Business Challenges / Manufacturing funding
MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS & FUNDING
Manufacturing grants and ERP funding in the UK
Better stock accuracy. Clearer production. Costs you can trust. Explore whether funding could help you build the systems your factory needs.
Request a systems & funding reviewEngland and Northern Ireland routes explained. Funding is subject to eligibility, available budgets and approval.
MAKE THE INVESTMENT CASE
The cost of waiting is already in the operation.
When production runs on spreadsheets, stock checks and conversations, every extra order adds work. A grant may help with the investment, but the project starts with the problem it needs to solve.
Cloudsaber helps manufacturers scope improvements to enterprise resource planning (ERP), material requirements planning (MRP), inventory and connected workflows. We identify potential funding routes and prepare the technical evidence for a properly costed project.
We are a commercial systems consultancy and implementation partner. The funding body assesses your application and decides any award. You can also approach the official programmes directly.
What could improve?
- Stock and material availability before production starts.
- Work orders, scheduling and shop-floor visibility.
- Batch traceability and quality records.
- Job costing and the flow into purchasing and finance.
FIND THE RELEVANT ROUTE
Funding depends on your location and project.
Reviewed 9 September 2026. Check the linked programme for current availability before committing expenditure.
ENGLAND
Made Smarter Adoption
Regional grants of up to £20,000
For eligible SME manufacturers adopting industrial digital technology. The South East offer, for example, covers up to 50% of qualifying hardware or software costs, capped at £20,000. Local criteria and allocations apply.
ERP and systems-integration projects can be relevant when they improve manufacturing operations. An Odoo implementation is not automatically eligible.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Invest NI digitalisation
Project-specific support
Invest NI lists ERP/MRP and other management information systems among the solutions it supports. Potential financial assistance includes one-off software costs and associated setup, configuration and user training.
Financial assistance is available to Invest NI clients following project appraisal. There is no standard award amount published on this programme page.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Digital Transformation Flexible Fund
£5,000–£20,000; up to 70%
Latest published round: award stage. A new application window has not been confirmed in this review.
DTFF targets advanced digital transformation in eligible small and micro businesses. Ordinary CRM, websites and ongoing software subscriptions are excluded. Advanced integration needs assessment against the actual project scope.
Manufacturing in Scotland or Wales? Support is different. Start with Scottish Enterprise's manufacturing support or Business Wales. The English funding offer does not automatically apply.
Can a grant pay for ERP software?
Some manufacturing technology programmes have supported ERP projects. Made Smarter describes Logoshack's successful £20,000 ERP grant application. This is a programme example, not a Cloudsaber project or a guarantee for another manufacturer.
Your application needs to show what changes in the business and which costs meet the scheme's rules. We separate software, configuration, integration, devices, training and recurring support so each can be assessed.
Plan the cash flow as well as the grant. DTFF requires applicants to pay for the completed project before claiming. It excludes expenditure incurred before a signed letter of offer. Other schemes have their own start, procurement and payment rules.
Read DTFF payment and project-start rulesA simple illustration
A £30,000 project with entirely eligible costs could receive £15,000 at a 50% grant rate. The business would contribute £15,000, plus VAT and any ineligible costs.
Illustration only. A cap, different rate, excluded costs or a lower award changes the calculation. Funding does not remove the need for a viable project budget.
A CLEAR NEXT STEP
From initial review to a practical project plan
1. Review the fit
Tell us where you manufacture, what is holding the operation back and when you want to improve it. We check the likely route, project readiness and budget with you.
2. Scope the improvement
For suitable projects, agree a detailed scope, costs and responsibilities. We can prepare technical material for your application. Any paid discovery is agreed separately.
3. Confirm, then deliver
You approve the application and the funding body decides. We agree delivery once funding conditions and commercial terms are clear, then provide the agreed project evidence.
Read about our Business Systems Review or explore the Sage and spreadsheets route to connected ERP.
Manufacturing funding questions
Can Made Smarter fund an Odoo implementation?
A manufacturing ERP or integration project may be suitable. The regional team must assess the business, operational improvement and individual costs. Choosing Odoo does not itself establish eligibility.
Is funding available for every UK manufacturer?
No. Schemes differ by nation, region, company size and project. Made Smarter's English adoption offer should not be assumed to cover Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales. Grant budgets and application windows also change.
Will Cloudsaber apply for the grant for us?
We help scope the systems project and prepare agreed technical evidence. You remain the applicant and approve business declarations. Any additional application-management service must be agreed and permitted by the scheme.
What if funding is declined or the scheme is closed?
We can review whether a smaller or phased project makes commercial sense, explore another relevant route or pause. Submitting an enquiry does not commit you to buying software or implementation.
START WITH YOUR OPERATION
Request a Manufacturing Systems & Funding Review
Share a few details. We will review your enquiry and help identify the right next step.
This is an initial enquiry, not a grant application or automated eligibility decision. Please do not include bank details or confidential financial documents.
Prefer a conversation? Book a discovery session and mention manufacturing funding.