Innovation Launchpad Network+ secures funding for new RiR Sprint programme to accelerate research and innovation
The Innovation Launchpad Network+ (ILN+), has secured £500,000 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to launch the Researchers in Residence (RiR) Sprint Programme.
Running between October 2026 and February 2027, the RiR Sprint will build on the success of the flagship Researchers in Residence scheme by providing a new fast paced model of collaboration between universities and the Innovate UK Catapult Network.
The original RiR programme supported more than 100 researchers across all nine Catapults, enabling university researchers to work alongside Catapult specialists to address industry-defined challenges, accelerate technology translation and strengthen the UK’s innovation ecosystem. The new Sprint programme will provide shorter, focused secondments that enable researchers and Catapult teams to rapidly explore new ideas, develop collaborative research and respond to emerging industrial opportunities.
The programme will continue to support projects aligned with the three strategic themes of Net Zero, Health & Wellbeing and Resilience, while providing researchers with access to the world-leading facilities, industrial expertise and commercial networks across the Catapult Network.
The announcement follows the highly successful Researchers in Residence Showcase 2026, which brought together more than 200 delegates from academia, industry, government and the Catapult Network for two days of technical presentations, demonstrations and strategic discussions. The event demonstrated the growing impact of the RiR model, showcasing research that is helping to address some of the UK’s biggest industrial and societal challenges while creating new partnerships, career opportunities and commercial ventures.
The RiR Sprint programme represents the next stage in the evolution of the Innovation Launchpad Network+, providing a funded pathway for researchers to engage with the Innovate UK Catapult Network and accelerate fundamental research to real-world application.
Director of the ILN+ Professor Pete Osborne said: “The success of the Researchers in Residence programme has shown what can be achieved when world-class researchers work shoulder-to-shoulder with industry through the Catapult Network. We’ve seen new technologies developed, long-lasting partnerships formed, researchers move into industry roles, and even new companies emerge from these collaborations.
“The RiR Sprint builds on that success by creating a more agile route for researchers to engage with industry, rapidly explore new ideas and accelerate innovation. We’re incredibly grateful to EPSRC for their continued confidence in the programme, and we’re excited to welcome a new cohort of researchers who will help tackle some of the UK’s biggest challenges across Net Zero, Health and Wellbeing and Resilience.”
The call for the Researchers in Residence Sprint programme is open now, with projects commencing in October 2026 and ending in February 2027. Applications are invited for projects of between £25-50,000 of University researcher costs which will take fundamental work from the University lab and scale it towards application in the real world.
Further details, including eligibility criteria and application guidance, can be found on innovationlaunchpad.ac.uk/rirsprint/.
More information about the scheme, including case studies from Researchers in Residence who have already completed their projects, can be found on innovationlaunchpad.ac.uk.
