STFC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA)

STFC has recently awarded each of its top 22 universities an Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) to help accelerate impact derived from STFC-funded science and technology. STFC’s IAA provides flexible funding directly to the research organisation’s Knowledge Exchange / Technology Transfer Office to support STFC-funded academics to take their ideas towards application through activities not currently supported by other STFC funding mechanisms.
Activities supported by the IAA should align to the IAA guidance notes available via: http://www.stfc.ac.uk/funding/working-with-industry/commercialisation/stfc-impact-acceleration-account-pilot/
For instance, the STFC Impact Acceleration Account can be used to:
• Support the commercialisation of STFC-funded research outputs, e.g. hold an internal competition for funding small proof of concept studies.
• Supporting the training of STFC-funded academics in knowledge exchange and commercialisation, e.g. hold internal business plan competitions or workshops.
• Support the assessment for commercial potential of STFC-funded research outputs, e.g. carry out market surveys for new technologies.
• Support the engagement of STFC-funded academics with relevant users of their research, e.g. hold showcase events to introduce businesses to applied research in STFC-funded academic groups or support short secondments to / from business.

The above activities are suggestions and we very much welcome alternative projects. Applicants should consider what activities would be most appropriate for their own STFC-funded community. Any requests for the award funds to be used to employ external parties should be fully justified.

STFC Impact Acceleration Account cannot be used to:
• Support Public Engagement activities
• Pay for patent costs
• Support training or activities aimed at undergraduates
• Cover tuition or bench fees for PhD students
• Support activities based on outputs of research funded solely by organisations other than STFC

Due to funding limitations, we will be supporting only the top 22 funded research organisations as determined by total value of STFC grants paid in financial years 2012-17. An alphabetical list of the research organisations, who have received an IAA award (£100,000), is attached below.

Cardiff University, Durham University, Imperial College London, Lancaster University, Open University
Queen Mary, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London, The University of Manchester, University College London, University of Birmingham, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Leeds, University of Leicester, University of Liverpool, University of Oxford, University of Sheffield, University of Southampton, University of Sussex, University of Warwick

Please contact the Knowledge Exchange / Technology Transfer team within your university or Ling Xu (Ling.xu@stfc.ac.uk) if you have any questions.
Best wishes,
STFC

http://www.stfc.ac.uk/funding/working-with-industry/commercialisation/stfc-impact-acceleration-account-pilot/