# UK support, in the open Every UK programme, event, scheme and network a London startup could use to get in front of users, read on the official page and dated, with what RiskMandate has done about each one. Written to be forwarded and corrected. Source: https://riskmandate.ai/uk-support.html --- # A UK startup with a product. Now it needs users. RiskMandate is a London company, and the product is ready. What we need now is traction: people using it, rooms to show it in, and introductions to the people who would buy it. The UK has a great deal of support for companies at exactly this point, spread across departments, agencies, trade bodies, banks and conferences. This page is every door we found, read on the official page and dated, with what we have done about each one, including nothing. ## One page, three readers. The same research serves three people, so it is written once and published rather than kept in a notebook. Nothing on it would need to be confidential on either side, because all of it is on the programmes' own pages. ### Am I missing something? This page is written to be forwarded. If you know a programme, an event, a person in a department or a room of risk managers that should be on it, the most useful thing you can send is its name and its link. ### Take it. Most of this applies to any UK startup with a product and not enough users. The register is also published as data, [uk-support.json](uk-support.json), so you can copy it, filter it and keep your own status column. ### What we did, and what happened. Each row carries our own status. When we apply, speak, get turned down or get in, the row says so, with the date. A founder reading it later sees what the door was actually like to walk through, in facts rather than opinions. ## The product is on sale. What we need is users. Sixteen template Agent Behaviour Policies are published as encrypted vaults with their read keys, the thirteen prompts are free, and the first three levels can be bought from the store today; the fourth is waiting on its payment link. We exhibited at Startup Summit Lisbon in September 2026 and are going to Web Summit in November. What we do not yet have is a steady stream of people using it, and every lesson we have learnt so far came from somebody using it. ## Three things we did not expect, and why search results are out of date. ### The departments moved. The Department for Business and Trade became the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. AI strategy, public-sector AI adoption and the AI Security Institute moved to the Cabinet Office, and DCMS now leads cyber security policy for the economy. Many pages, and most search results, still use the old names. [gov.uk fact sheet](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/machinery-of-government-changes-fact-sheet), read 24 September 2026. ### The travel grant is gone. The support founders remember, where the department paid towards a stand and the trip, was the UK Tradeshow Programme, withdrawn on 7 June 2023, and the Internationalisation Fund, closed in January 2023. What exists now is paid UK-branded pods, missions for companies already inside a government-backed programme, and an events listing. No grant towards exhibiting abroad was open on the day we read. ### The two cyber programmes closed. NCSC for Startups has ended and its page is an archive. Cyber Runway is closed with no next cohort published. The routes still open are conferences, the London cyber cluster, LASR for AI security, and accelerators run with insurers. ## A government challenge for agents in specific contexts. The Sovereign AI R&D Procurement Scheme, announced on 31 August 2026, buys R&D from UK startups in batches every two months. Its third challenge is set with the National Cyber Security Centre, and its competition guidance words it like this: > “Enabling safe AI agent adoption – Produce an evidence-based, operational, and ideally automated risk management approach for CISOs to support risk-based decision-making for specific agents in specific contexts. The risk management approach should include both resilience and cyber security risks. … Solutions that support wide-scale adoption, such as those built on open-source frameworks, will be preferred.” Competition guidance, Sovereign AI R&D Procurement Scheme, linked from [sovereignai.gov.uk](https://www.sovereignai.gov.uk/), read 24 September 2026. Contracts of £250,000 to £10 million. Batch deadlines 1 