Applicant
- You must be resident in the region that you are applying to take part in the programme, or based in a nearby area, and able to attend training sessions in one of the stated locations within a reasonable travel distance.
- You must have technical understanding in the area of your innovation.
- You must have the right to live and work in the UK and be based in the UK full-time.
- You should normally be an experienced engineer or tech professional (experienced engineer is defined as mid-late career or someone with at least 5 years’ experience working in an engineering or technology environment).
- You must be able to commit time to taking part in the programme full-time from March 2025.
- You must be at least 18 to apply.
- You cannot be in full-time study or employment if accepted onto the programme.
- Previous experience of commercialisation or enterprise is not required.
Innovation
- You must have an innovative engineering or technology-based solution to an identified problem, or market need, that you have been involved in the development of
- Your innovation should be beyond invention stage (Technology Readiness Level 2 or above) with a practical application identified, the concept formulated and the desire to develop a business proposition. If you already have a Minimum Viable Product then you are likely too advanced for this programme
- Your startup should have the potential to be self-sustaining and scalable
- If you have already registered a new business, the innovation should not currently be available to the market other than as a prototype with limited sales
- You must be committed to establishing your new startup in the region where you are applying to take part in the programme or your nearby ‘levelling up’ region
- You should not normally have raised substantial amounts of funding for your innovation, as you will be too advanced for this programme
- We cannot accept applications from individuals wishing to start a consultancy business
Application
- One person per application
- Only one application can be submitted by each individual
- Only individuals can apply to the programme
Please note, recent university degree graduates (graduated with their first degree since 1 January 2019) or university spinouts are not eligible for this programme and should apply instead to the Enterprise Fellowships programme.
