From investigating the potential of nuclear fusion to improving health of people in our coastal communities – Lancaster has an international track record of success when it comes to building powerful partnerships.

And, thanks to a unique type of funding, the University has been able to escalate that pace of change using a ‘fast fail’ model which brings together university and external partners to test ideas and collaborations quickly with minimal obstacles to progress, rapidly working out what works and what doesn’t in the real world.

Across five episodes, this second series of the This is Lancaster podcast, gets to know some of the people at the heart of our research and knowledge exchange partnerships. These partnerships are made up of Lancaster’s leading researchers and a range of external businesses and organisations seeking solutions, innovations and ways to change the world for the better.

The episodes showcase the work of these partnerships as they generate ideas and innovations, delivering social and economic benefits both on our doorstep and across the globe.

Supported by the Impact Acceleration Account (IAA), a national programme funded by UK Research & Innovation, each project strengthens the University’s commitment to applied research and collaboration through its work with strategic stakeholders within the region. Sectors include industrial, local government/voluntary, cultural and healthcare.

In this series, we hear about a hopeful and healthier coastal community in Fleetwood and its work to boost pandemic recovery; the battle of large-scale criminal activity in counterfeit pharmaceuticals; and Lancaster’s work in preventing the horrendous outcomes of attacks on people with Albinism across the globe.

Academics also share their research into whether nuclear fusion could offer a sustainable way out of the energy crisis – and investigate how design research is helping to stop the ‘smartphone graveyard’.

IAA Partnership Development Manager Jamie Hodge said the funding provided a platform to enable researchers to quickly test ideas and innovations with an external partner, “fast tracking progress towards delivering industry or practice-based outcomes, and subsequent benefits to society”.

He added: “As evidenced by our recent results in the Knowledge Exchange and Research Excellence frameworks, Lancaster consistently punches above its weight in terms of building partnerships to generate real-world impact and deliver social and economic benefit.

“This includes locally, here on our doorstep, and at global scales. Our commitment to applied research and collaboration continues to be strengthened through our Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) projects.”

Mark Bowen, IAA Business Gateway Manager, said: “These are projects that will impact people’s lives…it’s the people that make the difference, whether that be the researcher or the partner; whether they be in business, pubic sector or the third sector…making a difference through people.”

Other proposal themes most recently submitted to the latest IAA funding call include youth engagement, health and wellbeing, AI and machine learning for net-zero, biodiversity and cultural heritage, circular economy/zero waste and human rights/refugees.

The IAA programme continues to supplement Lancaster’s existing strengths in supporting its local SME community, with 44 per cent of the current engineering and physical sciences IAA projects stating an SME as their primary partner.

Finally, IAA funding has enabled researcher-industry partnerships to significantly scale up, recently leading to investment in two LU-spinouts: Mindgard (£3m venture capitalist investment to support new technology to secure critical AI assets), and Quinas Technology Ltd. (£300k Innovate UK investment to commercialise a new form of universal memory).

Lancaster’s biggest ever EPSRC grant (£7m) was also received this year for a project to develop radically new disruptive organic materials for everything from smart textiles to self-powered patches for healthcare. This new £7m project builds on previous IAA-funded activity and partnerships.

The next open Arts and Humanities and Engineering and Physical Sciences calls will be advertised later in 2023 with applications accepted early in 2024.

Find more information on the Lancaster website: lancaster.ac.uk/business/research/collaborative-research/impact-acceleration-account

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