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ARC Accelerate is a 6-month accelerator programme with time buyout that enables SHAPE (Social sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy) researchers to fully validate and develop their venture idea.
It offers a unique package of financial support, expert-led training and dedicated mentors to help participants build ventures from their research and deliver impact at scale.
Fully validate your venture idea, gain the skills to turn ideas into real-world ventures, develop a comprehensive business model for your venture, be ready to pitch for funding or investment
6-month programme with time commitment of min. 3 days/week (exceptions possible), training sessions are virtual but there are in-person events
Applicants must have a PhD or similar research or innovation experience and be based at an eligible UK research organisation
ARC Accelerate is the third stage of the ARC Pathway and its most intense one. It is a 6-month programme designed to help researchers transform their innovative and ambitious social science, arts and humanities-based ideas into scalable ventures.
Successful applicants will receive up to £62,500, with circa 80% fEC provided by ESRC, in line with its standard funding rules, to fund commercialisation activities and bring new products, processes, services and experiences to market.
ARC Accelerate requires applicants commit to a minimum of 3 days per week for the duration of the 6-month programme and includes time buyout (- how much of the budget you use for time buyout is up to you). Most of this time will be spent validating the venture idea with customers, stakeholders and partners, together with around 40h of training sessions and homework as well as additional check-ins and 1:1 support.
The programme includes a virtual training bootcamp led by industry experts to develop key entrepreneurial skills. It also offers specialised, sector-specific training and access to experienced entrepreneurs, investors and networks. Dedicated mentors will help participants validate their venture idea, develop their business model and pitch for further funding or investment.
*The same template is used in the last ARC Launch session, where participants present their ideas and receive detailed feedback.
We cover the application process, including application questions and pitch template themes, in our application webinars. Sign up directly on Eventbrite or watch a recording in the News & Events section.
Cohort 1 will start in March 2024. Applicants will be informed of outcomes in November 2023.
Upcoming cohorts
We will shortly announce the dates for the next cohort. Between 2023-2026, we have a total of 75 awards available and will run at least one ARC Accelerate cohort per year.
The form is designed to help us understand your venture idea, assess its impact potential and assess your commitment to commercialisation (PDF preview).
We will ask you the following questions:
Please be assured we are not expecting these answers to be final or very detailed as the programme is designed to help you refine your ideas. In fact, it is likely that your idea and your plan on how to progress the idea will change during the programme.
Applicants need to submit a letter of support from their organisation’s Technology Transfer Office (TTO) or from their organisation’s TTO equivalent, e.g., their Innovation, Knowledge Exchange or Enterprise Office. An optional TTO letter of support template can be found here.
Letters of support must be signed and dated within six months of the application submission date and be a maximum of 1 side of A4 per document. General letters of support should not be included with the application.
TTO letters of support need to be submitted via email to applications@arcaccelerator.io before the Expression of Interest stage closes (now closed). The email subject should include the applicant’s name.
The full application form covers similar information to the EoI form as well as questions about your project’s maturity, the intellectual property (IP), your project team and programme expectations. The exact application questions and additional guidance can be found in the form preview.
We also ask for a rough budget outline to understand your planned activities and time commitment. The proposed budget can still change and we will inform you if any of your proposed costs are ineligible. Detailed costings will only be required after applicants have been accepted onto the ARC Accelerate programme (in November 2023). More information can be found in the ESRC research funding guide.
Applicants need to submit a letter of support from their line manager and their Head of Department. If an applicant’s line manager is also the Head of Department, they will only need to submit one letter of support from the Head of Department (template for HoD support letter).
Letters of support must be signed and dated within six months of the application submission date and be a maximum of 1 side of A4 per document. General letters of support should not be included with the application.
Letters of support need to be submitted via email to applications@arcaccelerator.io before the full application stage closes. The email subject should include the applicant’s name.
A shortlist of those who have submitted full applications will be invited to interview after the full application stage closes. Interviews will take place on Zoom and consist of a 5min pitch using the 3-slide ARC pitch template as well as a 15min Q&A. If you cannot open the link on slide 7 of the template, please try this link.
The pitch only constitutes a small part of the application process and is intended to serve as an informed discussion around your project. We want to learn more about the problem you are solving, your solution as well as any market validation you have conducted so far. We don’t expect a “formal pitch” as we cover in-depth pitch training during the ARC Accelerate programme.
Once you are shortlisted, we will invite you to interview and assign you a 20min time slot. You can let us know if there are any extenuating circumstances that mean you need to change the chosen time slot or find an alternative date.
Applicants must have a PhD or similar research or innovation experience and be based at an eligible UK research organisation. For further information, please visit the ESRC’s research funding guide and check if you are eligible for research and innovation funding.
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