October 2026, 1 December 2026 and 1 February 2027; the expression of interest is due at least two weeks before. An Agent Behaviour Policy is one agent in one deployment, and the toolkit is open source. We have not applied yet. Whether to is the lead’s decision, and this row will say what it was. ## Dates, nearest first. Everything in the register with a deadline before the end of the year. Each one links to its row. - 27 SepIAPP UK Intensive and AI Governance Global, London, April 2027: proposals close. [Events](#events) - 28 SeptechUK, one year on from the AI assurance roadmap, London, free. [Events](#events) - 29–30 SepInternational Cyber Expo, Olympia, free, with overseas buyer delegations. [Events](#events) - 30 SepBSides London: the call for papers closes. [Events](#events) - 12–23 OctDigital Leaders AI Week: the call for talks is open. [Events](#events) - 16 OctNatWest Accelerator Pitch, London round: entries close at 5pm. [London](#london) - ~17 NovSovereign AI procurement: expression of interest for the 1 December batch. [Above](#sovereign) - 18 NovTechstars London: applications close. [Cyber and AI](#cyber-ai) - 16 DecUK-Singapore collaborative R&D: closes, with a Singapore partner only. [Government](#government) ## Every door, with its source and its date. Two chips on each row. The first is what the programme’s own page said on the day it was read: open, rolling, a date, closed, or unclear when the page refused our reader or said nothing. The second is what we have done about it. The quote beside them is the phrase on the page that shows the status. 79 entries, read 24 September 2026: 15 open, 19 rolling, 20 with a date, 15 unclear, 10 closed and kept so nobody spends an afternoon on them. ## Government money, advice and government as first customer. The Department for Business and Trade became the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade on 22 July 2026, and AI strategy and the AI Security Institute moved to the Cabinet Office. Some pages still carry the old names. Where a row says _the department_, it means the renamed one. ### [Sovereign AI R&D Procurement Scheme](https://www.sovereignai.gov.uk/) R&D contracts of £250,000 to £10 million, most expected at £1 million to £3 million. The supplier keeps its IP. No minimum turnover or trading history. **Who it is for.** UK-registered startups and SMEs, project delivered in the UK. First join the Approved Supplier List through an expression of interest, at least two weeks before a batch deadline. **For us.** Challenge 3, _Enabling safe AI agent adoption_, asks for a risk management approach for CISOs "for specific agents in specific contexts". That is what an Agent Behaviour Policy is. It would also make government the first customer, on systems we would be contracted to run. **Next.** Expression of interest by about 17 November 2026 for the 1 December batch; batch 3 is 1 February 2027. Guidance PDF linked from the site, read 24 September 2026. ### [Sovereign AI Fund](https://www.sovereignai.gov.uk/) A £500 million fund writing £1 million to £10 million cheques. _Trust, safety & assurance_ is one of its stated focus areas. **Who it is for.** UK AI companies. **For us.** A priced round later. Investee status confers no advantage in the procurement scheme above, and the guidance says so. ### [AI Assurance Innovation Fund](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trusted-third-party-ai-assurance-roadmap/trusted-third-party-ai-assurance-roadmap) £11 million for "novel AI assurance mechanisms", according to the roadmap of 3 September 2025. **Who it is for.** Not stated. **For us.** The subject matches directly. The roadmap said round one would open in spring 2026; the sector plan of 10 June 2026 says the fund was established; no call is visible on the Innovation Funding Service today. **Next.** Ask the business support helpline which department runs it now. ### [Innovation Funding Service, open competitions](https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/search) Grants, loans and contracts, per competition. The forward list is on UKRI's future opportunities page. **Who it is for.** Varies by competition. **For us.** On 24 September 2026 none of the 26 open competitions was about AI assurance or cyber security, apart from the Singapore one below. Worth a monthly look. **Next.