Deadline: 13-Dec-22
Apply for funding to establish one of two social science Innovation Adoption Accelerators in Professional and Financial Services (PFS).
Aims of the Investment
The aims of the adoption accelerators are to:
- Enable research-led organisations to support businesses in these sectors by designing and delivering a targeted and ambitious innovation adoption programme that will work with and support firms directly, enabling collaborative working
- Unlock the potential of the social sciences to better support firms to innovate, including building capabilities for business impact
- Build on existing experience and success of collaborating and supporting businesses to adopt innovation
-
Act as centres of expertise and support to firms in the targeted sectors to help them:
- Be more knowledgeable, confident and skilled in becoming greater adopters of innovation and new, specifically digital, technologies
- Drive their own innovation, research and development
- Provide evidence of what works to help UKRI, other researchers, policymakers and the industry understand the barriers, opportunities and solutions in innovation within these sectors.
You are expected to indicate which sectors you are primarily applying to support. There is flexibility where it is evidenced it is needed (for example, where service innovation in professional services crosses over into financial services or where specific financial services providers operate in a way more similar to a professional services firm).
Funding Information
- Total fund: £3,750,000
- Maximum award: £1,875,000
- Duration: Accelerators are expected to start by 1 May 2023 and funded activities are expected to be completed by 30 September 2025.
What they are looking for?
ESRC and Innovate UK invite applications to establish two dedicated innovation adoption accelerators with one accelerator for each of the following two sectors:
- Professional services: legal and accountancy
- Financial services: focus on insurance, lending, advisory, and payment and transaction systems.
ESRC and Innovate UK will fund two accelerators across the sectors, taking a portfolio approach.
Eligibility Criteria
- They invite submissions from academic-led teams with the necessary knowledge exchange experience and proven skills to lead and manage a programme to support businesses.
- Applications may include UK co-investigators across different sectors (business, third sector and government body organisations) or international co-investigators.
- They encourage the inclusion of project partners who are able to provide cash or in-kind contributions to increase the potential scale and reach of activities.
Requirements
- You must understand the challenges to innovation adoption within the professional or financial services sectors, specifically demand-led services, and evidence of experience of working with and supporting them.
- You are also expected to have strong existing connections to businesses and relevant industry bodies in the professional or financial services, a collaborative mindset, excellent research and impact leadership and management abilities.
For more information, visit Innovate UK.
For more information, visit https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/establish-an-innovation-adoption-accelerator/
