Coming together to Accelerate Impact

On Thursday 9 October 2025, nearly 150 researchers from across the University of Oxford and beyond came together at the Mathematical Institute to explore and to celebrate the range of economic, social and policy impacts that some of the projects funded by UKRI through their Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) have achieved to date.

The event, Accelerate Impact, was focused on Oxford research projects and their project partners, and was devised to bring under the same roof for the first time academics, researchers and impact professionals from all four Oxford’s academic divisions – Humanities, Medical Sciences, Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences to Social Sciences – to exchange ideas and knowledge and unlock the value of their work. There were participants from Oxford University Innovation and Oxford Science Enterprises, as well as other academic institutions.

The IAA funding is awarded by UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) with the aim of ‘fuelling the best, brightest and most disruptive ideas’ from UK research institutions. In 2022 the University of Oxford was awarded over £7 million, enabling its researchers to respond quickly and efficiently to impact opportunities and help solve current complex challenges.

The day at a glance

The event opened with Professor Chas Bountra, former Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation at the University of Oxford, who praised the progress made so far across all disciplines and announced the new Oxford Environment IAA, a £600k fund to cover the impact from research linked to the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and wider environmental research.

The first keynote address saw Bernardo Cuenca Grau, Professor of Computer Science and Co-founder of Oxford Semantic Technologies – an Oxford University spinout underpinned by EPSRC research acquired by Samsung Electronics last year – take the stage. Professor Cuenca Grau explored the "cautious approach" that enabled the company to evolve into a cutting-edge AI software enterprise, ultimately attracting Samsung's interest. He emphasised the pivotal role of UKRI research and EPSRC IAA funding in helping the project take its first steps toward commercialisation, turning academic innovation into a viable business.

At the conclusion of his presentation, Professor Cuenca Grau was asked what advice he would offer to others hoping to follow a similar path. He shared two key insights: first, it is entirely possible to engage with the business world while staying true to one’s academic values. Second, success hinges on assembling the right team - people who share your principles and whom you can trust. In his case, partnering with CEO Peter Crocket, whose extensive experience in the private sector proved invaluable, was a critical factor in the company’s growth.

Watch the recording of Professor Cuenca Grau’s keynote speech. 

The rest of the morning was taken up by five parallel sessions, divided according to UKRI’s Research Council areas, each consisting of multiple presentations focusing on successful and innovative projects that had benefited at some point from IAA funding.

In opening one of the parallel sessions Professor James Naismith, Head of the MPLS Division, stressed “Impact is really important to the University. I don’t think we have a social licence unless we’re improving the lives of the people outside and today I want to celebrate the people who actually make a meaningful impact outside the walls of the University. There is nothing that we do in our division that doesn’t and shouldn't aim to transform lives for the better. It might take a long time, that’s the nature of discovery research. Not everything that we do works out, that’s the nature of risk taking – but in a good outcome there will be an impact.”

In the afternoon, attendees split into two parallel panel discussions. One focused on climate, environment, and sustainability, exploring how collaborative, cross-disciplinary approaches are essential for addressing complex research challenges. The other panel examined how collaborative innovation is driving change in health and care, showcasing examples of impact through interdisciplinary partnerships.

Watch the recordings of the two panel discussions.

Key themes and learnings

The discussions throughout the day covered a broad range of topics, but several key themes consistently emerged from researchers and speakers:

• IAA funding is fast and catalytic
  

  Many researchers agreed that while IAA grants are relatively modest in size - and not sufficient to fund an entire spinout - they provide a timely injection of funding that reduces early-stage risk. This support creates space for building and testing prototypes, travelling to engage potential customers, and disseminating findings. In short, IAA funding acts as a spark that can help move a project from concept toward commercialisation, or social or policy impacts.

• Collaboration is essential
  

  Professor Stephan Sanders (Department of Paediatrics) underscored the critical need to build the right team - people who not only share a common vision and philosophy but who are also leaders in their fields. This applies not only to principal investigators (PIs) but also to those supporting each project. “We are fortunate to do that in Oxford, and to have found a group where that collaboration is embedded,” he noted.

• Multidisciplinarity and proximity are key strengths at Oxford
  

  Professor Costantin Coussios, Director of the Oxford Institute of Biomedical Engineering, observed that “innovation lives in cracks between disciplines,” and highlighted how Oxford’s unique ecosystem fosters this kind of cross-pollination. “We are lucky to be in a place where we have so much of it on our doorstep,” he said.

Alex Chaix, Deputy Director, Commercialisation of Research at UK Research and Innovation, delivered the final keynote speech of the day.  Following his address, he was asked to share his impressions of the event:

“It’s exciting to see researchers from the five Oxford Impact Acceleration Accounts come together today to share experiences and demonstrate the strength of different disciplines delivering real world impact. The UKRI Impact Acceleration Account funding has enabled Oxford to be swift and efficient in responding to impact opportunities and to leverage £98m of further investments so far including revenues from licensing agreements, inward investment, consultancy and contracted research.”

Watch the recording of Alex Chaix’s keynote speech.

The day concluded with closing remarks from Professor Kylie Vincent (Department of Chemistry), who emphasised that while progress has been made, there is still significant work to be done to foster diversity in innovation. Professor Vincent also highlighted the impact of the IAA’s flagship RisingWise programme, which has supported 257 women from 56 different STEM disciplines to date.

Showcase and networking

The conference was followed by a showcase and networking reception where researchers, professionals and partners could share experiences and learn about some of Oxford’s IAAs spinouts and projects which have benefitted from IAA funding.

• – REFEYN, innovative biomolecular analysis with mass photometry;
• – Local Policy Lab, an initiative that aims to promote relationships and bridge the gap between research and local policy;
• – Oxford Robotics Institute, a research institute driven to change what robots can do for us;
• – Responsible Knowledge Exchange, Engagement and Impact (RKEEI), a framework to support responsible KEEI practices;
• – Oxford PV, a company revolutionising solar energy;
• – SDG Impact Lab, an initiative to enable students to work with businesses and non-academic organisations to develop innovative, research-based solutions;
• – Helio Display, a company transforming display technology;
• – Global Parenting Initiative, a five-year collaboration of universities, foundations, and implementing partners, with the aim of providing access to free, evidence-based, playful parenting support;
• – Science Together: Oxford Researchers and Communities (STORC), an engagement programme that enables mutually beneficial partnerships between university and local community organisations;
• – Biotracks, the next generation of tracking technology;
• – RisingWise, a course empowering women in STEM early career research positions;
• – Yellowstone, an Oxford spinout developing a methodology for highly selective targeted therapies.