Swansea University awarded funding to progress ideas and business

Swansea University has welcomed the news that it will receive over half a million pounds from the UK government to take forward its innovative research, collaboration and entrepreneurship programme.

The funding, which comes from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s (EPSRC) Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAA), was announced by Business Secretary Vince Cable during Global Entrepreneurship Week held in November.
The total £60m investment in UK universities helps pioneering scientists and engineers create successful businesses from their research, improve industrial collaboration, and foster greater entrepreneurship. The awards have been allocated to 31 leading universities across the UK, with Swansea University being one of only two universities from Wales awarded funding.

The £637,927 award will enable the University to prioritise research areas in Materials Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction (Techealth) and the Centre for Nanohealth which encompasses projects across Engineering, Science and Medicine. In addition funds will be made available from the award to support a central resource, which will administer and monitor the account and co-ordinate a range of activities, events and initiatives aligned to the University’s EPSRC portfolio.

Welcoming the announcement Professor Ian Cluckie, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research said: “The funding will support our scientists and engineers to help them develop projects in greater collaboration with industry, bridge the gap between the lab and the marketplace and bring research ideas to a stage where a company or venture capitalist might be interested. It will also help us to fund secondments from and into industry to broaden engagement with industrial research partners improving knowledge and skills."