The Royal Society Enterprise Fund

The Need

Innovation is essential to maximising the public benefit of science and for economic competitiveness. There are three key gaps within the UK innovation environment: A funding gap for early stage investments in the £250K - £2 million range; a preparedness gap with early stage science-based projects not always ready to go to the market for financing; and a research area gap with comparatively poor funding of non-medical research fields.

The Opportunity

The Society plans to support innovation by investing in early-stage business opportunities founded on outstanding technology through its newly established Enterprise Fund which has already attracted initial donations of several million. The Society aims to capitalise the Fund initially with £20 million during the 350th Anniversary Campaign.

The Royal Society Enterprise Fund will provide early-stage equity funding for innovative new businesses emerging from the science base. In order to ensure sustainability the Fund will be evergreen, with financial gains returned to the Fund for reinvestment in future innovative science. It will serve as a living endowment.

We are currently setting up the processes that will allow us to start making investments. If you would like to keep in touch with our progress please contact us for updates.

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