BHF Healthcare Innovation Fund

On this page

• What we fund

• Who can apply

• When you can apply

• Apply for funding

• When you will hear from us

We want to support everyone with cardiovascular disease to live a longer healthier life, by ensuring they get the treatment, care and support they need.

That's why we want to work with you to develop pioneering ways to transform the delivery of services. By funding the most innovative ideas, we can work together to make the biggest impact.

Our Healthcare Innovation Fund tests and evaluates innovative approaches to the delivery of improved services for people with cardiovascular disease.

What we fund

We fund ideas that:

• Identify an unmet need that needs further scoping and consensus building around need and potential solutions.
• Have been scoped by an appropriate group of stakeholders and are ready to be tested and evaluated in practice.
• Have been tested locally by an appropriate group of stakeholders and are ready for early stage scaling.

Who can apply

The lead applicant or investigator must be employed by an NHS organisation or UK academic institution.

Applications are invited from teams who have been identified and supported by UK’s regional innovation boards, like:

• Health Innovation Networks (HINs) in England
• Innovation Hubs in Scotland
• Cardiac Network Board in Wales
• Cardiology Network in Northern Ireland.

Your project can include working with other partners, such as the third sector and industry, where you think it will benefit people with cardiovascular disease.

It's important that your project considers patient involvement at all levels, from scoping to steering groups. 

When you can apply

We open for applications on Monday 3rd March 2025. Applications close on Monday 28th April 2025 at midday*.

We will open again for applications in September 2025 (closing in November 2025). Application rounds for 2026 and 2027 will be announced in due course. 

*Unfortunately late applications cannot be considered.

Apply for funding

Read our Innovation Fund presentation for guidance on the application process.

1. Register for a BHF Research Grant account or log in to your existing account
2. Complete the relevant application form:
   Form B – for development, testing and evaluation projects
   Form C – for early-stage scaling projects
3. Attach any supporting documents.
4. Submit your application.

If you would like a chat about your potential application, please email us at [email protected]

When you will hear from us

Your application will be assessed by expert peer review, patient reviewers and by our committee.

Assessments will begin during May and June 2025 with the opportunity for rebuttal between 16th and 30th June 2025. We expect to announce the awards in August 2025.

Successful applicants will be notified of their grant offer, subject to our Standard Grant Agreement terms.

What have we funded already?

The BHF Healthcare Innovation fund has already funded £1.74 million pounds worth of project innovating treatment, care and support for people with cardiovascular disease. From AI stethoscopes to online psychological support, project are underway to support everyone with cardiovascular disease to live a longer healthier life..