
Apply for funding
Are you looking for funding to successfully exploit your research in collaboration with industry? Have you considered applying for funding from the Surrey IAA?
About the IAA
The Surrey Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) provides highly flexible and internally administrated funding to support knowledge exchange, the acceleration of impact, and to bridge the gap between UKRI (EPSRC, STFC, ESRC, and MRC) funded research to facilitate impact for the benefit of society including translation towards commercialisation.
The purpose of this funding and how it works
IAA funding supports the mission to translate fundamental science out of the laboratory and into new therapies, diagnostics, devices, and policies that will improve people’s lives and thereby impact. This scheme is perfect for academics who want to accelerate the transition of their discovery or intellectual property (see our IP Code), and to rapidly de-risk projects across this translational lifecycle such that they become eligible for (and more likely to win) follow-on funding bids.
Surrey administers the award internally – review, award, and capturing the outcomes and impacts of your projects – which enables us to quickly respond to your discoveries, ideas, and proposals in a flexible way. Our internal Surrey IAA Project Management Board meets several times a year to review your applications (regular meeting schedule below).
Details of the type of activities to be funded through the IAA are described below. We also recommend you read the following guides (5-10 min reads):
- Inventor guide – discover how the University has teams of people, resources, funding and policies that can help you become a successful innovator
- Collaborator guide – simply designed to help you start your first collaborations with a business.
Application process and governance
The IAA application process has been designed to be as simple, supportive, and transparent as possible.
- Once your application has been submitted, you will be informed of receipt and next steps (1-2 working days)
- Your application will be reviewed at the next soonest IAA Project Management Board review meeting
- Following the meeting, you will be notified whether your application has been successful/further feedback/rejected
- If it is successful: You will be provided with a cost code to track your expenditure
- Further feedback/quick fix: If the board have ideas or questions for you to consider that could be quickly/easily implemented, you could address these and eligible for award (i.e. you wouldn’t need to wait until the next board review meeting)
- If it is rejected: High-level reviewer feedback and comments will be provided, and we may discuss a re-think or developing the application further (e.g. if certain aspects need attention such as the feasibility, or time to progress such as TRL)
- Monthly financial reports for IAA projects will be sent to the principal investigator
- The IAA manager may contact you for progress reports for review at the regular board meetings
- You will submit a mandatory feedback form at the end of your project. Feedback and outcomes may be requested for industry engagement and placement activities. This information may be collated to report back to the steering committee, produce case studies, feedback to the UKRI funders, or facilitate improvements to Surrey’s IAA and knowledge exchange initiatives.
Regular board (MRC IAA) review meeting schedule
- [Current round] Application deadline for next review: 31 August 2025, with review meeting w/c 30 September 2025
- The call will remain open until all funds are allocated for the current round.
Board (MRC IAA) panel members
- FHMS-based academics
- Two or three colleagues from Innovation Strategy, including the FHMS MRC IAA Manager
- ADRI (FHMS)
- We also vet panel members for potential conflicts of interest.
Steering committee (MRC IAA)
We also have an IAA Steering committee that meet annually to review all aspects of the MRC IAA programme, and may include representatives from the MRC, industrial partners, and advisors to provide oversight and strategic guidance.
Other resources
You can also find further information about IAA:
- IAA case studies
- IAA publications
- IAA application form (account registration and login required).