Surrey Business School wins Innovate UK funding

Surrey Business School has secured funding from Innovate UK to launch the Southeast AI Skills Accelerator: B-Clinic for Business Transformation, a three-year initiative designed to strengthen the region’s pipeline of AI-ready graduates while helping businesses explore practical applications of artificial intelligence.

Led by Dr Athina Ioannou and Dr Erin Ling, the project will use the School’s B-Clinic to bring multidisciplinary student teams together with businesses facing real organisational challenges. Under academic supervision and, where appropriate, industry mentorship, students will develop applied solutions such as AI-assisted analytics tools, intelligent automation workflows, large language model applications, decision-support dashboards and business prototypes.

The initiative responds to two closely connected challenges: employers’ growing need for people who can apply AI effectively in organisational settings, and the difficulty many small and medium-sized enterprises face in moving from interest in AI to practical adoption.

Dr Athina Ioannou, Principal Investigator and Senior Lecturer of Business Analytics at Surrey Business School, said:

“Many businesses can see the potential of AI but lack the time, resources or specialist capability to identify where it can create meaningful value. This project will give organisations a structured and lower-risk way to explore AI applications, while enabling our students to develop the technical, commercial and interpersonal capabilities employers increasingly require.”

The accelerator will embed applied AI and work-integrated learning across Level 6 and Level 7 provision, including the BSc Business Management with Business Analytics pathway, the AI and Strategic Foresight module, the MBA’s AI pathway and the planned MSc Applied AI in Business.

By 2030, the project aims to engage 120 to 150 students, deliver 60 to 90 employer-led AI projects and work with 15 to 20 regional organisations. At least 90% of participating students will undertake a form of work-integrated learning, with the ambition of supporting at least 100 graduates into AI-related roles.

The project builds on the established success of the B-Clinic, which has already supported more than 200 students and works with approximately 14 businesses each year. The funding will enable the School to develop this activity into a more structured accelerator, with formal processes for employer onboarding, project scoping, student preparation, mentoring and evaluation.

Professor Iis Tussyadiah, Dean of Surrey Business School, said:

“AI capability is no longer confined to technology roles. Organisations need graduates who can combine an understanding of AI with business judgment, responsible decision-making and the ability to work across disciplines. This project demonstrates our commitment to an inside-out model of business education: connecting academic knowledge directly with enterprise needs to create value for students, businesses and the regional economy.”

For participating organisations, the accelerator will provide access to emerging talent and supervised opportunities to test AI-enabled ideas without the cost and risk associated with full-scale commercial development. Businesses will help define project briefs, mentor students and provide feedback, while retaining appropriate safeguards for confidential information, organisational data and intellectual property.

For the academic community, the project will create a scalable model for integrating AI skills, employer-defined challenges and work-integrated learning within business education. Its impact will be evaluated through student outcomes, employer experiences and case studies, with findings shared through practitioner networks, higher education forums and potential academic publications.

Dr Erin Ling, Joint Principal Investigator and Senior Lecturer in AI and the Future of Work, said:

“This is not simply about teaching students to use the latest AI tools. We want them to understand organisational problems, engage effectively with stakeholders, evaluate evidence and design responsible solutions that can work within real commercial constraints. We will also capture what works so that the model can be sustained at Surrey and potentially replicated elsewhere.”

The project will be supported by Surrey Chambers of Commerce and participating regional employers. Together, these relationships will help build a sustainable pipeline of business projects, placements, internships and employment opportunities.

Louise Punter, Project Director of Surrey Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), said:

“This is such a great opportunity bringing academia, businesses and the future workforce together to maximise learning on all sides. Many businesses find it difficult to translate AI information into actions that will help their business; AI specialists know all about AI but not so much about the day to day running of a business. This project allows a meeting of these conundrums and also prepares students for future roles in business.”

Project team also includes Dr Anastasios Siampos, Associate Head of School (Education), Dr Mahdi Tavalaei, Director of MBA, and Jim Sears, Director of Business Partnerships. 

Businesses interested in proposing an AI, analytics or digital-transformation challenge can learn more and contact the team through the Surrey Business School B-Clinic.

Academics and education partners interested in the curriculum, work-integrated learning or research dimensions of the accelerator are also invited to connect with Surrey Business School as the project develops.

Notes for editors: Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is creating a better future by inspiring, involving and investing in businesses developing life-changing innovations. We provide targeted sectors with expertise, facilities and funding to test, demonstrate and evolve their ideas, driving UK productivity and economic growth. Join our network and communities of innovators to realise the potential of your ideas and accelerate business growth. Innovate UK: inspiring business innovation.