** UK-Germany bilateral round 5 and two Frontier AI SME calls are listed as opening in October 2026. ### [UK-Singapore collaborative R&D 2026](https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/2526/overview/4a4b67b9-9b73-4816-8e21-bdfab83f5909) A grant of £100,000 to £900,000 to the UK partner. **Who it is for.** A UK business with at least one Singapore business funded by Enterprise Singapore. **For us.** Only with a Singapore partner, such as an insurer or a company deploying agents. **Next.** Closes 16 December 2026, 11am. ### [Contracts for Innovation (formerly SBRI)](https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/search) Fully funded public-sector R&D contracts, one call per problem. **Who it is for.** Organisations of any size. **For us.** None of the open calls is about AI or cyber today. A public body with an agent problem would publish one here. ### [Contracts Finder](https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder) A search of public-sector tenders; larger ones are on Find a Tender. **Who it is for.** Any supplier. **For us.** Saved searches for _AI assurance_, _AI governance_ and _agentic_. ### [Business Support Service helpline](https://www.gov.uk/business-support-helpline) Free advice by phone, email, webchat and WhatsApp, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. **Who it is for.** Businesses in England. **For us.** Two questions the pages do not answer: who runs the AI Assurance Innovation Fund now, and what replaces regional trade advisers for a London company. ### [Business Academy (formerly UK Export Academy)](https://www.business.gov.uk/export-academy/) Live and recorded sessions, including selling services overseas. **Who it is for.** UK businesses. **For us.** The basics of selling a service into the EU and the US. ### [Export Support Service](https://www.gov.uk/ask-export-support-team) Answers on market rules and selling services abroad. **Who it is for.** UK businesses. **For us.** What selling into the EU looks like with the AI Act in force. ### [SEIS and EIS advance assurance](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-apply-for-advance-assurance) HMRC's view that a share issue is likely to qualify for investor tax relief. SEIS allows up to £250,000 raised; EIS up to £10 million a year. **Who it is for.** UK trading companies within the limits on each scheme's page. First-time applicants name prospective investors. **For us.** Most UK angel cheques expect it, and HMRC states no turnaround time, so it is started before a raise, not during one. ### [R&D tax relief, merged scheme and ERIS](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/research-and-development-rd-tax-relief-the-merged-scheme-and-enhanced-rd-intensive-support) A 20% credit under the merged scheme; loss-making companies spending at least 30% on R&D can claim enhanced support. **Who it is for.** Companies doing qualifying R&D. **For us.** Engineering spend may qualify. Whether this work counts as R&D needs a specialist's view, not ours. ### [Start Up Loans](https://www.gov.uk/start-up-loans) A personal loan of £500 to £25,000 over one to five years, with up to twelve months of mentoring. **Who it is for.** UK residents over 18 whose business has traded for less than five years. **For us.** It is a personal loan to a founder, not company money. ### [Help to Grow: Management](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/professional-education/catalogue/help-to-grow-management) A twelve-week course, 90% funded, £750 to the company. **Who it is for.** SMEs with 5 to 249 employees. **For us.** Not until the team has five people. **Next.** King's College London cohort starts 9 November 2026. ### [Global Business Innovation Programme](https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/programme/global-business-innovation/) Group flights, accommodation and in-market travel for one senior person on an innovation mission; a £1,000 commitment fee refunded on completion. **Who it is for.** UK SMEs. **For us.** This is the closest current thing to the government-sponsored trips founders describe. No AI or cyber mission is listed today. ## The cyber and AI programmes, after the two big ones closed. NCSC for Startups has ended and Cyber Runway is closed with no next cohort published; both are in the last section. The DCMS cyber security newsletter of 15 September 2026 says DCMS now leads cyber security policy for the economy, so any successor would come from there. ### [LASR, the Laboratory for AI Security Research](https://www.lasr.ac.uk/) Industry validation and proof-of-concept work; the LASR Connect community. _Agentic AI Security_ is one of its three research areas. **Who it is for.