This accelerator is a highly competitive opportunity to develop your concept/technology with full support from a team of industry experts covering everything you would need to know to launch and lead an engineering biology start-up. Developed in partnership with UKRI, our programme unites the collective expertise of 9 expert delivery partners and connects you to our wider network of more than 40 deep tech companies and 12 strategic partners. Our intensive 9-week programme starts with a week long bootcamp featuring back-to-back training from our delivery partners. You then have 8 weeks to accelerate your idea with continual support from our team, either here in Bristol or remotely with regular check-ins throughout.

The programme will help you to develop your skills as an entrepreneur, creating the growth strategy for your start-up or future business, ensuring a good market fit, team structure, a clear research map and fundraising plan.

The programme comes with financial support for all participants.

Successful graduates of the accelerator will then be invited to attend an EngBio summit and will have the opportunity to pitch to investors.

*The programme is open to individuals who want to launch a company as well as individuals who already have a very early stage UK-registered startup but have not exceeded the Minimum Financial Assistance limit in the UK.

**Candidates must have a UK-registered company to be eligible to apply for any subsequent UKRI feasibility funding announced for the next financial year. These awards will be subject to Minimum Financial Assistance / De Minimus rules. Please see FAQs for full details.

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The programme is full time for 9 weeks and comes with:

Access to expert training, mentoring and support throughout the accelerator programme from both our project team and highly experienced delivery partners.

• £20,780 pro rata support throughout the programme (amounting to £4,235).
• Additional travel & hotel budget for required in-person days.
• Discretionary budget for additional training or support services up to £1,000.
• The opportunity to pitch to investors at the end of the programme and attend an EngBio summit.
• Access to a growing network of strategic partners including Science Creates member benefits where available.*
• Individual access to hot-desking office space within our Old Market incubator building until December 2026.

UKRI has provided graduate companies within previous accelerator cohorts with the exclusive opportunity to apply for up to £50k of equity-free feasibility funding at the end of the programme. Due to public-funding budget timelines, UKRI will not be able to open a feasibility-funding competition for Cohort EngBio 3 accelerator graduates in this financial year (April 2025 - 2026). However, UKRI does intend to provide follow-on feasibility-funding opportunities to eligible cohort 3 EngBio accelerator companies in the next financial year (April 2026 onwards).

*Member benefits are provided at the discretion of external partners and may be subject to change.

We are looking for a mixture of entrepreneurial candidates from a variety of scientific backgrounds, both academic and industrial, who want to launch a company to take an engineering biology concept / technology to market.

You can apply with a concept, early-stage existing technology or a very early-stage startup*.

The concept/technology must have an engineering biology focus. Please note that we have a very strict description on engineering biology:

• Engineering biology is defined by UKRI as: “the application of rigorous engineering principles to the design and fabrication of biological components and systems, from modifications of natural systems to new forms of artificial biology"
• The core technology must fall within or more of the four applications of Engineering Biology: Biomedicine, Clean Growth, Environmental Solutions and Food Systems.

Your application will not be considered for the accelerator if the idea / technology you are applying with not fall within the scope of engineering biology.

If you have any additional requirements you would like us to be aware of or consider as part of the application, there is a section within the expression of interest and more details on the accessibility in our FAQs.

*If applying with an existing company you must not have exceeded the Minimum Financial Assistance (UK) or De Minimus (EU) funding allowance for your company; more information is available on Innovate UK’s website.

The application process is in 3 parts:

1. Expression of interest
2. Full application
3. Video call interview

The expression of interest assesses the scope and applications of your concept/technology and its fit for the accelerator. We also ask for questions to assess your motivation for applying to the programme. The expression of interest application is blinded. Successful applicants are invited to submit a full application that looks at their technology, presentation skills and entrepreneurial aptitude in more detail.

Successful applicants will be invited to a final 15-minute interview (remote).

The application questions you are asked will vary slightly depending upon whether you are applying with or without an existing company; this is to ensure you are asked appropriate questions. Neither application type is considered as advantageous.

