STFC IPS Fellowship Extension

The transfer of knowledge and technology from academic research groups into industry in order to boost the UK economy is a priority for the UK government. One mechanism for helping this process is to employ Innovation Fellows, based in Universities, who work with the researchers and industry partners to commercialise research outputs. In this proposal we seek support for an extension to the support of the STFC IPS Fellow based at the University of Sussex.

Realising impact from Physics research is a great challenge, particularly in the STFC community. STFC-funded research projects often begin and end at lower Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) compared to those funded by other research councils and are not, generally, aimed at specific applications beyond academia. This makes finding and understanding potential routes to impact of a research project a particular challenge for the academic and consequently reduces the probability of non-academic impact arising from the work. The Fellow will work with, and support, researchers in this process and by being embedded in the Department of Physics and Astronomy this becomes much easier.

The Fellow will also work with our Research and Enterprise office, the University's Enterprise Panel, and the Sussex Innovation Centre to develop innovations and industry partnerships.

New applications for our research, and for collaborative research projects with industry, require a close, direct knowledge of our portfolio, an understanding of the challenges to commercialisation from physics, as well as dedicated time and effort to explore potential opportunities. The IPS Fellow embedded with researchers has played a unique role in increasing our knowledge exchange in both scope and extent, transforming our ability to transfer technology to and from other domains. As a consequence we have a portfolio of projects with commercial and social impact roadmaps, we have developed numerous new industrial partnerships and four potential spin-out businesses arising from STFC research groups.

The Fellow will attempt to find new areas of application for STFC research at Sussex, whilst progressing projects with impact roadmaps. The development of the four spin-out businesses, developed from very early ideas during the initial Fellowship period, will be a particular focus.