University of the Arts London secures Research England Development funding for Innovative Spinout Pilot Supporting Creative and Social Ventures

University of the Arts London (UAL) is proud to announce that it has been awarded £415,980 in funding from the Research England Development (RED) fund’s Connecting Capability Fund (CCF), as the lead institution of a new consortium. This funding supports the ‘Shared Technology Transfer Office to Accelerate the Growth of Self-Funded Spinouts (STAGE)’ pilot, which aims to accelerate the development of self-funded spinouts in the creative and social sciences sectors, particularly focusing on universities that lack infrastructure for early-stage spinout development.

Led by Dr Gavin Clark, Director of Enterprise & Commercialisation at UAL, the initiative is a collaboration between UAL and cofounding university partner Lancaster University, alongside the University of Warwick, University of the West of England, University of Birmingham and Oxford Brookes University. Supported by a pool of sector specialists led by Mark Mann Ltd and Kindling Ventures Ltd, the STAGE pilot will focus on supporting smaller universities and institutions in commercialising spinouts, especially those emerging from SHAPE disciplines (Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts for People and the Economy) and social ventures from all research areas. This initiative is designed to provide a robust framework for bringing creative ideas and research to market, offering new commercialisation opportunities, particularly in fields that have historically faced challenges in accessing traditional spinout support.

Speaking on the announcement, UAL’s Pro Vice Chancellor Research Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise, Trevor Keeble, said:

“This funding marks an exciting step towards driving innovation in the creative industries. Many of the groundbreaking ideas born in SHAPE disciplines don’t fit into the traditional tech-driven spinout model, and our pilot aims to create a new pathway for these ideas to thrive commercially. At UAL we are proud to play a central role in this pioneering initiative, helping to shape the future landscape of entrepreneurship.”

Dion Williams, Lancaster University’s Director of Research, Enterprise & Innovation, Associate Dean for Enterprise & Engagement, also remarked:

“Lancaster University is excited to be part of the STAGE initiative, which will open new doors for translating social science research into impactful, real-world ventures. Over the past two years, we have focused on expanding pathways for bringing innovative SHAPE projects to market, and this collaboration further strengthens our commitment to creating sustainable spinouts that drive social and economic change. By working alongside University of the Arts London and other partners, we aim to forge a new pathway for social science research through entrepreneurship, helping to shape a more inclusive and diverse commercialisation landscape.”

The STAGE pilot is designed around three core components that will form the basis of a shared technology transfer office, providing a scalable solution for universities with fewer spinouts. Key components of the pilot include a flexible virtual business unit that allows ventures to trade before formal incorporation, specialised business mentoring and support, and the collection of insight-driven data on commercialisation costs aimed at improving the funding landscape for SHAPE-driven ventures. The pilot will run across multiple universities and regions, with the goal of gathering valuable insights by Spring 2025.

This new funding reinforces UAL’s commitment to advancing knowledge exchange and entrepreneurship within the creative and social sciences sectors. It builds upon UAL’s leading position in the UK for student startup creation, as highlighted in the recent Higher Education Business and Community Interaction (HEBCI) survey. In addition, results from the recent Knowledge Exchange Framework 4 emphasise UAL’s continued exceptional impact in fostering creative enterprise and developing self-sustaining graduate startups.

For more information about the projects funded by the Research England development fund, please visit https://www.ukri.org/what-we-do/browse-our-areas-of-investment-and-support/research-england-development-fund/