Pathways to Work Innovation Fund guidance
Published 27 August 2026
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pathways-to-work-innovation-fund/pathways-to-work-innovation-fund-guidance
About the Pathways to Work Innovation Fund
The Pathways to Work (PtW) Innovation Fund was announced by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, on 14 July 2026.
The Innovation Fund is part of Pathways to Work, the government’s £3.5 billion investment to support disabled people and people with health conditions to move into, stay in and progress in work.
The PtW Innovation Fund has 2 objectives:
- to support disabled people and people with long-term health conditions move towards, enter, stay and progress in work
- to build evidence about what works and for whom, so that successful approaches can be adopted more widely
Grant funding will be provided to test new and innovative ideas that support these aims.
Ideas that are tested should generate learning and evidence that can improve future services and have the potential to be adopted, replicated or scaled.
Through this, the PtW Innovation Fund will support the wider ambitions of Pathways to Work by building evidence of what works to reduce the disability employment gap, improve employment opportunities for disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, and create a more joined-up system of employment, health and skills support.
What the PtW Innovation Fund will support
Innovation can take many different forms and will look different depending on the context. The principles below explain how innovation is understood for the purposes of the PtW Innovation Fund and are intended to help applicants assess whether their proposal represents a new or significantly different approach.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wants to hear ambitious and practical proposals, including but not limited to:
- a new use of technology
- a new service, intervention, product or delivery model
- a new partnership or way of working that can join-up across the system and make it work better for people
- an approach that helps employers to support disabled people and people with long-term health conditions
- applying an existing intervention or product in a significantly different context, labour market or with a new target group
Examples of proposals we would not want to fund include:
- delivering an existing service without a significantly different approach
- expanding existing support without a significant learning opportunity
- minor changes to existing support without a significant learning opportunity
Further guidance will be published in our full applicant bid pack in September.
We recognise that innovation involves uncertainty. Not every idea will succeed, but every project should generate learning and evidence that can improve future services and have the potential to be adopted, replicated or scaled.
Available funding
Up to £10 million is available for the first funding round which is opening September 2026.
Up to a further £50 million will be available for the second funding round, which is expected to open to bids early in 2027.
Applying for the PtW Innovation Fund
Eligibility
The PtW Innovation Fund will be open to applications from the public, private and voluntary sectors across the UK.
Applicants will need to meet the bidding criteria which we will publish soon. The organisation must be based in the UK to be eligible to apply to the Fund.
We’re not looking to fund initiatives that are currently being delivered, unless they will be demonstrating a different approach or expecting different outcomes.
We are exploring how the PtW Innovation Fund can gather ideas from individuals and connect them with suitable organisations who can test the idea.
We will publish the full criteria and bid pack shortly on GOV.UK. You can sign up to get emails about this page to be notified when it is updated.
Application window
Applications are expected to open in September 2026 and close in October 2026.
Applications will be shortlisted and decisions will be communicated from early 2027.
This timeline could be subject to change.
We will update this guidance to confirm the exact dates and provide full details on how to apply. You can get emails about this page to be notified when it is updated.
Application forms will be available in:
- large print
- Easy Read
- BSL
- audio
- Welsh
Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted. The next application window will open in 2027.
Geographical scope
The PtW Innovation Fund will be a UK-wide fund. This is intended to attract a wider range of innovators and support an innovation environment across the UK.
We recognise different devolved responsibilities across the UK and want to ensure the findings can benefit people across the whole country. we will work closely with the Welsh Government, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive.
We will also work with local partners across England.
About the members of the advisory panel
The government has appointed an advisory panel to:
- help shape the PtW Innovation Fund’s design
- review shortlisted bids and make recommendations on which bids should be funded
They bring expertise in areas such as technology, innovation, employment support and delivery. Some have lived experience of disability.
The advisory panel members currently appointed are:
- Giles Barker – Workplace Disability Lead, Channel 4
- Mark Esho – founder, Easy Internet Services and Easy Internet Solutions
- Nabila Gardner – member of the DWP Independent Disability Advisory Panel and Director, Health and Wellbeing Coach at Ways for Wellbeing UK CIC
- Andrew Greenway – founder, Public Digital
- Mark Hodgkinson – chair, The Valuable 500 Foundation
- Angela Matthews – director of Public Policy and Research, Business Disability Forum
- Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive Officer, Mencap
- Tanni, Baroness Grey-Thompson – Paralympian and member of House of Lords
- Professor Adam Whitworth – Scottish Centre for Employment Research at the University of Strathclyde
Further information and support
If you need an alternative format that is not provided, or if you have questions about eligibility or the scope of the PtW Innovation Fund, please email dwp.pathwaystoworkinnovationfund@dwp.gov.uk.