Northern Accelerator has been awarded the prestigious Place-Based Knowledge Exchange (KE) Initiative of the Year at the PraxisAuril Knowledge Exchange Awards 2024.
Having transformed research commercialisation across the North East, Northern Accelerator received the award at a ceremony on 21 November.
The recognition celebrates Northern Accelerator’s impactful work in driving economic growth, innovation, and social value through a strong partnership of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, Teesside and York Universities.
Translating world-leading research into sustainable businesses
Northern Accelerator helps founding academics create R&D intensive, high potential spinouts in the North East and North Yorkshire, realising social and environmental impact from research, and helping create more and better jobs. The programme supports technology transfer through a combination of training, funding, networking and executive leadership, the programme has significantly boosted the rate of commercialisation of academic research.
The shared vision of the partners, the founders and funders is to contribute to economic growth in the North East. To date we’ve launched over 50 businesses – many now based in regional innovation hubs like Newcastle Helix and Durham’s NETPark.
Northern Accelerator is part-funded by Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund. It is also funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund through Durham County Council and The North East Combined Authority
Recognition from the knowledge exchange sector
Knowledge Exchange UK (formerly PraxisAuril) is a world-leading professional association for Knowledge Exchange practitioners. They support and enable professional knowledge exchange and commercialisation between universities and business.
Place-based collaboration
The award underscores the growing recognition of the North East as a hub for innovation, research and development. By focusing on place-based knowledge exchange, Northern Accelerator works to ensure the benefits of commercialisation are felt within the region. The businesses created through the programme contribute to job creation, investment, and regional regeneration.
Richard Baker, Director of Economic Development and Commercialisation at Durham University, was there to collect the award.
“We’re particularly proud to be recognised as place-based initiative of the year, as Northern Accelerator has always had a core aim to build and strengthen the innovation ecosystem in the North East. Through a strong partnership of the region’s universities, and the support of our funders and partners, we’ve established a programme that puts the North East and North Yorkshire on the map as a thriving innovation spinout ecosystem. We’re delighted that this has been acknowledged through this award”
Edwin Milligan, Northern Accelerator Senior Project Manager said:
“Northern Accelerator facilitates sharing of good practice across our network of knowledge exchange professionals. Our partnership includes research intensive universities with strong spinout track records and institutions with more limited technology transfer experience .
“All partner institutions have produced at least one spinout with Northern Accelerator support. Our approach is highly collaborative, informing not only the support programme but also partner’s approach to commercialisation policy and practice.”