** UK SMEs working on AI security. **For us.** The agentic programme was delivered in 2025 and no call is open today, but the site takes technology submissions between calls. **Next.** Join LASR Connect and submit the technology, so we are known before the next call. ### [Cyber London](https://cyberlondon.com/) Events, roundtables, mentoring. **Who it is for.** An open network; membership cost not published. **For us.** The local route to CISOs. Its roundtables on securing AI are invitation-only, so the ask is to be invited. ### [techUK](https://www.techuk.org/who-we-are/become-a-member.html) The Cyber SME Forum, the AI hub, events, and UK pavilions abroad. Fees are not published. **Who it is for.** UK digital technology companies. **For us.** Its event of 28 September 2026 on the AI assurance roadmap is free and open, and names insurers, auditors and regulators as its audience. ### [Cyber Exchange](https://cyberexchange.uk.net/opportunities) A live list of cyber competitions, grants, consultations and trade missions with their deadlines. **Who it is for.** UK cyber companies. **For us.** The one directory in this field that is kept current. We link to it rather than copy it. ### [Plexal](https://www.plexal.com/) Coworking, delivery of government cyber programmes, and the UK House delegation at RSAC. **Who it is for.** Startups and scale-ups. **For us.** UK House places at RSAC 2026 went to companies from government-backed programmes, so the route abroad runs through Plexal's programmes. ### [Founders Factory × Aviva](https://foundersfactory.com/aviva) £50,000, four months, and access to Aviva. Equity terms are not on the page. **Who it is for.** Pre-seed to Series A. **For us.** An insurer as the corporate partner, with insurance, cyber and AI all in scope. ### [Techstars London](https://www.techstars.com/accelerators/london) Thirteen weeks and a mentor network; the programme invests for equity. **Who it is for.** Early-stage companies, any sector. **For us.** Costs equity. The programme starts 8 March 2027 with demo day on 3 June. **Next.** Applications close 18 November 2026. ### [Google for Startups Accelerator, UK](https://startup.google.com/programs/accelerator/united-kingdom/) Twelve weeks, no equity taken, mentoring and cloud credits. The 2025 edition was AI-first. **Who it is for.** UK AI companies, seed to Series A. **For us.** Depends on the 2026 dates, which the page does not show. ## Insurance and risk: the audience most tech startups miss. An Agent Behaviour Policy is written for risk managers, boards and underwriters as much as for security teams. These are the rooms they are in. ### [Lloyd's Lab accelerator](https://www.lloyds.com/about-lloyds/lloyds-lab/lloyds-lab-accelerator) Ten weeks, workspace and eight to twelve mentors from the Lloyd's market. About ten companies are chosen from 150 to 200 applicants. **Who it is for.** Start-ups, scale-ups and sometimes mature companies. **For us.** Cohort 17's themes included autonomous systems coverage, and it already includes a company whose stated aim is making AI risk insurable. Cohort 17 closed on 20 July 2026; the Cohort 18 window is not published. **Next.** Ask lloydslab@lloyds.com when Cohort 18 opens. Cohort 17 demo day is 9 December 2026. ### [Lloyd's Lab Discovery](https://www.lloyds.com/about-lloyds/lloyds-lab/lab-discovery) Proofs of concept with managing agents, who bring the problem; the Lab looks for solutions. **Who it is for.** No vendor application form was found. **For us.** A route to a proof of concept with an underwriter, if one names agent risk as its problem. ### [FinTech Innovation Lab London](https://www.fintechinnovationlab.com/regions/london/) A twelve-week programme with access to more than 45 financial institutions, insurers among them. **Who it is for.** Not stated on the page. **For us.** A structured route to pilots with insurers. **Next.** "Applications for 2027 are opening soon! Register your interest now." ### [Institute of Risk Management, special interest groups](https://www.theirm.org/) Sixteen groups with events and webinars. The cyber group ran "Fundamentals of agentic AI risk management" on 22 January 2026, online and free. **Who it is for.** Members join; many sessions are open to non-members. **For us.