Research Funding Applications & Impact

There are many pathways to REF-friendly Research Impact but we can add value as a partner in all stages of your proposal and delivery of the project and its outcomes. We can strengthen your funding case by identifying the anticipated future model for sustaining your research in application, and be included as a named partner with expertise in delivering input during the project, e.g. to team-members, partners or beneficiaries.

If your application is successful, we will deliver against this commitment and continue to work with you to validate potential business models and markets, and to identify commercial or industrial partners and licensees. We will collaborate with your Faculty Impact Officer to ensure maximum REF value.

PG Rise

The first stage of this process can be undertaken via PG Rise, our scheme that brings together teams of PGRs and other Early Career Researchers to undertake KE consultancy projects to identify and validate markets, partners, competition, etc, on your behalf.

If you have an invention or other research output for which you’d like to better understand the market/user-base, get in touch. Your Faculty Business Development manager will work with you and a member of our team to produce a research brief; we’ll assemble a team to deliver it and support them through the process.

The same applies if you know a PGR from any discipline who you think would be interested in joining a PG Rise team. He/she will gain skills and experiences that can be transferred to his/her own research or enhance his/her broader employability. Benefits include greater commercial awareness, exposure to other modes of thinking and research methodologies, strong peer networks, development of Design Thinking tools and entrepreneurial behaviours.

Start-up Support for Licensing/Spin-out

Once a market and/or licensing partner has been established, the actual business model needs to be identified and validated. This can be undertaken by a further PG Rise project, or via direct support from the Enterprise Team.

Our model involves a combination of 1-2-1 coaching, practical group interventions, design and implementation of validation tests, access to experienced entrepreneurs and business leaders in your sector. We will ensure that you are also connected to wider support, either via other KE support teams across the institution, or via external partners such as the Regional Growth Hub, Boost.