SBRI Healthcare - NHS Cancer Programme - Innovation Open Call 4

About

The NHS Cancer Programme Innovation Open Call 4 funds mature cancer-care innovations that improve productivity or capacity or support earlier detection and diagnosis, with up to £3M for real-world implementation and evaluation or up to £5M for spread and embedding, applying by 1 December 2026.

Benefits

• 💰Real-World Fund up to £3M
• 100% funded up to £3M excluding VAT over a maximum of 24 months for real-world deployment and independent evaluation across multiple NHS sites in England
• 💰Innovation Spread Fund up to £5M
  Funded up to £5M excluding VAT over the first 24 months of a maximum 36-month project for spread and embedding of mature innovations
• 🤝Matched funding for Spread Fund
  Uses an outcomes-based matched funding model: Year 1 NHS England funds 100% of eligible technology and implementation costs; Year 2 costs are shared and NHS England covers a total of £5M across Years 1 and 2; Year 3 is 100% ICB funded subject to a Year 2 go/no-go decision
• 📊Total programme budget
  Approximately £18 million across both challenge areas and funding models, with no fixed allocation
• 🧪Evaluation support
  Real-World Fund supports independent evaluation to generate service, patient and health economic evidence for commissioning decisions
• 🏥Spread and adoption support
  Spread Fund is designed to fund the change as well as the technology and support adoption across multiple sites within at least one Cancer Alliance

Eligibility Criteria

• Real-World Implementation and Evaluation Fund mandatory: lead applicant must be a single organisation based in the UK or EU from the private, public or third sector
• Real-World Implementation and Evaluation Fund mandatory: applicant must have a demonstrable partnership with at least one NHS organisation in England and an independent evaluation partner
• Real-World Implementation and Evaluation Fund mandatory: innovation must be market-ready with CE mark or equivalent regulatory approval where required for the intended cancer-related use
• Real-World Implementation and Evaluation Fund mandatory: evidence of safety and clinical utility from prospective use in at least one healthcare setting specifically for the intended cancer-related purpose; for the Productivity challenge this must include at least one NHS site
• Real-World Implementation and Evaluation Fund mandatory: innovation must be ready for implementation and evaluation across multiple NHS sites in England
• Real-World Implementation and Evaluation Fund mandatory: if regulatory approval is pending, the application must show it was submitted by the deadline and approval must be obtained before peer review starts
• Real-World Implementation and Evaluation Fund preferred: additional engagement with Cancer Alliances and/or Health Innovation Networks is strongly encouraged
• Real-World Implementation and Evaluation Fund mandatory for universities and charities: universities may apply if they demonstrate a route to commercial and NHS spread; registered charities may apply via a trading company limited by guarantee
• Innovation Spread Fund mandatory: lead applicant must be an Integrated Care Board or Cancer Alliance through its host legal entity based in England
• Innovation Spread Fund mandatory: no more than one application per Cancer Alliance region
• Innovation Spread Fund mandatory: project must include one or more ICBs as strategic commissioners, multiple deployment sites, one or more Cancer Alliances, and a technology vendor where applicable
• Innovation Spread Fund mandatory: innovation must be mature, deployed across multiple NHS sites in England, have published independent evidence of patient benefit and/or system impact, have an independent economic assessment, and be available for procurement
• Innovation Spread Fund mandatory: digital innovations must demonstrate DTAC compliance and interoperability with relevant NHS systems and/or work towards NHS App or Federated Data Platform interoperability
• Innovation Spread Fund mandatory: lead applicant and deployment sites must be based in England
• Both funding models mandatory: innovation must address either productivity and capacity on cancer pathways or earlier detection and diagnosis of cancer
• Both funding models mandatory: the competition does not fund early-stage research, biomarker development, proof-of-concept studies, treatments, drug or vaccine development, or general wellbeing apps
• Both funding models mandatory: evidence and regulatory approval must relate to the specific cancer-related use case proposed

Target Sector

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Target Location

UK or EU and may be from the private, public or third sector.