Innovate UK’s Global Business Innovation Programme (GBIP) helps innovative SMEs to collaborate and explore global markets, accelerating business growth.
Each GBIP, focused on a specific market and technology or sector area, involves a cohort of up to 15 ambitious innovative UK businesses looking to grow and scale globally. The programme aims to help businesses explore future opportunities and to better understand what is needed to be successful on the global stage.
The GBIP provides detailed market knowledge, cultural insight, and introductions and connections, opening doors that SMEs might find difficult to do themselves. Each business is supported by an Innovate UK Business Growth innovation and growth specialist to help maximise the potential of being part of the programme and beyond.
Who is the Global Business Innovation Programme for?
In order to be eligible for the Global Business Innovation Programme, you must be a small or medium sized company based in the UK. We are looking for businesses with the ambition and commitment to grow and scale globally with the need to better understand how to tackle global markets, to build partnerships and collaborations, and to explore future opportunities. A senior person from the company needs to commit to being involved in all stages of the programme.
The three stages of the programme are as follows:
Get ready
Get ready for the market includes a workshop in the UK with the cohort being briefed by sector and market experts on, for example, cultural aspects of conducting business in that country, the management and protection of intellectual property, and potential opportunities. Participants receive help to find potential partners and collaborators and to better articulate the value proposition of their business.
Visit the market
Visiting the market provides opportunities to explore at first hand the market, attend pre-arranged meetings to meet potential partners and collaborators, site visits, and a range of activities tailored to the needs of the market and thematic area.
Exploit the opportunity
Exploiting the opportunity is arguably the most important aspect of the programme. To maximise the opportunity, participating companies work with an Innovate UK Business Growth innovation and growth specialist, receiving bespoke one-to-one support to help develop and implement an action plan.
Selection for the Global Business Innovation Programme
The Global Business Innovation Programme operates on a competitive basis and businesses selected are required to actively participate in all three stages.
What is the cost of the Global Business Innovation Programme?
The cost to participate in the programme is the time commitment of a senior person from the business. The commitment includes working with an Innovate UK Business Growth innovation & growth specialist, attending the Get ready workshop (2 days), visiting the market (1 week), and attending the Exploit the opportunity workshop (1 day).
Innovate UK will fund and organise group flights, group accommodation and group in-market travel for successful applicants. One senior representative from each company will be funded.
On acceptance to the programme a commitment fee of £500 will be obtained from each participant, which will be refunded on completion of the full activities and agreed action plan. Non-completion after formal acceptance may result in forfeiting some or all the commitment fee.
You can view client success stories here (from the Canada Agri-Tech GBIP) and here (from the Australia Agri-Tech GBIP).
Apply to take part
GBIP in the Netherlands, Quantum Technology
Why The Netherlands? The Netherlands has world-leading strengths and advanced facilities in quantum technologies, is third in the world for scientific citations in quantum research, and is second for investments in quantum technology per capita.
In 2023, the Netherlands and the UK signed a memorandum of understanding, pledging to further intensify cooperation in quantum technologies. Through its flagship program, Quantum Delta, the Netherlands is investing over €615m in the development of its quantum technologies ecosystem, ranging from strong research hubs to international active start and scale-ups.
Its complementary supply chain and research strengths in photonics, semiconductor and quantum tech are required for the growing quantum tech industry in the UK.
The programme will also include a visit to the Quantum Meets 2024 conference.
Focus areas:
We are looking for businesses that focus on delivering quantum technology solutions including:
- Quantum networking and communication solutions
- Quantum computing
- Industrial process technologies for scaling, and commercialising quantum technology products – photonics, radio frequency, and semiconductors for quantum tech solutions
- Quantum sensing and timing solutions
Find out how our GBIP in the Netherlands can help your business grow.
Application form can be found here
Closing date for application: Tuesday 16th April 2024 at 5pm
Two-day get ready workshop: Tuesday 14th & Wednesday 15th May 2024
Innovation visit: Sunday 9th – Friday 14th June 2024
Exploitation workshop: Tuesday 10th September 2024
GBIP in Singapore, MedTech and Diagnostics
Why Singapore? Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 Plan aims to better transform and protect health, advance human potential & create economic value for Singapore. Priorities include transforming and protecting health through (i) shifting the focus towards both health promotion & disease prevention as the population ages (ii) supporting the health system to become more data-driven and patient-centric to deliver value-based care through the innovative use of both technology and digital solutions at scale (iii) using data analytics to support public health actions & telemedicine to deliver quality care to the wider population and (iv) expanding the national precision medicine research programme. A further priority is maximising economic value by growing a vibrant mix of start-ups and scale-ups with a strong translational ecosystem, with a particular focus on biotech companies.
With the Asia-Pacific Medical Technology (MedTech) market expected to grow to US$225 billion by 2030, Singapore is strategically placed to enable companies to tap into these regional opportunities, and Singapore’s network of top universities, research institutions and innovative start-ups also enable MedTech companies to fully engage with a vibrant open innovation ecosystem.
Singapore has an advanced digital economy and is consistently ranked as one of the world’s most innovative cities. Building on the strong mutual interest in co-innovation between Singapore and the UK, Enterprise Singapore and Innovate UK will be opening the latest round of their bilateral R&D grant funding call, coinciding with the timing of this GBIP visit to Singapore.
Focus themes:
Applications will be considered from a wide range of innovative MedTech & Diagnostics companies that focus on, but not limited to:
- Medical Technologies
- Diagnostics including but not limited to In Vitro Diagnostics (IVDs)
- Medical Imaging
- Wearables.
Areas of focus that are not being considered are:
- Patient Management Software.
- Digital Health.
- Formulated Therapeutics (* therapeutic delivery devices may be considered)
Find out how our GBIP in Singapore can help your business grow.
Application form can be found here
Register for the applicant briefing on 25th March 2024 here
Closing date for application: 21st April 2024
Pre-Visit Workshop and Briefing: 20th & 21st May 2024
Innovation Visit: 1st – 5th July 2024
Exploitation workshop: September 2024
GBIP in Hyderabad and Bangalore, India - Antimicrobial Resistance, diagnostics
Why India? India has recognised the importance of AMR, and the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has established three technical bodies: The Intersectoral Coordination Committee, Technical Advisory Group, and Core Working Group to develop a National Action Plan on AMR (NAP-AMR).
The NAP-AMR, largely modelled on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) - global action plan on AMR, highlights the crucial need to prevent the development of new resistant organisms, limiting their transmission and further spread as an international issue.
The 5-year NAP-AMR (2017–2021) was intended as a pivotal blueprint for states to develop their own state action plans to tackle AMR. However, only three states out of 28 (0.84% of the country) have established state action plans, namely Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi.
The strategic implementation began in early 2017, determining six strategic fields of activity and objectives that recognise cooperation between different areas, ensuring each one's integrity — a One Health approach. Consequently, there is a significant AMR Ecosystem within India.
The GBIP will include a visit to both Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka and Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana.
These two cities stand out as technology hubs with advanced healthcare infrastructure and a thriving innovation ecosystem. C Camp Bangalore is such an example which operates an initiative supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Govt of India, wherein a team of UK and Indian researchers are working together to tackle the rising prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in the environment.
Leveraging the expertise, resources and collaborative networks in these two cities may significantly impact AMR mitigation efforts nationwide and globally.
Find out how our GBIP in India can help your business grow.
Application form can be found here
Application deadline: 10th April 2024
Pre-visit briefing: 8-9th May 2024
Innovation visit: 22nd June – 29th June 2024
Post-Exploitation workshop: 20th August 2024
GBIP in San Jose, California - Engineering Biology & Industrial Biotechnology
Why San Jose, California? The US government has invested in various initiatives and programmes to support the development and application of biotechnology and engineering biology.
