Archives: Funded Project

All Funded Projects live here.

Building on Social Sciences Commercialisation Pipeline

Aspect member: University of York 

What is the project doing? 

This project assisted in the development of a commercialisation pipeline for the social sciences at York. It funded a role, providing York with the capacity to lead and/or engage with other Aspect projects.

Why is this needed? 

By combining Aspect and ESRC funds this project trialed, and subsequently mainstreamed, a role that will continue beyond the Aspect/ESRC funding periods. 

How can members get involved? 

N/A

For further information please contact Chris Hewson (chris.hewson@york.ac.uk).

Piloting a programme to support mid-career researcher engagement with startups

Aspect members: Zinc, Cardiff University, University of Exeter, University of Glasgow, Queen’s University Belfast.  

What was the project doing?

This project piloted a new programme to provide mid-career researchers with an exciting and dynamic commercial experience at low cost and minimal burden. The program emphasised short-term immersion in the world of early-stage innovation with the aim of helping researchers to both teach in and learn from research-related engagement with start-up founders. A small cohort of researchers from different disciplines and institutions was supported to work with founders over a total of five days (spread over five weeks from early June). As well as receiving some bespoke training, they applied their research expertise and skills in direct work with founders.

Why was this needed?

Mid-career researchers typically have fewer opportunities than ECRs to explore developmental routes outside academia. This limits opportunities for professional and personal development among this cohort, particularly in terms of their familiarity with and understanding of ways of working with commercial partners.

How could members get involved?

Each confirmed partner recruited at least one mid-career researcher to join the project and provided support for those individuals to participate. These costs were minimal but included researcher buy-out (where required) plus travel and accommodation for in-person components. Other members were welcome to join on the same terms.

For further information, please contact Dr. Sal Malik (salman@zinc.vc) or Rachel Middlemass (rachelm@zinc.vc).

FastFrame

Aspect members: LSE, Oxford University.

What is the project doing?

The main aim of the FastFrame project is to develop a set of 6 reusable wireframe templates to enable new software concepts to be market tested and de-risked at a very early stage. Each template will be suitable for a certain type of software with similar user journeys. These will be defined by concepts that we’re regularly seeing from SHAPE innovators. The aim is to make the templates easy to customize by the academic to bring their concept to life and collect user feedback.  

Why is this needed? 

This project is needed in order to remove the barriers to defining and testing an innovative software concept from SHAPE research. The quick and easy templates will allow academic innovators to independently customize and create a wireframe, removing the cost and time required to find and pay a developer to define their solution. With FastFrame, they can quickly and cheaply define and ‘stress’ test their idea with real users, pivot fast and define a solution that meets user needs.  

How can members get involved? 

Members are invited to discuss their SHAPE software projects with the team. This will help the project group common SHAPE software innovations and create wireframes that cover the most common user journeys. 


For further information please contact Charlotte Rowan (c.rowan1@lse.ac.uk).

Building on ABC: Co-creating an online training resource for social sciences researchers

Aspect members: University of York, University of Sussex, Durham University

What was the project doing?

This project built upon the collective learnings and successes of the ESRC NPIF Accelerating Business Collaboration fund to pilot a comprehensive Knowledge Exchange training program for research active and professional support staff.

Activities included:

  • Consulting with those who received ABC funds, collating details on training and development activities, understanding the perceived successes, failures, and frustrations of the program.
  • Surveying researchers to identify key areas where they wanted and needed development in relation to KE.
  • Creating a pilot training program, with potential wider roll-out in 2022/23 (Now available on the Aspect members Platform).
  • Creating a library of resources, including a list of training facilitators and their expertise (Now available on the Aspect members Platform).

Why was this needed?

The ESRC ABC programme has generated a wealth of information, experience, and knowledge. However, there was little opportunity to share these experiences and learn from the successes and failures of others for the purposes of future planning. This project aimed to capture this knowledge and share best practices and resources.

How could members get involved?

Members were involved with the project via:

  • Connecting with the project via the main ABC contact in their university/DTP.
  • Sharing learnings, experience, and ideas for the future with the project team.
  • Sharing relevant communications with beneficiaries of their ABC activities.

For more information and to get involved please contact:

Mary Harris (M.F.Harris@sussex.ac.uk)  

Charlotte Kerr (charlotte.kerr@durham.ac.uk)  

Case: Commercialising research inspired education and training programmes

Aspect. members: University of Manchester (In Place of War – In Place of War is a global organisation that uses creativity in places of conflict as a tool for positive change), Queen’s University Belfast.

What was the project doing? 

The project had two primary aims:  

  1. Undertake a feasibility/market analysis for commercialising In Place of War’s CASE and other research and practice into commercial education programmes
  2. Develop a strategy for commercialization for CASE and new programmes in development (Masters and BA) 

Why is this needed? 

