MVLS Innovation, Engagement and Enterprise Newsletter

The Translational Research Initiative (TRI) would like to bring to your attention the following funding opportunities, seminars, events, workshops and support opportunities.

Funding Opportunities

UKRI Proof-of-Concept Fund - Expressions of interest now open (n.b. Please see conditions below before applying)

The UKRI has pre-announced a £9M Proof-of-Concept Fund, with two stages to the application process. This funding is designed to support the commercialisation of research to enable spinouts or social ventures, licencing or other commercialisation pathways. Applications from any disciplines are welcomed. No pre-existing UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding is required. The programme will not support discovery-driven research. The full economic cost (FEC) can be up to £250,000 for 12 months duration with a minimum of £100,000 for 6 months. UKRI will fund 80% FEC.

The intention to submit is a mandatory step and the deadline is Monday 3rd March 2025, 4pm (UK time), however applicants from UofG should also note the following important information:

Colleagues who are submitting the mandatory expression of interest form (EOI) must also copy in researchinitiatives@glasgow.ac.uk, mvls-innovation@glasgow.ac.uk and the email address of their current project co-ordinator.
Applicants should also name Strategic Research Initiatives (researchinitiatives@glasgow.ac.uk) in their EOIs as a central contact point. This will alert the SRI team at the earliest possible point about a potential demand management process, which will be put in place for the full application stage.

If you have any queries, please get in touch with us at researchinitiatives@glasgow.ac.uk.

BBSRC Follow-on Funding - Round One

The latest round of BBSRC Follow-on Fund (FoF) is now open to applications. BBSRC FoF is designed to help researchers maximise the commercial, economic, and societal benefits of their research. Projects must draw upon current or previous BBSRC research investment, which includes BBSRC IAA awards. More information can be found on the UKRI Funding Finder page here. For anyone considering an application to FoF, please contact the FoF inbox at fof@bbsrc.ukri.org for any questions you may have. Deadline for applications: Wednesday 26th March, 4pm.

GOSH Charity & LifeArc Translational Research Accelerator Grants

Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH Charity) is proud to partner with medical research charity LifeArc to deliver our ambitious translational research funding scheme. For the first time, the 2025 call will be open nationally to academic researchers from eligible Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the United Kingdom.

We are excited to welcome applications for projects on the translational pathway that will improve the prevention, diagnosis, prognosis or treatment of paediatric rare disease. There is a total of £1m available, and from this we expect to award 2-3 high-quality projects with a minimum value of £250k each, for up to three years. For full guidance and information on how to apply, please visit our website. Deadline for applications is Thursday 3rd April 2025, 12 noon.

SULSA Early Career Development Fund

This funding aims to support researchers in their endeavours to develop their own independent academic research track. The funds can be used for a variety of activities within these categories:

Travel
Training in new techniques/skills
Consumable costs
Facility access

The project must be used to foster collaboration which could fall within following aims:

Building a new academic collaboration (cross-disciplinary, cross-university, international)
Upskilling of the applicant through collaborative training
Generation of pilot data and/or developing a pathway to commercialisation with an external collaborator

You can apply for up to £4,000 and we hope to award a minimum of 5 projects. For more information, please see our website. Application Deadline: Monday 24th February 2025, 5pm. Register now for our Early Career Development Information Session taking place on Thursday 23rd January at 10 - 11 am to learn more about this funding call.

Biofortification Hub Funding

The Biofortification Hub will launch its next round of funds on Saturday 1st February 2025. To apply you need to be eligible for BBSRC funding and have an industry link or partner, you’d also have to become a member of the Hub (no cost, and short registration form.) The funds available are:

PoC = up to £100k and 12 months
Business Interaction Voucher = up to £50k and 9 months
Flexible Mobility Award = up to £20k and 3 months
Collaboration building workshop fund = 2 workshops in the UK, up to £4k per workshop

For more information, please visit the Biofortification Hub website. Deadline for applications: Friday 25th April 2025

Gates Foundation Grand Challenges - Request for proposals

The Gates Foundation are pleased to announce five new Grand Challenges (GC) requests for proposals (RFPs). We encourage you to apply to the Challenges for which you are eligible. The new RFPs are:

We are planning webinars to provide more information and answer your questions about the RFPs being announced today. You can sign up for the sessions here:

Accelerating Innovations to Address Heavy Menstrual Bleeding in Women in Low-Resource Settings: February 25, 3 - 4 pm GMT - webinar link
Enhancing HIV and TB Diagnosis: Adjunct Technologies for Sample Collection and Processing: February 26, 2 - 3 pm GMT - webinar link
Innovations for Gram-Negative Antibiotic Discovery: February 27, 2 - 3 pm GMT - webinar link
Reducing the Burden of Preeclampsia: February 27, 3.30 - 4.30 pm GMT - webinar link

Please submit any questions here. Like all Grand Challenges projects over 20-plus years, the newly announced RFPs will foster innovation to address urgent global priorities, and the grantees, funders, and others in the Grand Challenges network will work in the spirit of partnership to maximize their combined impact. We invite you to read summaries of selected Grand Challenges grants, explore an interactive world map of projects across the Grand Challenges network, and sign up on the Grand Challenges website to receive email updates. Applications are open until Tuesday 25th March 2025.

