Funding available for business-university innovation collaboration.

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Funding is available through the Kent Innovation & Enterprise Industrial Strategy Fund for business-university innovation collaboration. This round of funding is available until, and must be spent by, June 30th 2019, and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

This is support funding whereby a cash contribution from business is match funded from the University – in effect the University contribution is free of charge to the company. Business contribution must be a minimum of £3,000 and a maximum of £40,000.

The aim of the fund is to drive commercial development, economic growth and job creation by enabling UK businesses to undertake innovation projects with the University of Kent. Collaborative development projects are designed to assist the industrial community in areas highlighted in the UK Industrial Strategy.

Projects and/or the company or organisation must fall within the following sectors and areas of technology:

  1. Creative industry – new technologies and discovering new business opportunities
  2. Logistics and transport – improving information for Cross Channel network optimisation
  3. Food and agriculture – determining the region’s best opportunity for disruptive innovation
  4. Environment and construction – use of sensor technology and innovation in business systems
  5. Bioscience and medical – building on the University’s growing strength in the region

The fund will run to the end of June 2019, must be match-funded by the business, and outputs from these projects must include new products, processes or services.

Activity covered by Project:

  • Industrial research – planned research to acquire new knowledge for developing new or improving existing products, processes or services.
  • Experimental development – the acquisition, combination or shaping of existing knowledge to produce plans or designs for new or improved products, processes and services.
  • Process innovation – the implementation of a new or significantly improved production or delivery method including techniques, equipment and/or software.
  • Organisational innovation – the implementation of a new organisational method in a company’s business practices, workplace organisation or external relations.

For further information please get in touch at enterprise@kent.ac.uk

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