SHAPE Ventures Directory

The SHAPE Ventures Directory highlights the broad spectrum of mission driven initiatives arising from SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts) research in universities across the UK.

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    From legally incorporated businesses to pre-incorporated, internal university business units, consultancies, and enterprising programs, SHAPE ventures demonstrate innovative approaches to translating research into economic and social impact.

    Through diverse business models and non-traditional commercialisation pathways, these ventures exemplify the unique value of SHAPE disciplines in driving societal change.

    Designed as a resource for commercialisation professionals (those supporting SHAPE initiatives), this directory offers a platform for sharing snapshots of projects, connecting peers, and discovering the extensive SHAPE-led enterprise landscape nationally.

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Heddle

The University of Bristol

Supports students who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL) through training, assessments, and teaching resources to foster inclusive learning.

In Place of War

The University of Manchester

In Place of War is a global organisation that uses artistic creativity in places impacted by conflict and climate change as a tool for positive change.

INAWARA (International Network Against Witchcraft Accusation and Ritual Attacks)

Lancaster University

We fully support the right to freedom of religion and recognize that beliefs in witchcraft and sorcery can have positive aspects. However, our mission centers solely on addressing practices related to belief in witchcraft and sorcery that cause harm to individuals and communities, such as attacks, torture, killings, and stigmatization. We use the terms witchcraft and sorcery as general categories to include all the terms used across the world to describe the belief that a person has the power to cause harm using supernatural means.

JITSUVAX Training: Improving vaccine conversations

The University of Bristol

Misinformation and vaccine hesitancy are on the rise, and health workers often lack the tools to respond effectively. This can lead to missed vaccinations, staff stress, and a rise in preventable illness.

Ketso

The University of Manchester

Ketso is a hands-on toolkit kit for learning and engagement. Each component of the toolkit is designed to embody a key principle of co-production, identified and tested through ESRC-funded research.

Kindling Interventions – Bystander Intervention Training

The University of Exeter

A bystander approach equips individuals with the confidence and skills to notice, step up, and act when they witness something harmful. Building more equal and inclusive communities and workplaces thus becomes the responsibility of everyone – not just those directly affected.

Measure Well

The University of Warwick

Wellbeing is increasingly becoming a key-metric to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions within the health & wellness sector and the workplace. Many organisations are unaware of the tools and measures available, leading to subpar evaluations.

MUSIC.ME

University of Liverpool

The number of young people experiencing depression and anxiety is higher than ever. How can music be used to help them cope with negative feelings?

OnTrack

The Royal College of Art

Arm weakness is a common problem after stroke (affecting 450 000 people in the UK) leading to loss of independence. Repetitive activity is critical for recovery, but research shows people struggle with knowing what or how much to do, and keeping track of progress.

RoundView (stewarded by ThinkingWare CIC)

The University of Manchester

The RoundView is an accessible toolkit for sustainability thinking and learning developed through University of Manchester research and co-production with a range of partners (including Tesco, the National Trust, Natural England, Lancashire Wildlife Trust and UNESCO).

S.H.E.D (Social Higher Education Depot)

University of Derby

Designing Dialogue CIC aims to address identified barriers to development, such as a lack of inclusive consultation, failure to engage across diverse communities, inability to leverage relationships across different sectors and knowledge siloes.

Sexual Misconduct Case Handling – Training for Higher Education Institutions

The University of Surrey

The Sexual Misconduct Case Handling (solution name TBC) approach provides a framework for academics and professional services staff to work to when cases of sexual misconduct involving students are reported.

Shared Futures

The University of Essex

Communities, particularly those in divided regions or transitional urban areas, often lack accessible, imaginative platforms to collectively visualize, discuss, and redesign physical shared spaces or alternative economic models.

STRIDE

Queen’s University Belfast

STRIDE believes that there are three main reasons why social impact programmes work, but also don’t work, or even cause harm.

Tabletop R&D

Queen Mary University of London

Game designers, developers and publishers often have questions about their games which requires custom answers, such as evaluation of different strategies, game balance, frequency and types of actions played, victory conditions triggered most often, etc.

Tabletop Travels

The University of Bristol

As people age, they are more likely to live alone, experience declining health, and feel anxious about leaving home, leading to isolation and loneliness. These barriers prevent many from accessing arts and cultural experiences known to promote wellbeing, confidence, and social connection.

The 1752 Group

University of York

Sexual misconduct by staff is under-reported and under-researched. Higher education institutions in the UK need to be leading the change to prevent cultures of abuse, respond effectively and without inflicting further harm, ensure robust, student-centred reporting and investigation procedures, and implement policies and procedures to eliminate the sexual misconduct of academic, professional services, contracted and temporary staff.

The 1928 Institute

The University of Oxford

The 1928 Institute targets a lack of representation, systemic data gaps, and under-addressed discrimination facing the British Indian community.

The Diary Toolkit – Wellbeing for Educators

The University of Bristol

The Diary Toolkit is a hybrid of a diary and a journal written specifically for those working in the education profession. It is designed to help you press pause and discover new and creative ways to celebrate your achievements.

The Engine Room

The University of Manchester

The Engine Room restores the historic Wayfarers Arcade as a living civic space by combining creative enterprise, community learning, and place-based regeneration. As a Community Interest Company, it provides an accessible hub for co-working, gentle making, workshops, and heritage skills development, allowing residents, students, and professionals to gather in a calm, inclusive environment.

UKRN Services CIC

A combination of inconsistent research practices, training gaps, low confidence and rising external scrutiny threatens UK institutional standards, research funding and reputation.

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Submissions can be made online via the SUBMIT button, OR by using form provided by the DOWNLOAD button.

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Please email the completed form to info@aspect.ac.uk