Training and Events

WREN Presents Elin Haf Davies: Journeys into the unknown

Elin Haf Daviesis the founder of the MedTech company Aparito, recently acquired by Eli Lilly & Co. Her work with children and young people with chronic illnesses inspired her to make sure their voices are heard in the drug development process. Elin is also an adventurer at heart having rowed and sailed across the oceans whilst raising money for charities and raising awareness about rare childhood disorders.
Expert-led training designed for academic entrepreneurs
Strong peer network from a diverse cohort of future founders
Access to business professionals
Equity-free cash prizes for the top projects
One-to-one support from our team

We are thrilled to invite you to our next Women Researcher’s Enterprise Network (WREN) event featuring Elin Haf Davies. Hear about Elin’s incredible journey, learn what motivated her to start Aparito and her thoughts on moving into the corporate world.

When: Thursday 6th March 2025, 12 - 1 pm

Where: Online - booking link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1247114465939?aff=oddtdtcreator

AI Discovery: Deeptech Health Science Workshop

AI Discovery: Deeptech is a co-curricular ten-module programme designed for post-graduates and postdocs from University of Edinburgh and University of Glasgow. The programme brings together academics and graduate students from both universities with the wider Techscaler network, to teach participants the basics of building a startup, with a focus on stimulating AI Deeptech startups in health science. AI Discovery: Deeptech consists of practical, collaborative modules followed by hackathons, in which participants will have the opportunity to work together using synthetic NHS data to create a product, build a notional business model around it, and pitch it to investors.

Objectives and Outcomes:

Gain an understanding the end-to-end process of building an AI-driven startup.
Become equipped to identify, validate, and address real-world challenges using AI.
Gain foundational knowledge of regulatory, business, and technical aspects specific to Health Science.
Develop practical skills in pitching, team building, and MVP development.
Build a network of potential collaborators, mentors, and investors.
Have the opportunity to become a Techscaler member, and access further programmes, mentoring and support.

Workshop Details: The programme begins on Monday 3rd March 2025, 2 - 5 pm in Edinburgh and will finish week commencing Monday 19th May, with a break 7 to 18 April. Workshops will be 2-3 hours in duration, on a weekly basis and will be held in-person in Edinburgh or Glasgow, with online remote access.

For more information and to apply, please visit the AI Discovery website, or email enquiries to david.lowe@glasgow.ac.uk.

BioTrinity 2025 - Academic innovation poster call

At OBN (UK), the not-for-profit membership and networking organisation supporting the life sciences industry, we have been increasing our support to academic institutes by providing a convenient and useful link to industry. Our flagship investment and partnering conference, BioTrinity 2025, will be held on 1st and 2nd April, and we are again inviting entrepreneurial academics to join us and submit a poster on your emerging translatable research. Perhaps you’d like to publicise a brand-new spinout to potential industry partners and investors, or receive industry feedback about an idea, or showcase university technology for new out-licensing opportunities?

We’re seeking 30 poster presenters from academia across 2 conference days and will provide a free single-day conference pass to present your research and meet industry professionals. We’ll run the hugely popular 60-second pitch session, to get eyes onto your poster! Can you summarise what’s important about your innovation, in 1 minute?!

A short, 150-word abstract about your innovation and technology and some brief details about yourself are all that is required. If you are interested, or you know someone in your network who might be, please apply, and/or let them know! The submission form is open until Friday 28th February 2025. For more information, please check out our event website: www.biotrinity.com. Note, you can also attend on the discounted academic delegate pass for the whole event, no poster.

Hamamatsu Photonics - invitation to coffee morning in the ARC

Hamamatsu Photonics UK is excited to host to our very first networking coffee morning! This event will take place at The Advanced Research Centre (ARC) at the University of Glasgow, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences and promises to be a fantastic opportunity to connect with industry professionals over a cup of FREE coffee. Whether you're interested in photonics, technology, or simply want to expand your professional network, this event is for you. Don't miss out on the chance to meet our team, learn about the latest technologies and explore potential collaborations. We look forward to seeing you there!

When: Thursday 20th February 2025, 10 am - 12 pm

Where: Room 223, Advanced Research Centre (ARC), University of Glasgow

Perks: Enjoy FREE coffee and sweet treats!

Converge Challenge 2025

Our 2025 programme is now open for applications! We're on the lookout for 100 promising academic innovators from across Scotland's universities who are looking to transform their research, ideas and inventions into businesses with global impact. Our programme will equip you with the right skills, expertise and connections you'll need to make it happen, including:

Places on our prestigious programme - the only one of its kind in Scotland - are highly sought after with an application deadline of Wednesday 2nd April. Please see o ur website for more information.

