Sponsoring Agency: Royal Academy of Engineering
Type of Fund: Accelerator, Incubation, Mentorship and/or Training
Deadline Available: Available
Deadline Date (mm/dd/yyyy): 05/10/2021
Size of the Fund: Less than USD $50,000
If you have plans to scale-up your enterprise and want guidance on navigating growth challenges, then this programme is for you.
The Scale Up Accelerator is a new programme that builds on the previous SME Leaders programme, enhancing its content to support ambitious decision makers of UK scale ups.
This six-month programme, run twice a year, supports individuals in executive roles to develop their leadership skills in high-growth engineering and technology SMEs which display excellence in engineering.
Places on the programme are gained through a competitive application process with the best applicants awarded a place and membership of the Enterprise Hub.
Grant Details
• The grant will be up to £10,000.
• Awardees can choose a course (or courses) that exceed £10,000 but the enterprise must pay the excess.
• Courses must be paid for first by the enterprise, which will then be reimbursed in two installments.
• First installment of the grant (50%) will be paid once the course is fully paid for and committed to. Final installment will be paid upon receipt of a final report written by the awardee after the six-month programme.
• Travel and accommodation costs within the UK for programme activities will be eligible if they follow the Academy’s expenses policy (available upon request). International travel and accommodation costs will not be eligible.
• Courses can be booked anywhere in the world.
• For a full list of courses completed by Hub alumni, please email the Programme Manager
Benefits
A place on the programme means you will receive:
• A grant of up to £10,000 to pay for leadership courses of your choice
• Expert business mentoring
• One-to-one personal development coaching
• Workshops, webinars, roundtables, speaker events
• Access to the Taylor Centre, our co-working and meeting space in central London
• PR and IP support
• All travel and accommodation expenses covered for programme activities
The focus of our support will be on six key areas: good governance, product development, customer acquisition, access to new markets, securing growth capital and talent management, alongside continued leadership coaching and development as you undertake your chosen course. The peer group of awardees within the programme also form an additional and valuable support network.
Who should apply?
• They’re looking for changemakers in engineering and technology SMEs that are experiencing scale-up growth challenges. Applications from engineers and non-engineers are welcome – if you’re a senior decision-maker, such as a founder or MD, and you have plans to scale your SME, then you should apply.
• They are committed to improving diversity and inclusion in engineering, and we especially welcome applications from women and those currently underrepresented within the sector.
• The Academy defines engineering in a broad sense, as can be seen from the range of past SME Leaders Programme participants. We cover AI, robotics, space, medical, agriculture, clean energy and more.
• They cannot accept applications from consultancies. Software companies must exhibit engineering as their core component and should be innovative and protectable.
Eligibility Criteria
• Both pre- and post-revenue high-growth SMEs are eligible to apply. SMEs must have cumulatively raised at least £1 million, either through equity investment (from inception), turnover in the previous financial year (excluding grants and consultancy), or a combination of both.
• One person per application.
• Only applicants from SMEs that aren’t wholly or majority owned by another company are eligible.
• Each enterprise can submit a maximum of one application for the programme if they are successful. One additional application will be considered in another round if it is submitted by a candidate belonging to a group that is underrepresented within UK engineering. The Academy is working towards the vision of an inclusive profession that attracts and retains people from diverse backgrounds and is reflective of the society it seeks to serve by working collaboratively with employers, institutions and others across the engineering community.
• Applicants must come from a company based in the UK and registered with Companies House. For multinational companies the head office must be based in the UK.
• Applicants from any nationality are eligible as long as you have the right to work in the UK.
More information at: https://enterprisehub.raeng.org.uk/programmes/scale-up-accelerator/