Biological applications are estimated to unlock $2 to $4 trillion in annual direct global economic value by 2030, with the health sector being the largest contributor. The UK has a strong life sciences base and a window of opportunity to establish technological leadership and capture economic and societal value from engineering biology.
The programme will include a visit to SynBioBeta - The Global Synthetic Biology Conference. Together with meeting local and leading biotechnology organisations.
Focus areas:
We are looking for businesses that focus on delivering Engineering Biology & translational Industrial Biotechnology solutions including:
- Discovery and application of new bio-engineering principles inspired by the properties of biological systems, ‘cells as factories’
- Use of bio-engineering principles to the design, analysis, construction, automation and manipulation of biological systems
- Synthetic biology, engineering biology, or other innovative and sustainable approaches by ‘design’ e.g., AI & Big Data (genomic & metabolic profiling libraries)
- Bio-manufacturing of renewable, recyclable, biodegradable, and/or environmentally benign materials, including innovative approaches to create materials with properties exceeding those of currently available products
- Green’ chemical production and processing
- Sustainable bio-based manufacturing at scale
- Bio-material processing
- Alternate protein sources (plant, algae, cultivated meats & dairy, etc.)
- Circular economy, e.g. turning waste into new products
Find out how our GBIP in The USA can help your business grow.
Application form can be found here
Closing date for application: 13th March 2024
Pre visit workshop: 16th and 17th April 2024
Innovation Visit: 5th - 11th May 2024
Exploitation workshop: 17th July 2024
GBIP in South Korea - Advanced Manufacturing
Why South Korea? Manufacturing is the mainstay of the Korean economy, accounting for 25.5% of GDP and 90% of exports. In June 2019, the Korean government announced its “Manufacturing Renaissance Vision” to revitalise the manufacturing industry through innovation and by adopting smart, eco-friendly technologies. In 2022 the sector benefitted from a $1.9 billion investment into R&D smart factory projects.
The government’s roadmap has set out key R&D focus areas including design technology, IIoT platforms, software-integrated operating techniques, smart sensors, robots, data collection and processing technologies. They have committed to create 20 smart industrial zones and 2,000 new AI-powered smart factories by 2030.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has reinforced the government’s plans to help SMEs adopt and expand smart factory technologies, establishing the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Office under the Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency and has plans for 10 major sectors to each have 4,500 smart factories by 2025.
With an R&D innovation strategy which focuses on greater investment into SMEs, international collaboration and UK-SK bilateral funding opportunities, this market offers significant opportunity for UK SMEs developing advanced manufacturing technologies.
Focus Themes:
As outlined in the Innovate UK materials and manufacturing vision 2050:
- Materials for the future
- Smart design
- Resilient supply chains
- World-class production
- Longer in use and reuse
Key Technologies
- Artificial Intelligence and data technologies
- Robotics and automation
- Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) and Connectivity
Find out how our GBIP in South Korea can help your business grow.
Application form can be found here
Register for the applicant briefing on 13th March 2024 here
Closing date for application: 28th March 2024
Pre visit workshop: 7th and 8th May 2024
Innovation Visit: 14th - 22nd June 2024
Exploitation workshop: 17th July 2024
GBIP in Australia - Critical Minerals for Electrification
Why Australia? Australia is well-positioned to be a leading supplier of critical minerals and crucial rare earth elements to help meet the growing global demand for minerals used in a variety of modern technologies. Australia’s critical minerals inventory is impressive, and it demonstrates the significant role that Australia plays in the global supply of these critical materials.
The relationship between the UK and Australia is both significant and comprehensive, with closely aligned strategic perspectives, and substantial trade and investment ties through the recently signed Free Trade Agreement, AUKUS, Clean Tech Partnership, etc. Collaborations between the two countries have covered a broad range of interventions and topics including Net Zero.
Focus Themes:
We are inviting applications from innovative companies that possess complementary expertise across the value chain for mid-stream processing of Australian raw materials, which are critical for electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy.
