Webinars
SHAPE Catalyst Application Webinar Recording
Watch our webinar recording to find out more about how to apply to the ESRC/AHRC SHAPE…
Validate your venture idea and develop a sustainable business model during our 6-month accelerator with time buyout and up to £62,500 in funding.
We offer financial support, expert-led training and dedicated mentors to help you bring your ideas to market.
Validate your venture idea, gain the skills to turn ideas into real-world ventures, develop a sustainable business model for your venture, be ready to pitch for funding or investment
6-month programme with time buyout, 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, the third stage of the ARC Pathway, is a 6-month accelerator 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 offers time buyout and requires applicants to commit to a minimum of 3 days per week for the duration of the 6-month training programme. The time commitment can be shared as a team among eligible participants (see FAQ below).
During the programme, we will spend a lot of time validating the venture idea with customers, stakeholders and partners, together with around 40h of training sessions, additional 1:1 support, check-ins and coursework.
What is included?
Full application stage
Interview stage
Timeline for ARC Accelerate 2026 cohort
Applications will open in June 2025.
The application form is designed to help us understand your venture idea and your project’s level of maturity. We are also trying to find out more about your action plan and what you are looking to gain from the programme.
Please be assured that we are not expecting your answers to be final 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.
Justification of resources
At this stage of the application process, applicants don’t need to reach out to their Finance or Grant Administration teams, as we are only looking for a budget outline to understand planned activities and time commitments. Detailed costings will only be required after the interview stage and for proposals that have been recommended for funding. Selected applicants will receive more guidance on how to complete and submit full costings through the UKRI Funding Service.
For more information on eligible costs, please visit the ESRC funding guide.
Every team member with time buyout needs to submit a letter of support signed by their Head of Division, Head of Department, Line Manager and Technology Transfer Office (or your organisation’s equivalent, e.g., Innovation, Knowledge Exchange, or Enterprise Office).
You can find an overview of the assessment criteria we use here.
During the shortlisting process, we use anonymised submissions to ensure fairness. Please don’t include personally identifiable information, such as your name or research organisation, after Section 1: Applicant profile summary of the application form.
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.
NB: These three groups may overlap.
Market validation is the process of validating a venture idea with potential customers, partners and other stakeholders. It is about finding the information needed to launch a venture.
Example questions the process is trying to answer:
Webinars
Watch our webinar recording to find out more about how to apply to the ESRC/AHRC SHAPE…
Events, Webinars
Applications for the next ARC Accelerate cohort will open on Monday, 10 June 2024. Join…
Events, Webinars
Our informal drop-in sessions are intended for Professional & Support Staff, Technology Transfer Officers (TTOs)…
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Events, Webinars
Applications for the next ARC Accelerate cohort will open on Monday, 10 June 2024. Join…
Events, Webinars
Our informal drop-in sessions are intended for Professional & Support Staff, Technology Transfer Officers (TTOs)…
Events
Our next regional roadshow is taking us to Wales! 🏴 Join us at Cardiff University/Prifysgol…