STEM Ideas Incubator

By the end of the programme, participants will:

• Be able to articulate the value of their idea to different audiences using various techniques and tools.
• Have developed a draft business model canvas, including stakeholder analysis and a clear value proposition.
• Have done some desk-based market research and spoken to industry experts to validate unmet needs in their technology area.
• Have built a network of contacts within the Cambridge innovation ecosystem, including peers, founders and mentors.
• Be well-prepared to apply or pitch for translational funding (e.g., TIF, IAA, Royce Hydrogen Accelerator, MATcelerate Zero etc).

Following the programme, teams that are ready may be invited to pitch to the TIF investment committee for funding for their translational research, which can be up to £250,000.

• Academics, postdoctoral researchers, and PhD students from the School of Physical Sciences or the School of Technology at the University of Cambridge.
• PhD students and postdocs must obtain consent from their Principal Investigator (PI) before applying.
• The technology or innovation must originate from research conducted at the University of Cambridge.
• Our programme thrives on diverse perspectives and experiences. We encourage women and individuals from underrepresented groups to apply.

Please note: At least one team member must be present for each session and available for the final event.

Undergraduate or Masters student are not eligible to participate.

For questions or further information, please contact Nathalie Muller or Sandra Korychenska at Cambridge Enterprise.

• Sessions location: West Campus
• Finale location: Town Centre, TBC
• Timing: sessions from 13:00 to 16:30, finale TBC
• Programme fees: free

Amy is a serial entrepreneur and innovation champion with a career spanning startups, multinational corporations, and academia. She co-founded STNC Ltd., the first company to put web browsers on mobile phones, later acquired by Microsoft. As the founder and programme director of Cambridge University’s i-Teams programme, Amy has helped launch over 120 technology and life sciences startups by connecting students with real-world commercialisation challenges. Amy is an angel investor and co-chair of Cambridge Angels. She is also Vice Chair at the Eastern Learning Alliance and a Trustee of the Cambridge Science Centre and of U-Maths.

Nathalie is a Commercialisation and Academic Relations Manager at Cambridge Enterprise, where she helps researchers and students bring their innovations to market. Before she joined Cambridge Enterprise Nathalie worked with a specialised engineering company, taking one of their technologies to market via a start-up. Prior to that she ran a start-up technology platform connecting print to digital. She also worked as a management consultant to the chemicals, healthcare and energy industries. Nathalie has a PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Amsterdam.

Oleksandra is a Technology Development and Project Manager at Cambridge Enterprise, specialising in translating cutting-edge research into commercial opportunities. Prior to joining Cambridge Enterprise Oleksandra worked as a scientist in Corporate Venturing team at Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical. She also worked as a chemist in Organic Photodiode team, designing and synthesising new photoactive materials.
Oleksandra has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Sheffield.

Matthew is an Associate Director in the Physical Sciences team where he collaborates closely with researchers to identify and develop market opportunities for innovations created at the University of Cambridge, ensuring that these ground breaking technologies reach their full potential.
Prior to joining Cambridge Enterprise, Matthew spent 10 years at technology development consultancy TTP plc. There, he worked with a mix of ambitious early-stage companies and corporate clients, helping to identify valuable market opportunities and take innovative technologies from concept to market launch. During this period, Matthew delivered projects across a broad range of markets, including Aerospace, CleanTech and HealthTech.
He holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Leeds and an MSci in Physics from Durham University.

Simon is a Course Leader in writing, public speaking and storytelling skills at the University of Cambridge. He also runs his own communication agency. He has published twelve books on business and communication, along with eight novels, and previously was a BBC Television, Radio and Online News Correspondent for twenty years.

Yes, but you must have your PI’s consent.

You are still eligible if you are thinking how to develop your technology/idea further or trying to understand how your technology/idea could fit into the real world.

Yes, informal feedback will be provided following the selection process.

Within the University environment sharing your ideas does not constitute a public disclosure. Your application will be treated confidentially. Our mentors are bound by confidentiality too.

Yes, you can. However, the Ideas Incubator will give you a much better understanding of what is required for translational projects and, importantly, beyond.