If you’ve been told to “look at BridgeAI” for AI funding, it helps to know what it actually is — because it’s more a structured support programme than a cheque. Here’s the 2026 picture, cited to official sources. (dgm implements osFoundry as an independent partner.)

What BridgeAI is

BridgeAI is a £100 million Innovate UK programme to drive adoption of AI and machine learning in high-growth, lower-AI-maturity sectors. It’s delivered by a consortium: Innovate UK, Digital Catapult, the Alan Turing Institute, the STFC Hartree Centre, BSI and Innovate UK Business Connect.

Its original priority sectors are agriculture & food, construction, creative industries, and transport/logistics/warehousing — sectors with strong growth potential but relatively low AI take-up.

What it offers

BridgeAI’s support is a mix rather than a single grant:

  • Funding competitions (e.g. past Innovation Exchange competitions).
  • An AI Adoption Framework — a four-phase structure for adopting AI sensibly.
  • Training and upskilling, including free self-paced courses via the Hartree Centre.
  • Standards support via BSI.
  • Compute access — including £5,000 HPC vouchers through the Hartree Centre for AI/data work.
  • Expert connections and networking.

So the value is structured support to adopt AI well — guidance, funding where competitive, and compute — rather than a simple “buy a tool” grant.

The 2025/26 expansion

Although the original programme was framed to run to around mid-2026, the Autumn Budget 2025 set out plans to expand BridgeAI across priority sectors, giving nationwide access to tailored guidance, funding and expertise — intended to help thousands of businesses adopt AI. In effect, that scales and extends the programme. Check the official page for current competitions and support, as availability moves with funding cycles.

How to use BridgeAI well

BridgeAI works best when you arrive with a defined adoption problem — a specific process you want to improve with AI — rather than a vague “we should do AI”. Its framework, competitions and compute then accelerate a real project.

Where osFoundry and dgm fit

BridgeAI helps you decide what and how; you still need to build it. dgm scopes and implements AI projects on osFoundry — usage-priced, bring-your-own-key, and self-hostable in your own cloud (or its EU region) for data control. For the agriculture, construction, creative and logistics sectors BridgeAI targets, that combination of a defined project plus a flexible platform is what turns support into outcomes. osFoundry publishes US/EU/JP regions, not a UK one, so UK data-sensitive work uses an EU region or self-hosted deployment.

dgm is an independent integration partner with zero integrations so far. BridgeAI support comes from Innovate UK and its partners. To scope an AI adoption project, book a consultation with dgm. General information; confirm current BridgeAI support on the official page.