Applications closed – 19 September 2025, 5pm  

• Applicants contacted – week commencing 6 October 2025
• North Expert Panel Review  ​- 21st October 2025 ​
• Central Expert Panel Review  ​- 23rd October 2025 ​
• South Expert Panel Review – ​24th October 2025 ​
• Successful applicants notified – week commencing 3 November 2025

About the fund:

The West Midlands Health Innovation Fund provides grant-based funding to support the adoption and spread of innovation across the West Midlands health and care system. The fund is being delivered in collaboration with South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust, Aston University and Keele University.

The innovation must: 

• Support one of our four strategic priorities (health infrastructure, health inequality, integrated care, and productivity & workforce). 
• Support one of the three national NHS shifts (Analogue to Digital, Hospital to Community, Treatment to Prevention). 
• Include a clearly defined innovation (process, service, pathway or product). 
• Include a minimum of one local health and/or care service provider. 
• Be deliverable within a 12-month period (activity to commence December 2025 – January 2026). 
• Innovations must be fully developed, market-ready, and capable of immediate implementation. 

Eligibility: 

• Commercial entities that own or have developed the proposed innovation in collaboration with a healthcare partner, with demonstrable benefits for the West Midlands region. Preference will be given to companies with a trading history of at least three years to ensure operational stability and mitigate risk. However, early-stage or younger companies may also be considered where the innovation addresses a clearly defined need and delivery partners can demonstrate confidence in the company’s governance, capability, and potential for successful implementation. In such cases, additional due diligence may be required. 
• A social enterprise or voluntary/community organisation established and operating in the West Midlands. 
• A (CQC registered) health or care service provider based in the West Midlands region. 
• An academic institution based in the West Midlands region. 

Funding available
Grants of up to £50,000 are available per project. Most awards are expected to range between £10,000 and £35,000.  

Application requirements 

All applicants must provide the following, via a completed Microsoft form:  

• An outline of the proposed activity including a logic model and project plan.  
• A clear list of expected and measurable outputs, outcomes, impacts and benefits realised.  
• A clear plan including milestones.  
• A clear budget explaining costs and financial assumptions.
• Details of the lead organisation, activity lead and (if different) the health and care system lead. 

Supporting information

• Innovation Fund FAQs
• Webinar Q&A
• Application guidance and glossary
• PDF version of the application form (you must complete the Microsoft form to apply.)
• Logic model and project plan template
• Budget breakdown template

Webinar resources and contact information

We held a webinar on 3 September where we ran through the details of the fund and the application process. We also answered a number of questions from innovators on the call. If you missed this and would like a copy of the recording and the Q&A, please contact the team on the email address below.

If you have any questions that are not answered in the Q&A or the FAQ document, please send these to the team directly at: innovationfund@healthinnovationwm.org