In Place of War have translated research findings into education programmes. The most successful is CASE (the creative and social entrepreneur programme) which was shortlisted for a UNESCO Creative economy prize and has been rolled out in 15 countries in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East in partnership with the British Council and Mastercard Foundation. However, CASE and other programmes that IPOW have developed are reliant on external funding, thus there is a need to develop a strategy to commercialise the programmes to support IPOW’s education work with grassroots organizations in sites of conflict. 

How can members get involved? 

Members are invited to share ideas and experiences and give feedback/insights on the project.

For further information please contact Alex Riley (alexander.riley@manchester.ac.uk).

Artifical Intelligence in Arbitration: Ethical considerations

Aspect members: University of Manchester, University of Bristol. 

This project allowed researchers to engage with the relevant commercial stakeholders (specifically AI firms, law firms, and arbitral institutions) to ensure the careful and ethically appropriate integration of AI technologies into commercial arbitration processes through the application of the academic research conducted by the authors. One of the central aims of the project was to create a commercially viable and self-sustainable legal online platform that would enable knowledge transfer of the findings of the authors’ existing and future research to relevant businesses.

Why was this needed?

There was a widespread assumption that increased use of technology in legal services was always a “positive” development. This assumption was largely based on “utopian” claims about the capacity of technological development to improve legal practice, make it more affordable, and improve the accessibility to legal services. Such assumptions needed to be challenged to ensure the careful and ethically appropriate integration of AI technologies into commercial arbitration processes.

Train the Trainer

Aspect Members: LSE, University of Glasgow, Queensland University of Technology, University of York, University of Exeter.

What is the project doing? 

This project is designed to support professional services staff tasked with communicating/promoting/supporting knowledge exchange, innovation and its impact for SHAPE researchers within their institutions.  

It seeks to maximise the use of the toolkits and other outputs produced by all CoPs over the first phase of Aspect, as well as supporting the collation of other existing resources within Aspect member institutions, and creation of new resources and sessions where useful. 

This project hopes to give members better knowledge of the resources available to them that can be used when supporting academics, and an understanding of the most effective ways of communicating these resources (and knowledge exchange and innovation more broadly) to SHAPE academics in their institutions. 

Why is this needed? 

The Comms/KE COP has identified some challenges to overcome in the next phase of Aspect, which this project will help address. Firstly, the community is made up of a lot of professional services staff who have comms responsibilities in this area, but a lack of comms experience. Secondly, the outputs from the first phase of Aspect are not as useful as they have the potential to be, particularly for this group. Thirdly, the delivery of training is a core part of Aspect activities, but low uptake for training from researchers continues to be a challenge, and there is limited awareness of the effectiveness of different types of training for the intended audiences. 

How can members get involved? 

The initial phase of the project will be a scoping one- clarifying the needs of the “trainers” and drawing together relevant learnings from across the network. 

Drawing on the learnings from other capacity-building/training projects across the network, the project will focus specifically on the needs of the support staff, rather than the academics/researchers, and think about that challenge of ‘communication’ particularly, how to engage academics/researchers with training programmes and the most effective ways of communicating different types of information.  

If members would like to be involved in facilitated discussions that are being planned around these areas or have projects they would be able to discuss with us in more depth please get in touch with Louise Jones (l.jones2@lse.ac.uk).

Applying social science to early-stage innovation to reduce environmental harms

Aspect members: Zinc, University of Bath, Exeter University, University of Glasgow, University of Greenwich, University of Reading, Teesside University, University of York, Royal College of Art, Queensland University of Technology


What was the project doing?

The project had recruited a Research Assistant with a social science background to lead the preparatory research for the next venture-builder program on reducing environmental harms. They joined the project for three months from 7th March and worked on the development of a research-based Manifesto for their new mission. This reflected insights from both desk research and engagement with academic and other experts, starting with those in their partner organizations. The Manifesto was a key tool in the recruitment of founders to join the venture-builder; it also informed the program of content delivered for those founders.

Why was this needed?

This project aimed to ensure the inclusion in the Manifesto of opportunity areas that reflected priorities and approaches informed by social (as well as natural and physical) sciences. This helped ensure that the next Zinc venture-builder created new environmental start-ups grounded in robust research, including insights from the social sciences.

How could members get involved?

Members could support this project by helping the new RA to identify and engage with relevant research and researchers from their own institutions, both to support the development of a first draft Manifesto and to help review and refine that draft.

For further information, please contact Rachel Middlemass (rachelM@zinc.vc).

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/

Innovation Fellows

Oxford and Manchester both funded Innovation Fellow programmes with the aim of driving greater academic engagement with the Aspect network and to lay the groundwork for a future phase of Innovation Fellowships that could become a flagship programme of the Aspect Network.

You can read the findings here:

Innovation Fellows Project Report – Manchester’s pilot