** Risk managers are the people who sign an acceptance. Offering the cyber group a follow-up session is the direct route. ### [Airmic](https://www.airmic.com/) The UK association of corporate risk and insurance managers. Suppliers take partner statuses; the process is not published. **Who it is for.** Risk and insurance professionals as members. **For us.** The people who buy cover for a company. Its 2027 conference is in Liverpool in June; the exact dates are not yet published. ### [Insurtech UK](https://insurtechuk.org/membership/join-us/) Pitch days, working groups, a government affairs group. It has a memorandum of understanding with the ABI. **Who it is for.** Member tier: UK insurtechs, or firms earning 60% of revenue from insurance. Partner tier: service providers. Fees not published. **For us.** Which tier applies to us is a question to ask them. ### [FCA Innovation Pathways](https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/innovation/innovation-pathways) Regulatory guidance for new propositions. **Who it is for.** Regulated or non-regulated firms of any size. **For us.** How insurers' own AI obligations bear on a behaviour policy, from the regulator. ### [FCA AI Lab, AI Spotlight](https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/innovation/ai-lab) A showcase of AI solutions to financial services firms and the regulator. AI Live Testing cohort 2 is closed. **Who it is for.** Firms with AI solutions relevant to financial services. **For us.** Exposure to the firms the FCA supervises, which include insurers. ### [Lloyd's Market Association, associate membership](https://www.lmalloyds.com/lma-membership) Event invitations, committee overviews, a profile page. Fee not stated. **Who it is for.** Organisations that trade with or advise Lloyd's underwriters. **For us.** After a first relationship with a managing agent, not before. ## Twelve months of rooms, with the deadline for each. Security buyers, AI governance people, risk managers and insurers, from September 2026 to June 2027. Where a date could not be confirmed on the organiser's own page, the row says unclear. ### [One year on: the Trusted Third-Party AI Assurance Roadmap](https://www.techuk.org/) An afternoon on the government's AI assurance roadmap, free. **Who it is for.** Its stated audience includes insurers, auditors and regulators. **For us.** The assurance market meeting in one room, four days from the date this was read. ### [International Cyber Expo](https://www.internationalcyberexpo.com/) Free registration, and a delegations programme that brings overseas buyers to London. **Who it is for.** Visitors and exhibitors. **For us.** Overseas cyber buyers without leaving London. ### [FERMA Forum 2026](https://www.ferma.eu/events/ferma-forum-2026/) Attendance; exhibiting through the Forum's own site. **Who it is for.** European corporate risk managers. **For us.** The European version of the room Airmic is in the UK. ### [Digital Leaders AI Week](https://digileaders.com/) A speaking slot. **Who it is for.** Anyone who submits a talk. **For us.** The nearest stage time on the calendar. ### [DTX London](https://www.dtxevents.io/london) Free for end users; speaking; a startup zone. **Who it is for.** Enterprise technology buyers. **For us.** AI adoption and cyber tracks under a trust-and-risk theme. ### [Insurance Innovators Summit](https://www.insurance-innovators.com/events/summit/) A startup zone and pitch slots. **Who it is for.** About 2,000 insurance leaders, a third of them C-suite, by the organiser's figures. **For us.** Insurers, in London. ### [Web Summit](https://websummit.com/web-summit-2026/) Startup exhibition, pitch competition. **Who it is for.** Startups by application. **For us.** We are going. The exhibitor listing, the logo for the exhibitor board and the deck were sent in September 2026. ### [#RISK Expo Europe](https://www.riskexpoeurope.com/) Attendance, exhibiting, speaking. **Who it is for.** Governance, risk and compliance teams. **For us.** Risk and compliance people in London, the week of Web Summit. ### [IAPP Europe Congress](https://iapp.org/conference/iapp-europe-congress/) Attendance at €1,595 to €1,945; exhibiting. **Who it is for.** Privacy, AI governance and legal teams. **For us.** The AI governance audience, in the EU. ### [Black Hat Europe, Startup Spotlight](https://www.blackhat.com/) A five-minute video pitch; no entry fee. **Who it is for.** Companies five years old or less with fewer than 50 staff. **For us.