Life Sciences Transformational R&D Investment Fund (TRIF) Pilot

The Life Sciences Transformational R&D Investment Fund (TRIF) pilot is a newly established £50 million capital grant opportunity.

It aims to boost research and development (R&D) within the UK's life sciences sector by supporting large-scale investments focused on innovation and strengthening health resilience. The fund prioritises projects with the potential to generate economic benefits.

The fund supports major R&D investments in the UK life sciences sector to:

• Drive innovation
• Enhance health resilience
• Deliver economic benefits

Projects with a total cost (including capital expenditure) of at least £100 million are eligible to apply.

The grant awarded is set at the minimum level necessary to ensure your project proceeds while adhering to UK subsidy regulations—typically ranging from 10-20% of total project costs. For example, a project with a total cost of £100 million would generally receive a grant of £10-20 million.

To be considered eligible for the TRIF pilot, your company must meet the following requirements:

• Be a UK-registered and wholly private sector business.
• Operate as a product developer, contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), or generics manufacturer.
• Provide two years of audited accounts for the applicant company or parent entity. If unavailable, you must demonstrate that the remaining project funding has been secured.
• Show a track record of successfully developing or manufacturing medicines or medical devices, either in the UK or internationally.

Applications are invited to support projects that are engaged in R&D activities within the following key areas:

• Human medicines: This includes projects that focus on the development and innovation of pharmaceuticals, encompassing both active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished drug products intended for human use.
• Medical diagnostics: Projects aimed at advancing tools, systems, or methods for the identification and monitoring of diseases. This area covers the R&D of diagnostic technologies that support timely and accurate disease detection.
• Medtech products: This covers the creation and enhancement of medical devices specifically related to human health. Eligible projects may involve the design, testing, or improvement of medical devices.

Objective 1: Health Resilience and Innovation

• Drive the creation of new or expansion of existing UK R&D capacity, supporting innovation in life sciences and ensuring the UK is better equipped to respond to emerging healthcare challenges. This could include areas such as drug discovery and development, medical device design and feasibility, preclinical or clinical research, and enhancing manufacturing processes and production efficiency.
• Enhance flexibility in R&D facilities, capabilities, and technologies, enabling rapid redeployment or scaling during health emergencies. This could be through investment in areas such as optimising or accelerating clinical research or product testing, deploying new AI or digital research approaches, testing or deploying innovative materials or technologies, and advancing manufacturing.

Objective 2: Creating Economic Opportunity

• Substantial contribution to gross value added (GVA): Projects are expected to deliver significant economic value by engaging in high-impact R&D activities that enhance the overall productivity and output of the UK economy.
• Creation of high-wage, high-skilled jobs: Efforts should focus on generating employment opportunities that require advanced skills and offer competitive wages. Special emphasis is placed on creating such opportunities across the UK, particularly in regions that have untapped potential or that already host established life sciences clusters.
• Generating R&D spillover benefits: R&D investment often generates economic benefits by enabling knowledge transfer across firms, sectors, and regions. These spillover effects enhance productivity, stimulate new business formation, and strengthen the UK’s innovation ecosystem, particularly when linked to collaborative clusters and high-potential technologies.