The ICURe SenseAI Team (left to right): Dan Somers, CEO, SenseAI; Charlotte Relf, Senior Enterprise Business Manager, University of Liverpool Enterprise Team; Dr Danny Nicholls, Business Development Lead, Sense AI and Professor Nigel Browning, Co-founder and CSO, SenseAI.

The University of Liverpool has been a proud partner of North by Northwest (NxNW), a consortium of seven universities in Northern England, since 2018. Through participation in Innovate UK’s ICURe Programme – the UK’s leading early stage research pre-accelerator programme – researchers have achieved significant success in commercialising their research.

The Innovation-to-Commercialisation of University Research (ICURe) Programme provides funding and personalised support to test the commercial potential of an idea while helping researchers take their first steps into the world of business.

ICURe is open to all universities and research institutes across the UK and delivered by NxNW Partners in the North of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. To date, ICURe has supported over 30 University of Liverpool research teams, leading to the creation of eight successful spin-out companies and securing more than £2.4 million in Innovate UK funding.

The ICURe Programme gives university researchers a chance to turn ground-breaking research into investment-ready spin-out companies and licensing deals. It aligns with the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy, which emphasises the importance of research, innovation and skills to develop a strong economy and ensure Britain leads the high-tech and highly-skilled industries of the future.

Tony Walker, Head of Hubs for the Northern Region and ICURe Lead, said: “The Innovate UK ICURe Programme accelerates the journey of ground-breaking research to market by helping teams ‘find their market and find their customers.’ A unique aspect we’re seeing more and more is that participants also discover themselves – realising their potential to lead the UK’s cutting-edge spin-outs. The programme focuses on translating research impact into positive, real-world change and aligns closely with Innovate UK’s strategic goals: supporting our future economy, accelerating business growth, and enhancing access to vital innovation support. ICURe plays a critical role in fostering a thriving UK innovation ecosystem. We are particularly proud of the University of Liverpool’s outstanding ICURe performance and spin-outs, and I look forward to seeing new innovative research projects from Liverpool join ICURe in the near future.”

The ICURe Programme consists of four stages: Engage, Discover, Explore, and Exploit. Through Discover, Explore, and Exploit, research teams require the active support of their University’s Technology Transfer Office (i.e. the University of Liverpool’s Enterprise Team).

Based on the market research validation, teams may be advised to spin-out, license their technology, or pursue further research and development.

For teams recommended to spin-out, up to 12 weeks of intensive support in ‘spin-out and business readiness’ will prepare them for company formation and business growth. This preparation enables them to apply for up to £300k ICURe Exploit Grant Funding. In addition, these spin-outs can gain access to other dedicated ICURe programmes to accelerate development and strengthen their investor appeal.

Teams that are advised to license their technology receive tailored support to identify and secure licensing opportunities, ensuring optimal commercialisation paths for each project.

Emma Nolan, Head of Enterprise, University of Liverpool Enterprise Team, said: “The Enterprise Team continues to be a strong supporter of the ICURe programme.  We recommend most of our aspiring spin-out founders to enroll on an accelerator programme, or pre-accelerator programme such as ICURe. Our spin-outs have benefitted significantly from the available funding and support which ICURe provides, and we continue to benefit from the collaborative approach to technology transfer which is fostered in the NxNW consortium.”

Dr Srijan Jindal, ICURe alumnus and Chief Scientific Officer at University of Liverpool spin-out company, InnotiveDx (previously PhenUtest Diagnostics), said: “ICURe is a brilliant programme designed very specifically to help young academics turn their research into commercial products with a high success rate. It helped us find the best management team to take our project forward. Innovate UK’s and the University’s support has enabled PhenUtest to pursue the development of the fastest point-of-care diagnostics for Urinary Tract Infections.”

Further details and how to apply

Learn more about the Innovate UK ICURe Programme and view upcoming cohorts here.

We strongly encourage University of Liverpool research colleagues interested in applying to contact their dedicated Enterprise Manager from the Univeristy of Liverpool Enterprise Team here.