LIF provides engineering and technology innovators with access to experienced mentors, an international network of peers, and high-quality skills training focused on commercialisation and maximising their technology’s impact on society.
What we do
The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF) programme supports talented entrepreneurs from around the globe to turn their engineering innovations into impactful, sustainable businesses.
We nurture bold, scalable innovations from all areas of engineering and technology that are addressing some of the world’s most complex environmental, economic, and societal challenges.
Our USP
Our personalised approach focuses on acquiring foundational entrepreneurship skills. These then lead to accelerated commercial growth, job creation, and investment in the businesses our programme supports.
Our entrepreneurs benefit from the Academy’s unique, prestigious network, which brings together expert Academy Fellows, likeminded entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, researchers, and policymakers.
We empower a worldwide community of more than 1,400 alumni to support each other, and curate a programme of networking events, pitch opportunities and ongoing entrepreneurship training.
We don’t take equity, fees or IP.
Our offer
- Smart, flexible training, designed around the needs of our innovators
- Tailored mentoring from highly accomplished entrepreneurs and business leaders
- A network of peers in the UK and internationally
- Ongoing support from the Academy’s global network and unique convening power
The LIF entrepreneurship journey
LIF Programme
Accelerate, scale-up, and grow your business.
LIF Global
Flagship entry-point programme that supports entrepreneurs with a technology prototype to create an entrepreneurial min…
Advance
This programme takes entrepreneurs who are working on a customer validated product through rapid scale-up and internati…
FAQ
Questions and answers for applicants to the LIF Global and Advance programmes
Are you an entrepreneur based in the UK?
Our Enterprise hub works with a range of engineering and technology entrepreneurs to help them startup, spinout and scale-up. All our programmes are offered free of charge and we take zero equity.