The Enterprise Fellowships are open to international students from all over the world to pursue doctoral studies at the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK. This program supports innovative and creative entrepreneurial engineers who have demonstrated exceptional innovation in engineering and wish to develop it further.
The program focuses on equipping awardees with the skills, experience, confidence, and a network of expert advisors needed to advance their innovation.
The Enterprise Fellowships support three types of individuals:
- International PhD students based in the UK who wish to spin out or start up their own venture.
- Recent graduates are looking to create a company.
- Researchers aim to spin out a company from a university or research institute.
Scholarship Summary
- Level of Study: Postdoctoral
- Institution(s): Royal Academy of Engineering
- Study in: The UK
- Opportunity Focus Areas: Engineering
- Program Period: One year
- Deadline:
- Stage one submission deadline: 4:00 pm, 16 February 2026
- Stage two submission deadline: Startups—4:00 pm, 16 March 2026, and Spinouts—4:00 pm, 23 March 2026
Scholarship Coverage
Enterprise Fellowships—The Royal Academy of Engineering provides the recipient with the following benefits:
- Up to £75,000 equity-free startup funding grant,
- 75 hours of training with 1:1 business coaching
- mentoring and lifetime access to our unrivalled network of the UK’s leading engineers, investors and fellows
Eligibility Criteria for the Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellowships
To be eligible for Enterprise Fellowships—Royal Academy of Engineering, the following criteria must be fulfilled:
- Required Language: English.
- Eligible Countries: All Countries
Broadly speaking, we support:
- Researchers wishing to spin out a company from a university
- Recent graduates seeking to found a startup
- International PhD students (already based in the UK) wanting to spin out or start up
You meet our key eligibility criteria if:
- The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of your solution is 4 or above
- Equity investment in your business is less than 500,000 GBP
- Your innovation is protectable, and you own or co-own the IP
- Within the founding team, you own the highest equity stake in the company
- You are, or have the ambition to be, the CEO or COO of the business
- For startups: you are not a student or otherwise employed during our program.
- In addition, for startups, you will have completed your very first university degree by 1 January 2021
- For spinouts: you are currently employed by the university
Please ensure you read the full list of eligibility criteria before applying.
How to apply for the Enterprise Fellowships at the Royal Academy of Engineering?
Please visit the official website link given at the end. Here are some necessary steps to avail Enterprise Fellowships—Royal Academy of Engineering:
- Applicants must first register with the system from here.
- Once logged in, select My Applications in the top left corner, and choose an application from the list of currently open programs.
The application process has two stages:
Stage one
In Stage One, you briefly tell us about yourself and your idea. It will take about 60 minutes to complete. If you are eligible for the program and your idea is suitable for the type of support we offer, and you are a good fit for the program, then we will invite you to complete a stage two application. Stage one does not consider how good the idea is, but whether it fits within the criteria and aims of the program.
Stage two
The Stage Two application is more detailed and will consider how good the idea is and your potential to lead a startup. You will need to provide more information about yourself, the team, the technology, and the business model—this will take you between one and three working days. This part of the application will be reviewed by a panel of experts, and if successful, you will be invited to interview.
Please note that due to the large volume of applications, we will not be able to provide you with the panel’s feedback on your Stage Two application until the selection process is fully completed.
If you have any questions, please email the Enterprise team.
Website
To know more about Enterprise Fellowships—Royal Academy of Engineering, please visit the official website: