The Royal Society is a learned society and the country’s National Academy of Sciences. Its official name is The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge. The Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence program applications are now open for 2024–2025. The Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) program seeks to raise awareness of cutting-edge industry science, research, and innovation among United Kingdom universities. The program offers an opportunity for driven, seasoned industry scientists and entrepreneurs to work one day per week on a custom project at a university to:

• Provide recipients with career recognition and assistance with their professional advancement.
• Educate faculty and students at the university about cutting-edge industrial research and development and the scientific issues the industry faces.
• Boost staff and student’s knowledge of and confidence in business and entrepreneurship.
• Assistance and professional guidance to encourage university research translation and innovation

Important Details

Application Deadline: 18 September 2024 (3:00 PM UK Time)

Starting Date of the Program: March 2025

Expected Results: December 2024

No. Award: 10

Duration of the Program: Two Years

Eligible Nations: All

Organized by: The Royal Society

Host Country: United Kingdom (U.K.)

Subjects Covered

Participants’ research must be within the natural sciences of the Royal Society, including biological research, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, and physics. Review the full list here.

The Royal Society may also accept submissions from clinically qualified scientists. Unless otherwise stated, the Society will not support clinical or interventional research on humans, social sciences, or humanities.

Total Available Funding

The maximum award value for the 2024 Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence Program is £25,000. The funding available may cover the following components and costs as required for the EiR to fulfill the proposed project plan:

• The Royal Society will provide money to contribution to the applicants for their basic salary per year to spend 20% of their working time at the host university. Please note that the EiR’s basic salary is only payable during the secondment (the temporary transfer of EiR to another position). The EiR’s employer will continually pay national insurance and pension contributions.
• Project and travel costs for the awardee to travel to and from their host country plus accommodation if required. The amount also includes the project costs to help the award holder to deliver the project plan, such as organizing training workshops, events, and conference attendance. Travel and other expenses costs must not exceed £5,000 per year.

Who Can Apply for the Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence Program?

Applicants and host organizations should meet the following eligibility criteria to apply for the Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence Program 2024.

• Applicants of any nationality qualified to work in the United Kingdom for the period of the award can apply for this program.
• Having a science and engineering background is necessary because the plan includes engineering and all biological and physical sciences branches but does not include clinical medicine.
• Candidates should know about directing university-business partnerships and translating and commercializing research.
• Knowledge of or interest in mentoring, coaching, or training
• Expertise in entrepreneurship, including startup and business growth, investment, etcetera
• Candidates can be a full-time, part-time, self-employed, or retired person.
• Applicants can make only one application per round but may reapply in consecutive rounds.
• Applications are open to disabled scientists, and the Royal Society provides adjustments to ensure they can participate fully in the selection process.
• Applicants should submit applications in collaboration with a U.K. University or not-for-profit research organization. The Royal Society expects the host organization to be a single University School or Department.

Assessment Criteria and Review Process

Assessment Criteria:

Applicants should submit a project plan that explains what the EiR will do throughout their residency and the anticipated impacts. The selection committee may consider the following criteria in assessing applications:

• Expected and quality impact of the activities drawn in the project plan, in line with the scheme’s aims listed above
• The applicant’s business and scientific track record and how the program will enable them to deliver their project plan’s activities successfully
• The host organization’s commitment indicates its need for the EiR and its support to enable them to deliver the project plan.

Review Process:

• Two selection panel members, including industry and translation experts and former award holders, will review all applications at the first step. The Science, Innovation, and Translation committee chair then verifies the scores.
• The subject tags the applicant chooses on their application play a vital role in matching their application with appropriate reviewers. Therefore, all applicants should select only the most relevant subject tags on their application.
• All applicants will get a notification of outcomes via email.

How to Apply?

Candidates should submit their application using Flexi-Grant®, the Society’s grant management system. Three months following the application deadline, candidates should expect to hear the outcome of their application.

Apply Now

For further details, kindly visit the Royal Society’s website.

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