£900k VocTech Activate 2026 grant fund announced to test and scale vocational learning ideas

VocTech Activate is our grant fund for early-stage ideas. If you’ve spotted a gap in how adults learn vocational skills and have a novel way to solve it, we want to support you to test, refine, and scale your solution.

The grant provides support of between £30,000 and £60,000 for projects lasting up to 12 months.

Whether you’re exploring immersive learning technologies, building digital education platforms, or pioneering new training approaches, if it tackles a real problem in vocational education, we’re interested. Your project will have access to Ufi’s expertise, a supportive funding environment, and the chance to prove your idea works before scaling it further.

Applications open on 6 January 2026 and will close at 5pm GMT on 3 February 2026.

What organisations have done with Ufi grant funding and support

Many of our VocTech Activate grant funded projects have gone onto achieve incredible things and have helped get adults learning across the UK.

TeacherMatic became one of Europe’s fastest growing generative AI toolsets for teachers after receiving VocTech Activate grant funding and support.

Hull College used VocTech Activate funding to develop their award-winning approach to live classroom translation to support refugees and asylum seekers in FE. They are demonstrating how the integration of digital tools can significantly enhance opportunities for individuals adapting to English language and culture while navigating their new lives.

VocTech Activate-supported organisations Totem Learning and Chrome Angel Solutions were shortlisted for Learning Technologies Awards, with Chrome Angel winning the Silver award for ‘Best technology-based learning game’.