From green to growth: How environmental sustainability is shaping healthtech and medtech funding

Over recent years, the way grant funders evaluate healthtech and medtech proposals has shifted dramatically. Environmental impact is no longer optional; it is central. Funding bodies including SBRI, UKRI and NIHR explicitly score applications on sustainability, requiring innovators to explain how their solutions support the NHS’s net zero ambitions. 

Why the shift matters

The NHS has a legal duty to reach net zero by 2045. Achieving this requires assessing emissions associated with every tool and technology it adopts. Funders are aligning with this mandate: they want to back innovations that not only meet clinical needs but actively reduce the NHS’s carbon footprint. For innovators, this change introduces both challenge and opportunity. If your goal is to grow your company, secure funding and achieve NHS adoption, environmental sustainability can no longer be an afterthought. 

Three lessons from the field

 1. Start simple, start smart 

You do not need sophisticated carbon calculators from the outset. Funders are looking for evidence that you understand where your environmental impact lies and how you intend to reduce it. Travel, materials, waste and energy use are excellent starting points, and for digital innovators, exploring data storage, cloud services and device usage ensures environmental sustainability is embedded in virtual solutions. 

 2. Sustainability is not separate  

Environmental impact has become as critical to innovation adoptionas cost, safety and effectiveness. It is no longer a peripheral consideration but a core criterion that funders, regulators and customers expect to see embedded in every proposal. Sustainability should be woven directly into both the value proposition and business case, demonstrating not only compliance but competitive advantage. 

3. Expert eyes equal stronger bids 

Environmental consultants exist to help innovators accurately measure and manage the impact of their products. Their expertise can provide robust data, credible methodologies and independent validation, all of which strengthen the integrity of your bid. Allocating a portion of funding for professional analysis not only demonstrates seriousness and accountability but reassures funders that your claims regarding environmental sustainability are evidence‑based and aligned with best practice. 

From pressure to possibility

The landscape may be evolving rapidly, but the principle remains the same: environmental sustainability is not a box to tick; it is a lens through which better, more resilient and future-ready innovations are designed. By embedding environmental thinking early, innovators are not just meeting funding criteria, they are increasing the prospects of adoption and helping shape an NHS that is healthier for people and planet alike. 

How we can help

We support healthtech and medtech teams who want to meet NHS net zero expectations and strengthen their bids. We help you understand what funders look for and why it matters. We then guide you to take clear, practical steps that fit your product, budget and stage of development. 

We can help you map your impact, spot simple early wins and build a plan you can explain with confidence in any grant application. We also give feedback on draft submissions so you can show a strong link between your innovation and the NHS’s net zero ambitions. This helps you present a sharper case for funding and future NHS adoption. 

Find the latest funding opportunities here.