Eligibility

This scheme will only fund collaborative engineering research projects between industry and academia. Research projects must include “industrial research” with a focus on “research and development” and “innovation”. 

• “Industrial research” means the planned research or critical investigation aimed at the acquisition of new knowledge and skills for developing new products, processes or services or for bringing about a significant improvement in existing products, processes or services. 
• “Research and development” means activities which must be novel, creative, uncertain in outcomes, systematic and transferable and/or reproducible. All five criteria are to be met every time a research and development activity is undertaken whether on a continuous or occasional basis. 
• “Innovation” means a new or improved product or process (or combination thereof) that differs from the previous products or processes and that has not been made available to potential users (product) or brought into use (process). 

Definitions provided from the ‘Research, development and innovation streamlined subsidy scheme’ document pursuant to section 10 (5) of the ‘Subsidy Control Act 2022’. For further subsidy information please refer to guidance notes.

Specific criteria for academia-to-industry fellowships:

• Applicants should hold an academic teaching or research contract at a UK university that outlasts the duration of the fellowship.  
• Applicants should be mid-career to established academics (lecturer, reader or equivalent). 
• Applicants should be teaching engineering at undergraduate or postgraduate level at a UK higher education institution/university at the time of the application deadline. 
• Applicants must have a minimum of two years teaching experience as a permanent academic or relevant experience at the time of the application deadline. 
• The industrial host should have a significant presence in the UK.  
• Collaborations with a ‘government funded industrial organisation’ are eligible to apply. Please contact the research team if you have any questions. We welcome applications from public organisations or research organisations. 
• Industrial host must comply with the guidelines of the “industrial contribution conditions and requirements”, see guidance notes. 

Any applications that are incomplete or do not adhere to the guidelines may be rejected.

Specific criteria for industry-to-academia fellowships:

• Applicants must hold a contract of employment in the UK in an industrial organisation, that outlasts the duration of the fellowship. 
• Applicants should be degree qualified or have a professional qualification, such as being a chartered engineer. 
• Applicants are to have at least five years of relevant accumulated experience working in academic or industrial engineering environments at the time of the application deadline. 
• The academic host must be based in the UK.  
• Individuals from a ‘government funded industrial organisation’ are eligible to apply. Please contact the research team if you have any questions. We welcome applications from public organisations or research organisations. 
• Industrial host must comply with the guidelines of the “industrial contribution conditions and requirements”, see guidance notes. 

Any applications that are incomplete or do not adhere to the guidelines may be rejected.

Funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.