Future Founders know how to make an impact

Do you want to develop the commercial potential of your research now or in the future?

Future Founders is a training offer from Northern Accelerator, specifically designed for academics to embrace enterprise opportunities from their research. The majority of participants on previous courses have gone on to launch their own spinout businesses, and researchers at Northern Accelerator universities can now apply for the next cohort.

Find out more and apply here by 7 March 2024.

The course will take place at The Leonardo Hotel in Newcastle, beginning on 21 March 2024. You’ll be signing up to a series of sessions to build your entrepreneurial capability and accelerate your idea development.

What you’ll learn

The workshops, delivered by innovation and venturing specialists, Zuas, cover:

Diagnosing opportunities
Accelerating development
Business planning and finances
Fundraising and pitching

Who can apply?

Our current funding for Future Founders covers places for academics from Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria and York Universities.

If you are a researcher at Sunderland or Teesside, you may still be able to apply – please speak to your Northern Accelerator lead to discuss whether funding is available for this cohort or future courses.

What does the course lead to?

Future Founders will equip you with the skills to recognise and embrace commercial opportunities from your research. Your university’s technology transfer team will work closely with you to do this, and you may be interested in getting involved (if you’re not already) with other elements of Northern Accelerator’s support, such as our pre-incorporation funding or executives into business.

We’re investing in you and we want to help you make an impact with the outcome of your research, so we’ll ensure we put you in touch with the right people at your university to progress those opportunities.

Many of our previous participants have gone on to launch their own spin-out businesses, with the research they progressed throughout their time on Future Founders.

Dr David Carty, Associate Professor at Durham University, accessed a range of Northern Accelerator support to set up Respiratone Ltd. He attended Future Founders and was able to develop the commercial thinking to begin making a real-world impact with his research.