** Security practitioners in London. The site refused our reader, so the dates and deadline are from search results only. ### [BSides London](https://pretalx.com/bsides-london-2026/cfp) A 45-minute talk, a workshop, or a fifteen-minute Rookies slot for first-time speakers. **Who it is for.** Anyone. **For us.** A vendor-neutral talk on the gap between what an agent can do and what it was authorised to do. **Next.** Call for papers closes 30 September 2026. ### [ITC London](https://london.insuretechconnect.com/) A startup zone, and a Challenge Lab where startups pitch against insurers' own problems. **Who it is for.** Invitation or vetted application. **For us.** Senior insurers, managing general agents and brokers. ### [Cyber Security & Cloud Expo, with AI & Big Data Expo](https://www.cybersecuritycloudexpo.com/global/) Attendance, exhibiting, speaking. **Who it is for.** Enterprise technology teams. **For us.** Dates are from the organiser's ticket listing; the site itself returned a challenge page. ### [Insurtech Insights Europe](https://www.insurtechinsights.com/) A startup pass for insurtechs founded within five years. **Who it is for.** Insurers and insurtechs. **For us.** Whether a behaviour-policy company counts as an insurtech for the pass is a question to ask. Search results give two different March dates. ### [IAPP UK Intensive and AI Governance Global](https://iapp.org/conference/iapp-uk-intensive/) Speaking by proposal; exhibiting. **Who it is for.** AI governance, privacy and regulatory teams. **For us.** AI governance buyers in London. **Next.** Proposals close 27 September 2026. ### [RSAC 2027](https://www.rsaconference.com/) A call for speakers, Innovation Sandbox, Launch Pad and an early-stage expo. **Who it is for.** Security companies and speakers. **For us.** The largest security buying audience. The site refused our reader; search results give 9 October 2026 for the speaker deadline. ### [CYBERUK 2027](https://www.cyberuk.uk/) A startup and SME pod, 2m by 1.5m, at £1,500 + VAT for organisations under 40 staff; a Cyber Den pitch whose winner gets twelve months of NCSC support; Tech Talks by open call. **Who it is for.** UK organisations. **For us.** The theme is securing the AI era, and the pod is priced for a company our size. **Next.** The Tech Talks call opens in autumn 2026. ### [London Tech Week](https://londontechweek.com/) Startup stages, investor meetings, a free startup pass by criteria. **Who it is for.** Founders; the pass has limits on funding and headcount. **For us.** Broad exposure, with ministers in the room. ### [Infosecurity Europe](https://www.infosecurityeurope.com/) A Cyber Start-Ups Zone for companies under five years old, a government-backed Cyber Innovation Zone, and a startup award whose prize is a stand. **Who it is for.** Early-stage cyber companies. **For us.** About 13,000 security professionals, in London. The 2027 award window is not yet published. ### [The AI Summit London](https://london.theaisummit.com/) A start-up village with live pitching; speaker submissions. **Who it is for.** Commercial AI buyers. **For us.** The people deploying agents. ### [OWASP Global AppSec EU](https://owasp.org/events/) A call for papers and training. **Who it is for.** Application security practitioners. **For us.** The OWASP generative AI community. The 2027 call is not yet published; last year's ran November to February. ## Government help to travel: what it is now. Founders remember the department paying for stands and travel. That grant was the UK Tradeshow Programme, withdrawn in 2023. What exists now is paid UK-branded pods, missions for companies already in a government-backed programme, and a listing of events. ### [Events and trade missions portal](https://www.events.great.gov.uk/) A listing of UK and overseas events and missions. No grants are mentioned. **Who it is for.** UK businesses. **For us.** Where an AI or cyber mission would be announced first. ### [UK Pavilion at GITEX Global](https://www.techuk.org/what-we-deliver/events/join-the-techuk-delegation-and-uk-pavilion-at-gitex-global-2026-dubai.html) A pod on the UK pavilion at £5,000 + VAT. No subsidy is mentioned. **Who it is for.** techUK members, first come first served. **For us.** The techUK page still takes expressions of interest; another trade body's page says registration closed on 1 September. ### [UK House at RSAC](https://www.plexal.com/) A place in the UK delegation at RSAC in San Francisco. **Who it is for.