Knowledge Exchange Hub Short Projects Scheme

If you have an Innovation Challenge why not explore this opportunity to team-up with the academic maths community?

The KE Hub has launched its Short Projects scheme to enable participants from academia and our Business, Industry, and Government (BIG) partners to gain familiarity with each other’s expertise and interests and solidify a working relationship by carrying out a short, well-focused and self-contained, doctoral-student-level research project. Significant co-funding is available for projects involving SMEs.

Project length and financing

Academic teams will involve a 3rd or 4th year doctoral Student and a supervisor (both from the same institution to save on complexity). The standard project length will be 12 weeks but there is flexibility to extend or shorten this duration as appropriate for the project, and for the project to run part-time.

The price for a 12-week short project in 2025 is a cash contribution by the Company of £12,000+VAT, broken down as (i) £9,500+VAT to the University, to replace the Student’s stipend at the UKRI standard rate, cover all travel, accommodation and subsistence for visits to the company, and cover academic supervision, and (ii) £2,500+VAT to the KE Hub to cover scheme management. The overall fee should be passed by the Company to the University, who will then be responsible for passing the KE Hub component to the University of Cambridge (the KE Hub host).

SMEs may apply for co-funding from the KE Hub which, if awarded, will reduce the short project price by £5,500+VAT. In these instances, the Company will only pay the University £6,500+VAT. The KE Hub will pay the University £3,000+VAT and waive their fee.

Companies wishing to have ownership of arising IP from a 12-week project will pay an additional £3,000+VAT, which will be paid by the Company to the University.

Further details and how to apply

An overview of the scheme and the Ground Rules document, can be found here. The scheme involves a two-stage application process:

• Expressions of interest from BIG partners (on a Stage 1 Form – automatic download) should be emailed to the KE Hub (kehub@newton.ac.uk) by the closing date of 17 January 2025. (KE Champions – named academics in maths departments in universities across the UK –  will be sent expressions of interest on 22 January 2025 so that they can decide whether their department would like to get involved).
• Following successful pairing, the university-BIG team will need to submit the final application (on a Stage 2 Form – automatic download), emailed to the KE Hub (kehub@newton.ac.uk), by 26 February 2025.

Ordinarily, projects will run from 12 weeks starting on 27 April 2025.

Informal enquiries about the scheme should be sent by return email to: shirley.coleman@newcastle.ac.uk.