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WORLD LEADING BUSINESS SUPPORT
ICURe Cohort 29 (SETsquared) – Applications NOW CLOSED
For research teams from UK universities
and some Public Sector Research Enterprises
with commercially-promising ideas.
Derive more IMPACT from your research activities
Validate the market for products or services that utilise your research
Apply for funding of up to £30k for market validation
Engage with at least 100 prospective customers, competitors, regulators and stakeholders
Receive expert feedback and guidance at the end of your ICURe journey
The Innovation to Commercialisation of University Research (ICURe) Programme is a collaboration between SETsquared, NorthbyNorthwest Partnership, Midlands Partnership, Innovate UK, UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and is designed to move ideas and innovation out of labs and into the marketplace where they will have the greatest impact.
ICURe is responding to the extraordinary circumstances that the Covid19 global pandemic is producing. The whole world is being impacted, with the UK and most other countries experiencing lockdown and social distancing. We all hope that we are now seeing control of and the beginning of the defeat of the pandemic, but we are likely to be in a continually changing environment for a lengthy period. Fortunately, university innovation and entrepreneurial thinking is continuing apace and perhaps even accelerating through the lockdown and as lockdown eases. The need for market validation as we commercialise research outputs is as strong as ever and ICURe is evolving to ensure a better fit to the new circumstances. With these continuously changing circumstances, the ICURe Programme will dynamically evolve and change in response to the UK and global situations. ICURe is an innovation and entrepreneurial programme, and entrepreneurs deal with and take advantage of constant change, so come to the programme to embrace and be part of the change.
ICURe supports the research team’s Entrepreneurial Lead (ECR) to undertake 3 to 4 months of full-time, intensive market assessment, having meaningful engagements with at least 100 prospective customers, regulators, suppliers, partners, competitors and other stakeholders in the global marketplace to validate the commercial potential of the team’s innovation.
The options for commercialisation pathways can include carrying out further public or private sponsored research, exploring licensing opportunities, seeking public or private funding for spin-out, for those projects that have demonstrated strong market potential by the end of the market validation.
For the full team descriptions and requirements, as well as eligible expenditures and expectations, please read the Guidance for Applicants
Fifteen innovative teams from thirteen different UK universities pitched their ventures online across two days to an audience of 120+ investors on each day. From novel medical devices to augmented reality marketing software to smart, sustainable concrete – an impressive array of innovations set to be the growth companies of the future were unveiled.
Read all about it
The ICURe Programme was definitely key to establishing Biosystems Technology. It fast-tracked the commercial translation of our academic research into a viable business proposition. I learnt a huge amount of commercial knowledge and expertise in a short period of time.
Dr Olivia Champion, Biosystems Technology
For more information, contact ICURE@soton.ac.uk or call: Thea Glasspool on 07557 179144
SETsquared is a partnership between
