Innovate UK’s Scaleup Programme is delivered by Innovate UK Business Growth (formerly Innovate UK EDGE) and provides intensive support to a select cohort of high-growth, high-potential businesses across the UK.

The Scaleup Programme helps innovation-driven businesses to overcome key barriers to scaling and to realise their potential by providing tailored support from a team of experienced Scaleup Directors. These directors work directly with business leaders to identify and address challenges in areas such as strategy, leadership, internationalisation, access to finance, talent and infrastructure.

Participants in the programme are connected to networks of investors, corporates and peers, as well as Innovate UK’s wider resources, enabling them to accelerate growth and strengthen their innovation capacity.

Since its inception in 2017, the Scaleup Programme has supported 359 scaleups across the UK. Collectively, these businesses have raised £929 million in equity investment and grants. Participants have achieved an average 83% increase in turnover since joining the programme, and the programme has directly contributed to the creation of 3,080 high-value jobs. Beneficiaries report that participation has accelerated their growth trajectories by approximately two years compared to their projected counterfactuals.

The latest external evaluations estimate that Scaleup Programme support has generated approximately £2 billion in additional Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy. An independent 2025 impact assessment by Kada Research reported a net wage premium of £48.95 million and a GVA equivalent of £19.58 million, resulting in an estimated uplift of £112.74 million and a cost-benefit ratio of £1 : £10.79 in economic impact. The overall return on investment was estimated at 699%. The SQW econometric analysis also found statistically significant additional employment growth of around 12% among scaling businesses compared to comparable firms, confirming the sustained effectiveness of the programme’s intensive model of scaleup support.

More than 77% of supported businesses have accessed new markets since joining the programme, and 78% have secured new contracts. Leadership and management development are integral to the programme. Participants receive dedicated mentoring from Scaleup Directors with board-level experience and benefit from connections to non-executive directors (NEDs) and industry specialists. In the past financial year, between 17 and 20 NEDs were placed into beneficiary businesses, strengthening leadership teams and governance capacity. The programme also places emphasis on diversity and inclusion within high-growth leadership, with 13% of supported companies being female-led.

The Scaleup Programme continues to evolve in line with Innovate UK’s innovation and growth strategy. It now forms part of Innovate UK Business Growth’s integrated delivery model, linking the Scaleup Programme with the Growth and High Growth Programmes to ensure a seamless progression path for innovation-driven SMEs. Recent developments include deeper collaboration with regional innovation ecosystems and alignment with the UK Government’s Innovation Clusters initiative. Future evaluations will incorporate advanced matching methodologies and data analytics to assess relative cohort performance and innovation productivity, reflecting the evolving evidence-based approach within Innovate UK Business Growth.

“Networks and advisors are essential to companies making the successful transition from startup to scale-up. In this regard, the Innovate UK Business Growth Scaleup Programme has been an exceptional partner on our journey. The breadth of resources and the commitment of the Scaleup Directors have given us invaluable insight and guidance at critical inflection points, helping us achieve our growth ambitions.” – Gary Brotman, CEO, Secondmind Ltd

“The Scaleup Programme has been fundamental to our growth and success over the past three years. The expertise, guidance and confidence provided by the Scaleup Directors have enabled us to make key strategic decisions and drive the business forward. We genuinely would not be where we are today without their support.” – Vanessa Ambler, CEO, We Care 4 Air Ltd

Innovate UK Scale Up Programme website