of total eligible project costs. Eligible project costs in the application need to total at least £7,143 excluding VAT to reach the £5,000 minimum grant.
When does the August 2026 BIG call open and close?
The call opened at 9am on Monday 10 August 2026 and closes at 12 noon on Friday 4 September 2026. Invest NI can close the call early or extend it depending on application volumes, so only fully completed applications submitted via the MyINI portal before closure are considered.
Is BIG a rolling scheme or does it have a deadline?
It's a competitive, time-limited call, not a rolling scheme. Applications are scored and ranked, and the highest-scoring projects are approved in order until the budget assigned to that call is fully allocated — so a strong application can still miss out if the budget runs out first.
Can I apply if my business already received other Invest NI support?
Not if you currently hold Invest NI client status, or received an Invest NI grant offer or payment in the last five years — with specific exclusions for COVID-19 emergency support, the Digital Selling Capability Grant, the Economic Recovery Innovation Grant, Innovation Vouchers, and Access to Finance funding such as Techstart NI Proof of Concept grants, which do not count against you.
Can I start work before my application is approved?
No. Costs incurred, contracts signed, or work started before you receive a grant Letter of Offer cannot be claimed and could jeopardise your funding. You need to wait for the formal Letter of Offer before commencing the project activities described in your application.
When is the grant actually paid?
BIG pays retrospectively, not up front. You fund the innovation activity yourself first, then submit a claim with evidence — such as invoices detailing the work, service days and daily rate — after the activity is delivered and paid for, using the Invest NI BIG claim pack and monitoring form provided with your Letter of Offer.
Can an advisor or consultant submit the application for me?
You can authorise company contacts to complete the online application, but Invest NI corresponds only with the applicant business, not an advisor. The form is designed to be completed by the business owner or manager without outside assistance, and must be authorised by a Director/Secretary (limited company) or Proprietor/Partner (sole trader/partnership).
What happens if my application is unsuccessful?
You are notified by email and can request feedback on where your application scored poorly, within six months of the decision. If you remain unhappy with the outcome, you can request a review of the scoring within 30 working days, treated as a Stage 1 appeal under Invest NI's Appeals Procedure, submitted to bigappeals@investni.com. You can also apply to a future BIG call.
Reviewed 2026-08-16. Programmes change — confirm current eligibility, amounts and deadlines on the official page before you apply. CapEasy is a private consultancy and is not affiliated with any government authority.