GOTT – Public Research Innovation & Market Accelerator
Accelerate your public sector innovation to market with PRIMA 2026.
This free, 10-week part-time programme is designed to help UK government research organisations explore the commercial potential of their Knowledge Assets (KAs). Through expert-led support, market validation and tailored business development, PRIMA empowers teams to build robust business plans and begin their commercialisation journey.
Next Cohort Dates:
Start Date: 11th February 2026
End Date: 23rd April 2026
Key Dates
Applications open 6th October 2025
Two-day, bootcamp (in-person in London), 11th & 12th February 2026
Options Roundabout Pitch (in-person in London) 23rd April 2026
Watch our information Webinar
The webinar covers:
- Detail of what to expect on the PRIMA Programme including the methodology and roles of the team members.
- Who is eligible to apply?
- Support offered throughout the 10 weeks.
- Opportunities for you to have your questions answered.
What is included in the PRIMA Programme?
£2,500 for market discovery activities
You will be allocated a budget and be supported by a specialist team to help you conduct in-market experiments and customer discovery activities.
Access to experts in bringing research to market
You will have weekly access to our team of experts and we will proactively connect you to our network of entrepreneurs, investors and funders.
Market Explorer
We will create a personalised report which includes data about your potential customers, competitors and suppliers plus a comprehensive overview of the intellectual property landscape for your sector.
Bootcamp Training
2-day in-person bootcamp where you will learn how to talk about your technology to customers, develop a hypothetical business model and identify your customers’ pain points.
10-week Market Validation
You will plan and execute 10 weeks of tailored customer discovery for your idea, product or service using online software, videoconferencing and marketing tools. You will receive weekly 1-hour coaching assistance from a dedicated expert in taking research ideas to market.
Pitch Training
1-day online pitch training to teach you how to pitch your ideas to potential customers and investors.
Options Roundabout Pitches
You will have the opportunity to pitch to an experienced panel of funders, stakeholders and investors to help accelerate the impact of your research (in-person).
Who is eligible?
Project:
Your project must:
- Develop a Knowledge Asset that is majority-owned by the UK Government organisation applying for funding
- Be aimed at generating outcomes with potential for social, financial or economic benefits to the UK through commercialisation / translation of Knowledge Assets into market application
Letter of Support
All applicants must submit a letter of support for the project application to PRIMA. The letter must come from a senior member of the organisation. This could include:
- Head of organisation innovation office
- Head of organisation commercialisation office
- Head of research unit
- Head of research centre
- Director or Deputy Director of directorate
The letter should also include confirmation of support from the project lead’s line-manager.
Applications will not be accepted without the submission of the Letter of Support. All letters should be submitted as a pdf at the time of application submission and sent to ciaran@thehelixway.com.
Any enquiries about the Letter of Support should be directed to ciaran@thehelixway.com.
Project Entrepreneurial Lead:
- Will be expected to attend all sessions scheduled above and should hold these dates in their diary when applying
- Is permitted to be accompanied by a second project inventor. This inventor is permitted to be from the same or another eligible organisation.
- Willingness to engage in mentorship, networking, and knowledge-sharing activities within the programme.
- A commitment to complying with all programme requirements, including reporting and milestone achievements.
Organisational representative: This person should join the project team and attend as a minimum the Bootcamp and the Options roundabout day. This person should be an innovation or commercialisation lead within your organisation.
Under current restrictions, this competition will not fund any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any Russian or Belarusian entity as lead, partner or subcontractor. This includes any goods or services originating from a Russian or Belarusian source.
Eligible Clients
The PRIMA programme is designed for Research Organisations. A full list of Research Organisations can be found under the GOTT “Who We Work With” section on GOV.UK.
We’re keen to engage researchers, scientists, and engineers within Research Organisations.
Number of Applications:
An eligible public sector organisation can lead on any number of applications for different projects.
How do I apply?
You can apply using the below button. It is an online application form which will ask you a series of questions about you and your project. It will be a competitive process.
Have you got questions about the programme?
We’d love to hear from you with any questions you have about the programme or how it works.
Click the button below to see our most frequently asked questions or click on the ask us a question button.
This programme is funded by GOTT (Government Office for Technology Transfer). GOTT supports the UK public sector to unlock the potential of its Knowledge Assets to deliver value to the UK economy and society. Knowledge Assets are intangible assets such as research and development, intellectual property (IP), data and know how. You can read more about GOTT here www.GOV.UK/GOTT