Work with us

We help SMEs take innovative solutions from idea to market.

Our SME programme will help you secure funding, run a test bed, find delivery partners & new customers. This is suitable for SMEs of all sizes.
Two people in motion in front of a wall displaying various images and designs arranged in a grid. One person is pointing at the wall. The background is slightly blurred due to their movement.
Driving innovation
for UK SMEs
192
New services
launched in 2 years
£32M
Funding secured
to help SMEs take services to market
324
Asset classes
provide funding for Net Zero across all sectors

The SME programme.

We provide networking, business and innovation support for companies at all stages of their evolution.

Join our SME network, a catalyst for innovation.

Every year we facilitate hundreds of interactions between SMEs and the markets we operate in through our proven Innovation Ecosystem.

Join Today

SME network
at a glance
4,300
SMe’s
in our network
75+
opportunities
across CP Catapult each year
100+
year on year
supported on Commercial and CR&D programmes
Investor days
To showcase your innovative solutions to a network of VCs and angel investors, for a chance to raise seed and Series A money.
SME Masterclass
A series of masterclasses to overcome barriers to growth by addressing specific business needs, and helping businesses to develop new concepts, prototypes, products and services.
Business Needs Assessment
Work with our expert team to identify areas for growth & improvement, develop an action plan, and find resources to help take your business to the next level.
Connections Café
Business support and networking events that bring together our SME Community and key representatives of industry, government and funders to discuss cross-industry topics.
Industry days
Networking events to convene with the marketplace, and meet industry players who are potential buyers for your solutions.

JOIN OUR SME NETWORK, A CATALYST FOR INNOVATION.

Register now

Accelerators

SME Accelerators provide intensive support for cohorts of startups, aiming to get them ready for investment quickly. Our programmes work with high potential SMEs in transport and urban innovation spaces.

Funding & Grants

We help secure early stage, proof-of-concept funding. Providing investment to de-risk emerging solutions and speeding up their route to market.

Opportunities & Case Studies

People at a train station looking at an electronic information board displaying train schedules at Bristol Temple Meads, while a few others head towards the ticket barriers.
Opportunity
Station Innovation Zone – Innovation Funding Programme – Year Three
Connected Places Catapult, in collaboration with Network Rail and funded by Innovate UK, is excited to announce the third year of the Station Innovation Zone (SIZ) Competition, supporting SMEs to test new ways of improving various aspects of the passenger experience.
Opportunity
HMGCC Challenge: Assurance of printed circuit boards using machine vision
When national security organisations use electronic equipment in sensitive environments, they must be sure every element has been properly assured. In its latest challenge, HMGCC Co-Creation wants organisations to get involved in a five-month project, developing ways to robustly assure printed circuit boards (PCBs).
Opportunity
HMGCC Challenge: Underground Tunnelling Techniques
Underground tunnelling presents an array of opportunities and challenges, so the MoD would like to know how technologies and capabilities in this area could be better harnessed for future operations.
Opportunity
DIATOMIC India Accelerator
West Midlands based companies developing clean technologies are invited to apply to take part in a new six-month export-led programme led by Connected Places Catapult in partnership with the West Midlands Growth Company and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.
A blurred person walks past a wall displaying various photos and printed materials, including sports scenes and green logo designs.
Opportunity
Join the SME network
If you have a great idea, innovative product or service that you believe could improve the way people connect and travel, we would love to hear from you.
Aerial shot of ships in a port
Opportunity
Maritime Accelerator 2024
Introducing the Maritime Accelerator 2024, a dynamic initiative powered by Connected Places Catapult, dedicated to nurturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with pioneering solutions applicable to the maritime industry and beyond.
Opportunity
Hydrogen Innovation Initiative Demonstration 24-25
Companies can apply for up to £35k to demonstrate technology related to the production, conversion, distribution or end use of hydrogen.
A worker in a hard hat and high-visibility vest oversees a forklift lifting a blue shipping container, surrounded by stacks of colorful containers in a shipping yard.
Opportunity
Freight Innovation Fund Accelerator Cohort 3
The UK Government has committed to a dedicated £7m cross-modal Freight Innovation Fund (FIF) as part of the Future of Freight strategy, which sets out the Government’s long-term vision for the UK freight sector.