The Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF)

The Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF) is a UK Government capital grants programme designed to strengthen domestic life sciences manufacturing and increase national health resilience by supporting major manufacturing investments in human medicines, medical diagnostics and MedTech products. It aims to build and expand the UK’s capacity to manufacture essential products that improve public health outcomes and bolster preparedness for future health emergencies.

LSIMF will make up to £520 million in capital grants available through rolling application rounds until 31 March 2030 or until the funding is fully allocated. Projects must be significant in scale, with a total eligible cost of at least £8 million, and must involve capital investment in UK-based manufacturing facilities that would either not proceed, be smaller in scale, or be delayed without grant support.

The fund is open to UK-registered private sector companies, including product developers, contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs), and generics manufacturers. Grants typically cover 10 – 25 % of total project costs, with higher investment projects delivering proportionally stronger strategic impact.

Projects are assessed against the fund’s core objectives of increasing UK health resilience by strengthening and expanding domestic manufacturing capacity and creating economic opportunities through investments that generate high-skilled jobs and contribute significantly to UK economic growth.

Applications begin with a rolling Expression of Interest (EOI) process, followed by stages involving health resilience assessment and detailed financial evaluation. The scheme remains open on a quarterly application basis until all funding is awarded.