** In 2026, companies from Cyber Runway, LASR and CyberASAP. **For us.** Being in a government-backed programme is the way in, which is why LASR is on this page. ### [UK Defence & Security Exports pods](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-defence-and-security-exports) Paid pods at defence and security shows. **Who it is for.** UK defence and security companies. **For us.** Security shows abroad under the UK flag, paid, not granted. ### [Grow London Global](https://grow.london/global) A free twelve-month programme for tech companies expanding abroad, according to search results. **Who it is for.** Scaling tech companies; the page refused our reader. **For us.** Later, once there is something to export. ## London, and the free things to claim today. ### [Grow London Local](https://www.growlondonlocal.london/) Guides, free one-to-one sessions, and a searchable directory of borough support. **Who it is for.** London small businesses. **For us.** The London front door, and a directory we link to rather than copy. ### [NatWest Accelerator Pitch, London round](https://www.natwest.com/business/business-services/entrepreneur-accelerator/pitch.html) Prizes of £70,000, £20,000 and £10,000. **Who it is for.** UK limited companies incorporated within five years with revenue up to £1 million; a 60-second video; membership of the free NatWest community. **For us.** The only open prize round found. **Next.** Closes 16 October 2026, 5pm; final 19 November. ### [British Library Business & IP Centre](https://www.bl.uk/business-and-ip-centre) Workshops, one-to-ones, market research databases. **Who it is for.** Anyone. **For us.** Market research on insurers and brokers, at no cost. ### [Tech London Advocates](https://www.techlondonadvocates.org.uk/) 42 working groups and introductions, free. **Who it is for.** By invitation; ask the organisers. **For us.** Introductions. ### [OWASP London chapter](https://www.papercall.io/owasp-london) Six to eight meetups a year, live-streamed and recorded. **Who it is for.** Speakers presenting methods, with any tools shown open source and free. **For us.** The method and the open-source toolkit, not the product. ### [Microsoft for Startups](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-for-startups/) Azure credits, starting immediately. **Who it is for.** Privately held software companies below Series C; no funding requirement. **For us.** Claimable today. ### [Google for Startups Cloud Program](https://cloud.google.com/startup) $2,000 in credits unfunded; up to $350,000 for funded AI companies. **Who it is for.** The first tier needs no funding. **For us.** Claimable today. ### [AWS Activate, Founders tier](https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits) Up to $5,000 in credits. **Who it is for.** Pre-Series B companies under ten years old. **For us.** Claimable today. ### [Claude for Startups](https://claude.com/programs/startups) API credits and higher rate limits. **Who it is for.** Credits need institutional funding and founding within four years. **For us.** After a raise. ## Closed, kept here so nobody spends an afternoon on them. Search results still recommend most of these. Each one was checked on its own page. ### [NCSC for Startups](https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/ncsc-for-startups/overview) Nothing now; the page is an archive. **Who it is for.** – **For us.** No successor is named. ### [Cyber Runway](https://www.plexal.com/our-work/cyber-runway/) An accelerator that took no equity, and a route into UK House at RSAC. **Who it is for.** UK cyber companies. **For us.** Would fit if it reopens. Interest can be registered at cyberrunway@plexal.com. ### [UK Tradeshow Programme](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-tradeshow-programme) Nothing now. This was the grant for overseas stands. **Who it is for.** – **For us.** No replacement grant was found. ### [Innovate UK Smart grants](https://www.ukri.org/councils/innovate-uk/guidance-for-applicants/guidance-for-specific-funds/smart-innovation-funding-guidance/) Nothing now. **Who it is for.** – **For us.** Closed. ### [Innovate UK Business Growth](https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/business-growth/) Paused for new requests; it comes bundled with an Innovate UK grant. **Who it is for.** Existing clients and grant winners. **For us.** Paused. ### [AI Security Institute grants](https://www.aisi.gov.uk/grants) Research grants, when open. **Who it is for.