Proof-of-Concept Fund
The purpose of the ICUK Proof-of-concept fund is to support technologies or business ideas from the research community to be further developed to the stage that a commercial company or a private investor will become engaged in the commercialisation of a new product or service. It effectively reduces the risks involved in early-stage technology development. Examples of the use of Proof-of-Concept (PoC) Funding include:
- Developing and evaluating commercial prototypes
- Comparison with competitive products or services
- Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights
- Conducting market research on customer preferences
- Incorporating external skills such as market researchers and design engineers
For more information on proof-of-concept projects, please go to our Download Centre for relevant documents.
Eligibility
Academics from ICUK five partner institutions can apply for project funding with at least one Chinese collaborating higher education institution. An application must have the endorsement of the partner university's Technology Transfer Office or Business Development Officer to be eligible for consideration for the ICUK PoC Fund.
Prioritised Research Areas
For Chinese applicants to access complementary funding assessed and provided by Ministry of Science and Technology, it is highly recommend that proposals for ICUK PoC Funding be in the field of:
- Climate change, environment and energy
- Nano/materials science
- Space technology
- Infectious diseases
- Stem cell and regenerative medicines
Joint projects outside these fields will not be excluded from applying ICUK PoC funding if Chinese institutions can demonstrate their own funding means.
How to Apply
To apply, please contact the ICUK project managers in your university in the first instance. Please click here for the contact information
Application documents can be downloaded from our Download Centre.
