Toward spin-out from the Innovate UK ICURe programme (funding gap)

We engaged with the ICURe Discover programme and were recommended to apply to the ICURe Explore programme. We were successful with our application which provided us with up to ~£35K to explore different markets such as Agriculture, Pharmaceutical, Waste, Personal Healthcare and Cosmetics as well as the Excipients sector. This money provided by Innovate UK paid the salary of one of my researchers and also provided funding to travel the world to explore how our university patented technology could be used in these markets.

From the engagement at trade fairs and online meetings, we were able sign several NDA/CDAs with companies such as Unilever, Pion, Syngenta, Eurofins and Cancer Research. At our options roundabout with the Explore programme down at the British library in London with Prof Liz Towns-Andrews, Simon Clarke and Prof Pete Timmins, we were recommended for “spin-out” and to engage with the ICURe Exploit programme to make the spin-out a reality. Innovate UK again provided funding for up to £15K for 3 months for my researcher to engage with this programme.

We are requesting funding from the IAA to allow us to bridge the gap post Exploit to keep the researcher that has engaged with all the stages of the Innovate UK ICURe programme for another 3 months to allow us time to apply for follow on funding as well as be investor ready as we seek to be incorporated hopefully by Q2 of 2026