We are interested in companies that are involved in early-stage research for developing new battery and magnet technologies for clean transport and energy.
Additionally, we are looking for technologies that can apply ‘big data’ digital mapping, artificial intelligence (AI), and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles to achieve transparency throughout the EV battery supply chain between the UK and AUS.
Find out how our GBIP in Australia can help your business grow.
Application form can be found here
Register for the applicant briefing on 11th March 2024 here
Closing date for application: 5th April 2024
Pre visit workshop: 30th April - 1st May 2024
Market visit: 31st May - 13th June 2024
Post visit workshop: 28 June 2024
GBIP in Canada - Ocean Technology
Why Canada? Canada has become a world leader in engineering products and services suited to extreme harsh ocean environments, marine remote sensing technologies, and ocean observing systems. More than half of Canada’s $30bn ocean economy is anchored in Atlantic Canada, including the key province of Nova Scotia.
Atlantic Canada and Nova Scotia, in particular, is home to a strong cluster of ocean industries and to ground breaking ocean research. This region is quickly becoming a globally recognised hub of oceans expertise with the potential to be a significant contributor to a number of Global Value Chains associated with the oceans sector.
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador boasts a world-class network of researchers, start-ups, established companies, and ecosystem support partners that are developing technologies and solutions for operating in harsh ocean environments in sectors including offshore energy, defence, fisheries and aquaculture and environmental monitoring.
Focus Themes:
- Aquaculture
- Fisheries
- Marine Energy
- Marine Environmental Monitoring
- Marine Net Zero
- Marine Observations
- Marine Robotics
- Marine Transportation
- Ocean Plastics
Key Technologies:
- Alternative Energy
- Aquaculture Systems
- Autonomous Vessels
- Fishery Processes & Management
- Ocean Sensors
- Robotics and Drones
- Vessel Design and Manufacture
Find out how our GBIP in Canada can help your business grow.
Application form can be found here
Watch the recording of the applicant briefing here
Closing date for application: 24th March 2024
Pre visit workshop: 23rd - 24th April 2024
Market visit 1: 29th May - 7th June 2024
Exploitation workshop: 25th September 2024
GBIP in Taiwan - Semiconductors
Why Taiwan? Semiconductors are an essential component of the electronic devices that are indispensable and ubiquitous in the world around us, enabling communications, computing, healthcare, military systems, transportation, clean energy, and countless other applications.
The global semiconductor industry is set to become a trillion-dollar industry by 2030, with around 70% of growth predicted to be driven by the automotive, data storage, and wireless industries.
Taiwan dominates the semiconductor foundry industry and manufactures over 60% of the world’s semiconductors and 92% of those that are most advanced. The sector has a local workforce of 600,000 and makes up 15% of Taiwan’s GDP. Its ecosystem is supported by organisations like the Industrial Technology Research Institute, which plays a crucial role in the growth of Taiwan’s high-tech industry.
With an abundance of cutting-edge technology and clients like Apple, Qualcomm and Nvidia, The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company leads global manufacturing but despite its commanding position the industry is made up of over 1000 SME’s.
With increasing global demand for electronics comes the necessity to make chips smaller, faster and more power efficient. With a vibrant innovation ecosystem and an established UK- Taiwan bilateral funding programme, the opportunities for UK companies to collaborate with Taiwanese counterparts are significant.
Focus Themes:
- Electric Vehicles
- Power Electronics
- Future Telecommunications
- Photonics
Key Technologies:
- Semiconductor design / IP
- Compound semiconductors
- Advanced packaging
- Emerging materials
Find out how our GBIP in Taiwan can help your business grow.
Application form can be found here
Register for the applicant briefing on 29th February 2024 here
Closing date for application: 22nd March 2024
Pre visit workshop: 24th - 25th April 2024
Market visit 1: 31st May - 8th June 2024, Market visit 2: 1st - 7th September 2024
Exploitation workshop: 15th October 2024