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| Royal Academy of Engineering Future Leaders | |
|---|---|
| Name | Royal Academy of Engineering Future Leaders |
| Established | 2017 |
| Type | Fellowship programme |
| Headquarters | London |
| Parent | Royal Academy of Engineering |
Royal Academy of Engineering Future Leaders The Royal Academy of Engineering Future Leaders scheme is a UK-based fellowship initiative that supports early-career innovators and entrepreneurs in engineering and technology. The programme connects recipients with institutions such as Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University College London, and industry partners including Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Siemens, BP, and GlaxoSmithKline to translate research into commercial impact. Fellows have engaged with funding bodies like Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Innovate UK, Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, and Royal Society and have collaborated with centres such as Cavendish Laboratory, The Alan Turing Institute, Francis Crick Institute, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, and CERN.
The scheme was launched by the Royal Academy of Engineering during a period of policy emphasis involving UK Research and Innovation, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, G8 Summit, and responses to reports from Sir James Dyson, Lord Browne of Madingley, Wilson Review, and recommendations echoed by Russell Group universities. Early cohorts were announced in conjunction with events at Buckingham Palace, briefings with Number 10 Downing Street, and presentations at venues such as Royal Society and Wembley Stadium-hosted industry showcases. The programme’s evolution involved advisory input from board members with affiliations to Arup Group, AstraZeneca, BT Group, EDF Energy, and veterans of projects at NASA, European Space Agency, and Horizon 2020 consortia.
The fellowship aims to accelerate translation of research into ventures linked to organisations including Cambridge Enterprise, Oxford University Innovation, Tech Nation, Nesta, and UK Intellectual Property Office. Objectives include fostering leadership exemplified by figures associated with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Dame Stephanie Shirley, Professor Sarah Gilbert, Baroness Martha Lane Fox, and creating pathways into markets served by National Health Service, Siemens Healthineers, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, and Philips. Scope covers interdisciplinary projects with relevance to programmes run by Innovate UK KTN, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Catapult centres, Aerospace Technology Institute, and Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
Candidates are typically early-career researchers and innovators affiliated to institutions such as King's College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Manchester, University of Bristol, University of Warwick, University of Glasgow, Queen Mary University of London, and private labs like DSTL and Siemens Healthineers Research. Eligibility criteria reference prior support from funders including Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship, EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Newton Fund, and track records in collaborations with companies like Arm Holdings, ARM, Virgin Atlantic, McLaren Group, and JCB. Selection panels have included members linked to Academy of Medical Sciences, British Academy, Royal Society of Edinburgh, EngineeringUK, and industry chairs from BT Group and Schlumberger.
The programme offers funded fellowships with mentoring from leaders connected to Nesta Challenges, Centre for Process Innovation, SBRI, Knowledge Transfer Network, and business development support akin to that provided by Y Combinator, Seedcamp, Entrepreneur First, and Techstars. Training modules reference frameworks from Chartered Management Institute, Institute of Physics, Society of Chemical Industry, Royal Society of Chemistry, and workshops led by executives from Barclays, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, KPMG, and PwC. Activities include secondments to partners such as AstraZeneca, GSK, Siemens, Rolls-Royce, and collaborations with research infrastructures like Diamond Light Source, ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Daresbury Laboratory, and Jodrell Bank Observatory.
Alumni have founded ventures and spun out companies in sectors frequented by DeepMind, Graphcore, Darktrace, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Improbable, Ceres Power, Renishaw, Babylon Health, Deliveroo, and Monzo. Individual fellows have been profiled alongside leaders such as Dame Ann Dowling, Sir Jim McDonald, Sir Mark Walport, Professor Dame Carol Robinson, and Professor Sally Mapstone at conferences including Web Summit, TED Global, SXSW, Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, and Hay Festival. Alumni have received awards like Royal Academy of Engineering President's Medal, Queen's Anniversary Prizes, Moran Medal, Chancellor's Fellowship, Eureka Prize, and distinctions from The Royal Society.
Programme outcomes include technology transfer deals with Cambridge Consultants, PA Consulting, McKinsey & Company, and university spin-outs listed in markets such as London Stock Exchange, and participation in initiatives by City of London Corporation, Greater London Authority, Scottish Enterprise, and Welsh Government. Metrics cited include follow-on funding from UK Research and Innovation, European Investment Bank, British Business Bank, Venture Capital Trusts, and investors like Index Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Balderton Capital, Accel Partners, and Octopus Ventures. Impact has been discussed at policy forums alongside speakers from Institute for Government, Chatham House, IPPR, Nesta, and House of Lords Science and Technology Committee.
The programme is underpinned by partnerships with academic and corporate entities such as University of Southampton, University of Leeds, University of Sheffield, University of York, A*STAR, Fraunhofer Society, Siemens, Rolls-Royce, BP Ventures, Schneider Electric, Unilever Ventures, and philanthropic support from trusts like Wellcome Trust and Leverhulme Trust. Funding streams combine grants from Royal Academy of Engineering, Innovate UK, EPSRC, matched investment from industry partners, and co-funding arrangements modelled on schemes by European Investment Fund and Horizon Europe consortia.
Category:Fellowships