In 2018-19, our Enterprise Innovation initiatives consist of an Innovation Accelerator Fund, which provides continuity funding to our most promising Seed and Proof of Concept projects from our 2017-18 funding round; and a new Innovation Kick Start Fund to support enterprising projects emerging this academic year.
These awards are funded by the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), to deliver the government’s Industrial Strategy white paper. The breadth of activity eligible for funding remains wide. For example, the use of funds could include projects with significant commercial potential such as design and build of prototypes, competitor analysis, taking products to market, creating a spin out and development of strategic relationships with key stakeholders and industrial partners.
Both of the funds have been designed to encourage and enable staff to progress enterprising ideas that drive innovative economic and social development and to diversify routes to generating commercial outcomes, which also have the potential to generate impact of value to society.