Policy and Political Engagement courses

Sarah Weakley, Research and KE Lead (CoSS) and Centre for Public Policy, is offering all MVLS staff access to two of her courses - 'Foundations of Policy Engagement' and 'Political Engagement (Scotland and UK)'. The courses will be co-facilitated by Kimberley Somerside, Communications and Policy Engagement Lead, Centre for Public Policy.

Foundations of Policy Engagement - 4th March (online), 29th April (in person); Interested in learning about policy engagement, influence, and impact in your research career? This foundational session will provide an overview of policy and policy engagement in the UK, helping you navigate and approach these areas effectively.

Political Engagement (Scotland and UK) - 1stApril (online); This session aims to inform researchers on engaging with both the Scottish Parliament and Westminster. It will provide an overview of each Parliament and explore the various ways researchers can effectively engage with them
Effective group working
Understanding your audience
Development and delivery of high-quality STEM engagement content
Creation of supporting materials
Project and budget planning

To book, please access the course via the links above. If you sign into the Inkpath platform and navigate to these courses yourself you will not be able to register. Once you click on those links you will need to select University of Glasgow as the destination on the home page, sign in via the UofG page and then wait a while – then the exact course registration page will come up. If you are having trouble and are not able to register at all via Inkpath, please get in touch with Sarah Weakley (Sarah.Weakley@glasgow.ac.uk) directly and she will add you to the roll.

Glasgow Science Festival in Action - PGR training

PGR students from the Colleges of Science & Engineering (CoSE) and Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences (MVLS) are invited to join GSF in Action, an extended public engagement training scheme, taking place online and in-person throughout spring and summer 2025. There will be a combination of taught sessions and small group work, focusing on development of tabletop activities. Followed by a process of review and refinement. You will then deliver your groups activities at an event during Glasgow Science Festival 2025, which runs from the 5th to 15th June.

Throughout the course you will develop useful skills such as:

For more information and to sign up please visit our website . Applications are open until Wednesday 19th February, 5pm. We look forward to your application. For any questions about the course please contact sciencefestival@glasgow.ac.uk.

STEM Ambassadors - Information Sessions

Interested in engaging young people with STEM? Join the MVLS Engagement team and staff from the STEM Ambassador programme to learn more about how you can get involved. At the sessions, we'll look at the training and resources available to STEM Ambassadors, explore the benefits of signing up, and highlight opportunities to engage. Open to all MVLS staff and students. Teas & coffees will be provided.

Session 1 – Thursday 20th February, 2 – 2:45pm, The ARC, Rm 237A - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1139825341279?aff=oddtdtcreator

Session 2 – Thursday 20th February, 3:30 – 4:15pm, The ARC, Rm 237A - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1140759996859?aff=oddtdtcreator

Intellectual Property (IP) Skills webinars

The highly popular webinar series on intellectual property is back with a new focus on IP skills. Find out more here. Last year we held a series of highly popular talks about the basics of intellectual property. This year we decided to shift focus onto practical skills that are essential for any innovative or entrepreneurial researcher.

Turning research outcomes into new businesses, products, and services is one of the primary ways in which the University of Glasgow delivers meaningful social, economic, and environmental impact beyond academia. IP is critical to this activity – many potential industrial partners and investors will only collaborate or provide funding with appropriate IP protection in place. This means IP is of enormous and growing importance for generating impact. This new series of talks will explore IP skills that are critical for generating impact: freedom to operate, prior art, IP discovery, IP safety, IP value, and IP strategy.

These talks will be led by highly experienced patent attorneys from Mewburn Ellis. Ample time will be devoted to questions and discussion. These talks are open to all members of the University community, but people who have not previously contacted the IP & Innovation Team are especially welcome. The next in this series of webinars will be held on Wednesday 5th March 2024, 12 - 1pm.

You can sign up for all the IP skills webinars in the series on these links:

#6 of 7: Dan Thornton will discuss understanding IP value. Get your free ticket here
#7 of 7: Eleanor Maciver will explain what a commercially driven IP strategy is. Get your free ticket here

TRI Support

Clinical 1-to-1 drop-in sessions

The TRI are offering a translational research regulatory support scheme, aimed to provide interested researchers with personalised regulatory support from expert consultants. This initiative is funded by the Wellcome Trust and provides applicants with the opportunity to attend a 1-1 session with therapeutics and clinical device regulatory experts, who can provide tailored guidance and support on the regulatory requirements of clinical translational projects. Interested researchers are invited to submit a short application along with their questions to Dr Michaela Petaroudi, and successful applicants will be invited to attend an online meeting with the regulatory consultant. In case further support is needed, eligible researchers will be offered with the option to attend a follow-up session.

Who should attend? This event is open to all University of Glasgow research staff of all levels, who are actively involved in translational projects and have identified specific areas where regulatory support or advice is required.

When? Drop-in sessions are now available on-demand. Please email Dr Michaela Petaroudi to book or to register interest.

Case Studies and Information

Translational Case Studies

SITUATE - A situated digital platform for learning new health habits.
VascuSens - Self-reporting vascular graft development.

MVLS Informational Videos

Translational Research Initiative - A series of videos on aspects of translational research and what support is available at the University of Glasgow.