Science Creates: UKRI EngBio Accelerator Cohorts (3 years)

Challenge: Founders on the UKRI Engineering Biology Accelerator needed practical, accessible support to strengthen both their grant funding capability and their approach to commercialising complex deep-tech innovations. Support needed to work across multiple cohorts and remain available beyond individual workshops.

Approach: Supported Science Creates' UKRI Engineering Biology Accelerator over three years through a combination of digital learning and in-person delivery. Developed and delivered Grant Funding Fundamentals as an online course, complemented by in-person workshops during the first two years. The digital course remained available to deep tech founders across all three years. In the final year, developed a new Design Thinking for Deep Tech course focused on applying customer-centred and commercial thinking to technologies with long development cycles and significant technical uncertainty.

Outcomes

• Supported UKRI Engineering Biology Accelerator cohorts over three years

• Wrote the first UKRI grant application to win the accelerator funding

• Developed Grant Funding Fundamentals as a reusable digital learning programme

• Delivered complementary in-person grant funding workshops over two years

• Developed Design Thinking for Deep Tech to help founders apply commercial and customer evidence alongside technical development

• Both courses retained as live resources within the Science Creates accelerator learning offer to help members access the £50k grant funding available through the scheme

• Created scalable programme content that could support founders beyond individual workshop delivery

Client quote coming soon.