Share this article
UK Government Seeks Blockchain Pitches for £8 Million Startup Competition
A U.K. government agency is seeking pitches from blockchain startups as part of a competition focused on digital health solutions.
By Stan Higgins
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 6:47 a.m. Published Jul 31, 2017, 9:00 a.m.
A U.K. government agency is seeking pitches from blockchain startups as part of a competition focused on digital health solutions.
Innovate UK – a nondepartmental public office aimed to promote innovation through grants and investments – announced last week that it is looking to award up to £8 million ($10.5 million) in grants to firms working on health initiatives.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
The agency said in its notice:
"The types of digital health projects we will fund include (but are not limited to) ... emerging digital health technologies with a demonstrated healthcare benefit, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented reality, blockchain and the Internet of Things."
Beginning today, and running until October 11, the competition is open only to firms based in the U.K., while other stipulations apply based on the scope of entrants' projects.
Notably, Innovate UK has funded blockchain projects in the past, including £248,000 that was awarded to an ethereum-based cross-border payment tool in April 2016.
The agency also launched a distributed ledger-focused competition in September of last year, which sought to grant as much as £15 million to related projects. That initiative cast a wide net in terms of the projects it encompassed, with Innovate UK stating that it wanted to "inspire the new products, processes and services of tomorrow."
UK flag image via Shutterstock
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Bitcoin eyes longest daily winning streak in 3 months
Bitcoin rose over 1% during Monday's Asian trading session, marking a potential five-day winning streak.
What to know:
- Bitcoin rose over 1% during Monday's Asian trading session, marking a potential five-day winning streak.
- The broader crypto market, including major cryptocurrencies like XRP, solana, and ether, also saw gains of up to 1%.
- Tax-loss selling has subsided, one analyst said explaining the upswing, while others attributed the uptick to haven demand.
Top Stories
