Apply for funding
Are you looking for funding to successfully exploit your research in collaboration with industry? Have you considered applying for funding from the Surrey IAA?
About the IAA
The Surrey Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) provides highly flexible and internally administrated funding to support knowledge exchange, the acceleration of impact, and to bridge the gap between UKRI (EPSRC, STFC, ESRC, and MRC) funded research to facilitate impact for the benefit of society including translation towards commercialisation.
NEW:
- Regular application reviews - from 2022 and starting with our EPSRC & MRC IAAs, our approach has changed to an open call for applications throughout the year while funding is available. Check each scheme below for details
- AI Theme applications
Background: the purpose of this funding and how it works
IAA funding supports the mission to translate fundamental science out of the laboratory and into new therapies, diagnostics, devices, and policies that will improve people’s lives and thereby impact. This scheme is perfect for academics who want to accelerate the transition of their discovery or intellectual property (see our IP Code), and to rapidly de-risk projects across this translational lifecycle such that they become eligible for (and more likely to win) follow-on funding bids.
Surrey administers the award internally – review, award, and capturing the outcomes and impacts of your projects – which enables us to quickly respond to your discoveries, ideas, and proposals in a flexible way. Our internal Surrey IAA Project Management Board meets several times a year to review your applications (regular meeting schedule below).
Details of the type of activities to be funded through the IAA are described below. We also recommend you read the following guides (5-10 min reads):
- Inventor guide – discover how the University has teams of people, resources, funding and policies that can help you become a successful innovator
- Collaborator guide – simply designed to help you start your first collaborations with a business partner
- Collaborating with SMEs guide – an easy read to help you identify and engage with small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)
STFC IAA
STFC IAA funding for Projects and Engagement is open.
Details of the type of activities funded through the STFC IAA are described below:
STFC Impact Generation Projects
Funding available | £47,500 maximum for a single project |
Application Deadline | Ongoing |
Purpose | An academic can apply for funding to support any activity to exploit or help generate impact from outcomes associated with an STFC supported field of research. There is no restriction on type or format of a project, but basic criteria must be demonstrated and are assessed before funding approved Examples of project types considered include:
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* Partner contributions dependent on the size of the partner and the project costs
STFC External Engagement
Funding available | Up to £2k |
Application Deadline | Ongoing |
Purpose | Assistance and funding is provided to help researchers identify and engage with commercial partners to stimulate more relationships and active collaborations Examples of engagement activities include:
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EPSRC IAA
A call for EPSRC Impact Generation Projects, Placements and Engagements is available here.
NEW: AI Theme
In addition to normal IAA activity, Surrey's EPSRC IAA is actively prioritising high impact projects and placements related to ‘people-centred AI’ in support of the University’s new Surrey Institute of People-Centred Artificial Intelligence. The Institute’s purpose is to identify challenges that face people, communities or society and identify whether artificial intelligence/machine learning solutions can mitigate or solve the challenges. IAA applications are therefore particularly welcome where a link to solving such problems can be demonstrated and where the application of AI/ML as a solution to a real-world human problem can be explained.
In the last 5 years, the University of Surrey has won over 90 AI-related grants utilising areas of expertise across the university, providing a rich source of potential impact projects which may be aided by this IAA call. In addition, there has been rapid growth of the use of AI/ML in areas as diverse as materials science and genomics, amongst many other areas, so potential applicants should consider whether AI/ML techniques can be utilised in novel ways to support their research aims where such techniques may have previously thought to be irrelevant or impractical. In addition, projects which combine EPSRC and other research council funded projects using AI/ML techniques, ideally in multi-disciplinary teams, will be of particular interest.
