UK Innovation reinforced through Royal Commission Fellowships at the intersection of academia and industry

● Up to £125,000 funding awarded to 12 early career innovators to support industrial progress in health, sustainability, and engineering sectors.

● Selected projects include gut-friendly antibiotics development, digital tools for suicide prevention, smart leggings to prevent injury, and a catalyst to enable the hydrogen economy.

● Applications for the 2025 Industrial Fellowships are now open.

Early career researchers across the UK have been awarded prestigious Industrial Fellowships by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, to develop solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges, from antibiotic resistance to the high energy consumption of electronics. The innovations include a new drug to improve cancer treatment and technology that enables the early detection of coronary heart disease.

Investment and support of UK innovators has been at the heart of the Royal Commission since its foundation in 1851 by Prince Albert. Since its establishment, the Commission has distributed nearly £4 million annually through Fellowships, Scholarships, and Awards, to help maintain the UK's competitiveness in international research and development.

The Industrial Fellowship aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry promoting research with real-world impact. Fellows conduct research within a company in their chosen industry and are supported by a university to dive into the research questions at the heart of the problem they want to solve.

The Commission’s Industrial Fellowship funding of up to £125,000, covers salary contributions, university fees, and the costs of a fellow’s doctoral studies for up to three years of research. This investment has been found to yield £2 million a year in intellectual property, developing new technologies, and scientific findings that are crucial to advancing research fields and British Industrial players. Throughout the program, Fellows are provided with support from industrial and academic supervisors.

John Lavery, Secretary at the Royal Commission said, “This intersection of academia and industry fosters the development of innovative technologies with real-world impact that will further the UK as a world leader in science and engineering. This year’s cohort is developing solutions to global challenges in health, manufacturing, and sustainability while utilising transformative tools like artificial intelligence. The Commission is proud to invest in these exceptional early-career scientists and engineers that are shaping our future.”

Full list of 2024 Industrial Fellows:

● Lucinda Abell Black, KYMIRA and Loughborough University
Using smart leggings to understand the causes of sports injury and identify possible interventions for women athletes.

● Eve Andrews, SSE Renewables and University of Strathclyde, IDCORE CDT
Developing a circularity assessment tool for offshore wind to drive sustainability and optimise resource utilisation.

● Tina-Maria Burova, GSK and University of Strathclyde
Developing a NanoBRET-based methodology to accelerate the discovery of new chemical tools.

● Colm Dowling, Safehinge Primera and Glasgow Caledonian University
Developing a platform for healthcare professionals to prevent suicide, self-harm, and violence in care.

● Alberto Gomez Saiz, Quantum Motion and Imperial College London
Integrating quantum components into traditional microchip technology to enhance the performance of electronics.

● Gareth Hart, Johnson Matthey and University of Warwick
Designing a new catalyst to enable the hydrogen economy.

● Charlie Hutchings, Frazer-Nash Consultancy and University of Surrey
Evaluating infrastructure degradation and compatibility for the hydrogen economy.

● Katie Ollerton, Unilever and University of Liverpool
Development of an innovative characterisation toolbox for personal care and pharmaceutical deposition and delivery.

● Harry Palmer, GSK and University of Strathclyde
Design and synthesis of new Antibody-Drug Conjugates to improve cancer treatment.

● Maja Schmidt, Neuranics Limited and University of Edinburgh
Advancing AI-driven remote heart health monitoring for early detection and diagnosis.

● Ryan Teo, Ineos Group Limited and the University of Oxford
Designing new gut-friendly antibiotics to tackle antimicrobial resistance.

● Karina Wojdat, Sygnature Discovery, and University College London
Improving drug development by design - making drugs quicker and better