Innovation Fellowships

The Innovation Fellowships focus on the commercialisation of ideas, products and processes from the research activities of the partner universities. The primary aim of an Innovation Fellowship is:

• To facilitate the commercialisation of ideas, products and processes, thereby increasing the flow of new technology from universities to business.

The programme meets key priorities identified in emda 's regional economic strategy under the Innovation and Enterprise themes. In particular it will:

• Enable more science and technology based spin-out companies to be started.
• Improve both leading edge and other relevant knowledge transfer from universities to business.

The programme addresses the 'funding gap' that exists for commercial opportunities arising from the combined research base of the region's principal research organisations. It forms a starting point in the commercial development of these opportunities at a time when commercial investment in the opportunity is not justifiable.

It aims to encourage and facilitate the early steps towards the commercialisation of research. Promoting sustainable culture change within the universities is an aim of the programme. Importantly, the programme provides a stepping-stone, enabling academics to achieve development milestones that lead to them securing commercial investment or industry contracts.

A typical Innovation Fellowship

The awarded Fellowships will typically have the following features:

• Awards are typically ~ £15,000.
• Duration of around 6 months, up to 12 months maximum
• The majority of funding will be to support staff time - either an academic buy-out or a researcher supported by the Fellowship.
• A proportion of the award will be for justifiably necessary travel, consumable and materials costs.
• The Fellowship will enable the award holder to focus on the commercial development of intellectual property, technology or know-how.
• Access to a mentor and business training that may assist with topics from the technical and commercial, through to pitching in a 'Dragon's Den' scenario.
• Should the project be successfully commercialised within 5 years, a portion of the income generated will be used to repay the amount of the award.

Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss possible ideas with their university contact or the Regional Co-ordinator.

Proposals will be assessed on a number of criteria, including the intellectual merit and quality of the proposed activity. The Assessment Board will seek to fund those proposals that maximise the impact of the funds, whilst creating a portfolio of Fellowships that meets the overall Programme Aims.

Proposals should clearly demonstrate:

• the need for funding and the appropriateness of this funding
• the expected impact that the funding will have on the activity
• the expected deliverables and outcomes arising from the Fellowship

Specific criteria for Innovation Fellowships include:

• the potential for commercialisation
• the engagement (planned or existing) with companies, businesses and end users
• the intellectual property position
• the availability of other funding for the proposed activity
• the prior involvement of the applicants in commercialisation / industrial research (the scheme aims to broaden the pool of academics involved in such activity)

The scheme is looking to fund those projects where the award of a Fellowship will make the greatest impact. Requests for funds that seek to support an existing commercial activity should demonstrate the criticality of the Innovation Fellowship to the proposed activity.