EPSRC Impact Generation Projects
Funding available | Up to £50k for a single application There is some flexibility and you should contact the IAA Manager to discuss your requirements |
Application Deadline | Ongoing Starting with our EPSRC IAA, our approach has changed to an open call for applications throughout the year, and consideration for cross-council funding, if an appropriate Co-I is presented. These changes aim to make funding accessible and inclusive to more academics, encourage more multi-disciplinary initiatives, be responsive, and enable applications when it is most appropriate and beneficial to both the research group and external collaborator. |
Purpose | An academic can apply for funding to support any activity to exploit or help generate impact from outcomes associated with an EPSRC supported field of research. There is no restriction on type or format of a project, but basic criteria must be demonstrated and are assessed before funding approved Examples of project types considered include:
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Application Criteria |
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How to apply |
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* Partner contributions dependent on the size of the partner and the project costs
EPSRC PhD and ECR placements
Funding available | Costs for a placement ≤3 months |
Application Deadline | Ongoing |
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How to apply | Contact the IAA Manager to discuss your application. |
This scheme is in collaboration with the Surrey Doctoral College. Collaboration with regional technology SMEs who may not have previously considered this type of engagement with a university is particularly encouraged.
EPSRC external engagement
Funding available | Up to £2k |
Application Deadline | Ongoing |
Purpose | Assistance and funding is provided to help researchers identify and engage with commercial partners to stimulate more relationships and active collaborations Examples of engagement activities include:
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MRC IAA
An ongoing call for the MRC's IAA activities.
IAA funding supports the MRC's mission to translate fundamental science out of the laboratory and into new therapies, diagnostics, and medical devices that will improve people’s lives and thereby deliver real impact. Read more about the scheme on the MRC website here.
This scheme is ideal for academics who want to accelerate the transition of their discovery to the early stages of development and filing patents (see our IP Code), and to rapidly de-risk projects across this translational lifecycle such that they become eligible for (and more likely to win) follow-on funding bids e.g. MRC's Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme.
The IAA Managers are here to support you before, during and after your IAA projects. If you have a quick general question such as you want to check your idea/project is eligible, contact us via email (typical response within 1-2 working days) and we will happily answer, and setup a call to discuss further if needed.
Funding available | Typically £20-65k; projects of all sizes are encouraged to apply |
Application Deadline | Ongoing (current round application deadline: the MRC IAA remains open for as long as there are funds – next review of applications takes place 31 August 2024. |
Project duration | Typically 6-16 months |
Purpose | There is no restriction on type or format of a project, but basic criteria must be demonstrated and are assessed before funding approved. Examples of project types considered include:
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Application Criteria |
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Ineligible Costs | The funding is not intended to support:
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How to apply |
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IAA application process and governance
The IAA application process has been designed to be as simple, supportive, and transparent as possible.
- Once your application has been submitted, you will be informed of receipt and next steps (1-2 working days)
- Your application will be reviewed at the next soonest IAA Project Management Board (PMB) review meeting
- Following the PMB meeting, you will be notified whether your application has been successful/further feedback/rejected.
- Successful: you will be provided with a cost code to track your expenditure
- Further feedback/quick fix: if the PMB have ideas or questions for you to consider that could be quickly/easily implemented, you could address these and eligible for award (i.e. you wouldn’t need to wait until the next PMB review meeting)
- Rejection: high-level reviewer feedback and comments will be provided, and we may discuss a re-think or developing the application further (e.g. if certain aspects need attention such as the feasibility, or time to progress such as TRL)
- Monthly financial reports for IAA projects will be sent to the Principal Investigator
- The IAA Manager may contact you for progress reports for review at the regular PMB meetings
- You will submit a mandatory feedback form at the end of your project. Feedback and outcomes may be requested for industry engagement and placement activities. This information may be collated to report back to the Steering Committee, produce case studies, feedback to the UKRI funders, or facilitate improvements to Surrey’s IAA and knowledge exchange initiatives
Regular PMB (MRC IAA) review meeting schedule:
- [Current round] Application deadline for next review: 31 August 2024, with review meeting w/c 30 September 2024.
- The call will remain open until all funds are allocated for the current round
PMB (MRC IAA) panel members consist of the following:
- FHMS-based academics
- 2-3 colleagues from Innovation Strategy, including the FHMS MRC IAA Manager
- ADRI (FHMS)
- We also vet panel members for potential conflicts of interest
Steering Committee (MRC IAA)
We also have an IAA Steering Committee that meet annually to review all aspects of the MRC IAA programme, and may include representatives from the MRC, industrial partners, and advisors to provide oversight and strategic guidance.
Other resources
You can also find further information by following the links below:
- IAA case studies
- IAA publications
- IAA application form (account registration and login required)