Research Councils UK have recently announced a new fund to support researchers who want to develop a business plan:
This provides £25K to the winning researcher to help them put their plan into action. This year the fund is being managed by the AHRC on behalf of the research councils, though the fund is open to all disciplines. The closing date is 4th December 2009:
Every good business starts with two things: a good idea and a robust business plan. The RCUK Business Plan Competition provides researchers who have ideas with commercial potential the skills, knowledge and support needed to develop a first-rate business plan. This is provided through expert trainers, coaches and mentors.
The competition is open to researchers based in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) or Public Sector Research Establishments (PSRE) that are eligible to hold Research Council grants from across the whole spectrum of academic research within the remit of the seven Research Councils; from the arts and biosciences, to environmental physical and social sciences to technology.
Postgraduates, postdocs and academic staff who have a business idea arising from research and want to develop this further are encouraged to participate.
For further information please contact: rcbpcomp@rcuk.ac.uk