** Academic institutions and non-profits; companies are not listed. **For us.** Not for companies. ### [CyberASAP](https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/) Funding to take academic cyber research to market. **Who it is for.** Academics. **For us.** Not for companies. ### [UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3)](https://ukc3.co.uk/) Operations ended 31 March 2026; the clusters continue on their own, Cyber London among them. **Who it is for.** – **For us.** Go to the cluster directly. ### [Barclays Eagle Labs AI Bridge and Cyber Bridge](https://labs.uk.barclays/) The Shoreditch hub remains, from £180 + VAT a month. **Who it is for.** UK SMEs. **For us.** The two programmes that fitted are closed. ### [G-Cloud 15](https://www.gca.gov.uk/agreements/RM1557.15) A listing public buyers can call off. **Who it is for.** Suppliers already listed. **For us.** Closed to new suppliers until about February 2028. ### [International trade advisers, one to one](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-international-trade-support-from-regional-teams-in-england) One-to-one export advice. **Who it is for.** Businesses outside London. **For us.** Not for a London company. Who serves London instead is not stated on the page. ### [Global Entrepreneur Programme](https://www.business.gov.uk/campaign/gep/) Mentoring and visa help. **Who it is for.** Founders from abroad moving to the UK. **For us.** Not for a UK company. ## Eight doors, in the order we would try them. Chosen for who is in the room rather than for the size of the prize. The lead decides; the register’s status column changes when something is sent. - **The Sovereign AI procurement challenge.** Its text describes the product, and it would make government the first customer. - **BSides London and OWASP London.** A talk on the method, not the product, in front of the people who run agents. - **IAPP AI Governance Global.** The AI governance audience in London, with proposals closing first. - **CYBERUK 2027.** A £1,500 pod, a pitch to the NCSC, and a theme of securing the AI era. - **Lloyd’s Lab and the FinTech Innovation Lab.** The two structured routes to underwriters. Both windows are yet to open, so the step is to ask when. - **The Institute of Risk Management and Airmic.** Risk managers sign acceptances; the IRM cyber group already ran a session on agentic AI risk. - **Founders Factory with Aviva.** An accelerator with an insurer as the partner, open now. - **The cloud credits that need no funding.** Microsoft and Google, today, because they cost an afternoon. ## Where to look after this page. This page is not the first list. These are kept up to date by the people who run them, and we link to them rather than copy them. ### [Finance and support for your business](https://www.gov.uk/business-finance-support) 127 schemes, filterable by region, stage, type of support, industry and size. Read 24 September 2026. ### [Cyber Exchange opportunities](https://cyberexchange.uk.net/opportunities) Cyber competitions, grants, consultations and trade missions, with deadlines. ### [Grow London Local](https://www.growlondonlocal.london/) The London front door for small businesses, with a searchable directory of borough support. ## The same rules as the rest of the site. - **The programme’s own page, read and dated.** Every row links to the official page it was read from. Where a page refused our reader, the row says unclear and says why, rather than trusting a search result. - **The status is what the page said.** A closure carries the words that close it. Dates we could not confirm with the organiser are marked unclear. - **No verdict on any programme.** What it gives, who it is for, and what it would be for us. Whether it was worth it is for the status column to show over time, in facts. - **Closed ones stay.** Search results still recommend most of them, and an afternoon spent on a closed programme is an afternoon not spent on users. - **It will go out of date.** The register says the date it was read. If a row is wrong, tell us, and it changes with a new date. ## Send the door we have not found. Its name and its link is enough. If you have been through it, what happened, as facts: the dates, what was asked, what came of it. If a row is wrong or has closed, that too. And if you would introduce us to a CISO, a risk manager or an underwriter who is deciding about an agent, that is the most useful message of all.