Aspect Research Commercialisation (ARC) Accelerator

Social sciences, humanities, and the arts for people and economy (SHAPE) disciplines have historically not received the same level of support and funding for entrepreneurial activity as STEM based projects in terms of entrepreneurial training, ideation, mentoring, and practical support. The government programmes that are available are mostly for STEM based innovation and do not quite fit or support early stage projects with innovation potential from social sciences. The ARC Accelerator (formerly called the SUCCESS Programme) is a first-of-its-kind opportunity specifically designed to help SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts) academics and researchers to develop ideas based on their research into businesses or ventures to help people, society and the economy.

The programme is open to SHAPE researchers (students and alumni are not eligible) from Aspect network members.

The ARC Accelerator is a six-month programme, and successful applicants will benefit from:

  • A half-day’s Business Canvas support session to explore and build out their idea
  • A virtual training bootcamp spread over three weeks, led by industry experts, to develop key entrepreneurial skills
  • Specialised, sector specific training, access to experts who have been there before, investors and key networks
  • Dedicated mentorship support to help validate their idea, develop the business model, and support their pitch for funding or investment
  • The chance to pitch for up to £50,000 in prize money at the final showcase event (subject to funder conditions)

What’s next?

The ARC programme team is actively discussing improvements, including the networks of investors and funders, along with additional business model development training for entrepreneurs. The further procurement of more sector experts to work with academics on topics such as how to sell to local government is also important. The programme team anticipates integrating more of the training content that is traditionally taught in quite a siloed manner and separate from the rest of the entrepreneurial experience in order to help the academic entrepreneurs understand how topics like IP, branding, marketing, and competitive strategy work together and influence the overall business strategy. It is anticipated that the ARC accelerator will continue for two more iterations with a view to expand the number of teams accepted into the programme.

To find out more, please visit https://arcaccelerator.io/

Training & resources

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38 Resources | Page 1 of 2

ARC Project profile: Teacher Selection Project

Robert Klassen provides an overview of his venture the Teacher Selection Project.

ARC Project profile: EQUAL-Futures

Roberta Guerrina provides an overview of her venture EQUAL-Futures.

ARC Project profile: Age of Love

Sharron Hinchliff provides an overview of her venture Age of Love.

ARC Project profile: Culturalytics

Michael Muthukrishna provides an overview of his venture Culturalytics.

ARC Project profile: Mawthuq

Tahir Zaman provides an overview of his venture Mawthuq.

ARC Project profile: MFL Student Mentoring

Lucy Jenkins provides an overview of her venture the MFL Student Mentoring project.

ARC Project profile: So What App-ens Next

Jo Deakin provides an overview of her venture So What App-ens Next

ARC Project profile: CODES

Michael Bruter provides an overview of his venture tackling the lack of understanding of public opinion in electoral processes.

ARC Project profile: STRIDE

Liam O’Hare provides an overview of his venture, an initiative helping CSR teams design and evaluate social impact programmes

ARC Project profile: Children’s Voice

Sarah Ward provides an overview of her venture, an initiative addressing child poverty by putting young people at the heart of policy interventions designed to help them.

ARC Project profile: Set, Ready, Safety

Lisa Kelly provides an overview of her venture, a digital training, safety and compliance app for film production.

ARC Project profile: Situate

Lawrence Barsalou provides an overview of his venture, which aims to assess a health behaviour, like stress, on two dimensions of situatedness.

ARC Project profile: OnTrack Rehab

Gianpaolo Fusari provides an overview of his venture, OnTrack Rehab helping stroke survivors.

ARC Project profile: SPARC

Mark Doffman provides an overview of his venture, supporting art organisations in a post-pandemic world.

Social Science / Social Ventures

Which is what and what is the difference?

ARC Accelerator: Class of 2021

Welcoming the Aspect Research Commercialisation (ARC) Accelerator class of 2021

A bright new world of social science ventures

Chris Fellingham reflects on the inaugural SUCCESS cohort and looks ahead to the new ARC Accelerator

2020 SUCCESS cohort profiles

Profiles of the 12 projects that took part in our inaugural cohort

SUCCESS Programme – 2020 cohort winners announced

Find out which projects won awards at the pitch day

SUCCESS project profile: Enduring Net

Professor Ser-Huang Poon explains how the programme has supported her venture

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