Apply to Techcelerate
How to apply to the next cohort of Techcelerate
The next cohort dates aren't yet finalised. Once they are we will publish them on this and the Enterprise Lab website.
To be eligible for the programme, applicants must:
- Be researcher, postdoc or fellow at Imperial College London employed by the College for the entire duration of the programme OR a student or alumnus (within three years) at Imperial College London
- Have permission from their Principal Investigator or Head of Department if they are staff
- Be able to attend all sessions outlined in the provisional timetable (some dates of sessions are TBC)
If you are interested in the programme and want to be notified when applications open, please fill out this form.
In the application form, you will be asked about your motivations for joining the programme, including how you and your team will benefit from the programme, what you would like to achieve, the problem you’re solving, your solution and the IP status of your venture. In addition, you'll need to obtain approval from your Head of Department or line manager to take part in the programme.
This is designed to get a sense of why you want to join the programme and what the benefit would be for yourself, your work and your wider team.
Once it’s ready, an example application form can be found at this link. Please do not fill out and return this document – it is intended for information only. Applications should be submitted using the link below.
Help, I have some questions about Techcelerate?
If you have any enquiries about the Techcelerate programme as either a student, researcher or corporate partner get in touch.
Complete our short form and a member of our team will get back to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the focus of the programme?
The programme is specifically focused on improving product-market fit through market validation as well as building a commercial business case for a technology. This means that we will support you in finding customers and stakeholders, teach you how to approach them to find out what problems they have and if your technology can help. However, many participants continue to work on other parts of their project while on the programme and we provide access to Imperial Enterprise Lab's Experts-in-Residence programme to support participants in other parts of their journey where Techcelerate doesn’t cover relevant content.
Will we work with mentors and advisors?
Participants will interact with business coaches, facilitators and advisors throughout the programme, including experienced industry professionals, Faculty Associate Deans and Imperial’s industry partnerships and commercialisation teams.
Participants will be encouraged to build their own networks of industry contact with the guidance of the programme and leave the programme with a network of potential shareholders.
What kind of time commitment is required?
Techcelerate will be conducted as an ‘extra-curricular’ activity only, however participants are expected to attend all sessions and work on their venture outside of contact hours to get the full benefit of the programme.
Over the course of the programme, participants are expected to attend 60-75 hours in programme contact time (including business coaching and contact with industry professionals). The online learning aspect of the programme is 15 hours total.
Applicants will also be expected to demonstrate that they practice customer interviewing (especially in Stage 2), which should take at least a few hours per participant per week.
Who is eligible for the programme?
Early career researchers including postdocs, fellows, research assistants as well as students and alumni (within three years of graduation) will all be eligible for Techcelerate.
Will the programme offer support for more general venture building?
While this isn’t the focus of the programme, the team will provide support for other venture building activities on an adhoc basis. Participants have the flexibility to tailor their business coaching to their needs at the time and participants will receive access to the Experts-in-Residence scheme run by Imperial Enterprise Lab.
Do I need to be working on College IP to take part in the programme?
No, applicants are not required to be working with College-owned intellectual property.