The University has secured three Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAA) from UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) most recent funding round.
The IAAs are worth £850,000 in total and will help Kent’s researchers to unlock the benefits of their work, including early-stage commercialisation of new technologies and advancing changes to public policy and services such as NHS clinical practice.
The three awards are £450k from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), £100k from the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC) and £300k from the Medical Research Council (MRC). The University will add over £240,000 of matched support to these awards.
The IAAs support critical early-stage translation of UK research to real impacts, transforming public services, creating new jobs, attracting private investment and forging new partnerships with business and charities. Kent’s awards are part of £118m of funding announced by UKRI over three years across 64 organisations, focusing on maximising impact, knowledge exchange, translation, and commercialisation potential within research organisations.
Kent’s IAAs will be led by Dr Helen Brooks from the School of Arts (AHRC) and Dr Tobias von der Haar (BBSRC) and Professor Michelle Garrett (MRC) both from the School of Biosciences. Along with other staff from the University they will work with partners from industry, charities and public bodies to secure funding for their projects.
Professor Shane Weller, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), said: ‘Following our outstanding results in REF 2021, which saw Kent rise 11 places to 38th in the national rankings for research quality, we are delighted to be among only 50 universities in the UK to have secured funding from UKRI’s Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) scheme.
‘At the heart of our institutional research and innovation strategy is a commitment to research that is of significant social, cultural and economic benefit to society, and that addresses major regional, national and international challenges in areas such as health and wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and social justice. The IAA funding awarded to Kent by the AHRC, BBSRC and MRC will enable researchers across large parts of the University to be supported to achieve even greater real-world impact.’
For more information about the UKRI’s IAA’s read the full release here.