If you want to see a full list of the questions before submission, you can download the question list by selecting Apply Now.

We are fully committed to ensuring our application process is fair and inclusive. Places on the programme are rewarded on merit. If you have accessibility requirements or concerns which require consideration in relation to the application or interview, please get in touch.

The idea or technology you apply with should be in its very early or early stages – but what does that mean?

The stage of your technology will be assessed against the UKRI’s Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework. We are open to founders or companies with technologies ranging from TRL 1 up to TRL 5-6, with preference given to those at the low to middle end of that range. Successful candidates will be eligible to apply for feasibility funding at the end of the accelerator for their technology. We are open to accepting founders looking to develop a new engineering biology idea, even if they already have more developed technology in another area.

UKRI has provided graduate companies within previous accelerator cohorts with the exclusive opportunity to apply for up to £50k of equity-free feasibility funding at the end of the programme. Due to public-funding budget timelines, UKRI will not be able to open a feasibility-funding competition for Cohort 3 EngBio accelerator graduates in this financial year (April 2025 - 2026). However, UKRI does intend to provide follow-on feasibility-funding opportunities to eligible cohort 3 EngBio accelerator companies in the next financial year (April 2026 onwards). We expect UKRI to confirm timelines and details of any follow-on feasibility funding competition for cohort 3 by the end of the programme (December 2025).

To be eligible for follow-on feasibility funding from UKRI you must:

• Have UK-registered EngBio company by the end of the accelerator
• Have not exceeded the Minimum Financial Assistance (UK) or De Minimus (EU) allowance for your company; more information is available on Innovate UK’s website.

Yes. There is a comments box as part of the expression of interest application form where you can make us aware of any specific accessibility considerations or personal circumstances that you may need reasonable adjustments for or support with. Large parts of the accelerator can be attended remotely and where they are on site, the building has step-free access throughout.

We are fully committed to ensuring that the accelerator programme is accessible. Please get in touch if you have any questions or concerns.

To be eligible to participate in the programme you must have a legal right to work in the UK, and be residing in the UK for the duration of the programme. A key expectation of the accelerator is that you will have a UK-registered engineering biology start-up by the end of the programme; this is essential to be eligible for further support from UKRI. You will be asked to confirm your right to work in the UK when you submit an application. If accepted on to the programme, you will need to provide proof of your right-to-work with original documents. If you cannot meet these criteria, you will not be eligible to participate in the programme.

Participants should be based in the UK for the duration of the programme. All participants must attend 2 in-person bootcamps (in Bristol): 5 days during the first week of the Accelerator, and 4 days during week 6.

Candidates will be required to participate in hybrid fortnightly (weeks 3, 5, 7) pitch standup days. We strongly encourage candidates to attend these days in-person, though a remote option is available for those who cannot be in Bristol. The fourth standup pitch day (week 9) will be delivered in-person (Bristol) and will coincide with the programme graduation / close.

Candidates will be reimbursed for any travel expenses to in-person accelerator activities in Bristol, and local hotel accommodation will be provided where overnight stays are required.

Participants may work in person at our Old Market site in Bristol for the remainder of the programme (hot desking space provided), but we appreciate that this will not be possible for everyone. If you intend to work remotely, please be aware that all timings will be in GMT and you are expected to participate on a full-time basis. A stable internet connection and good working environment will be essential to participate remotely.

The programme duration is 9 weeks, starting with a week-long bootcamp followed by 8 weeks of acceleration. There will also be an investor showcase and EngBio summit to attend, post-programme.

Successful applicants will be required to participate in the accelerator programme on a full time basis. Participants are expected to be fully committed to the programme and its activities, attend workshops and training sessions, work on their business/project development, and collaborate with mentors and fellow participants.

By the end of the programme, candidates are expected to have a UK-registered company and be in a position to apply for follow-on funding from UKRI.

Given the competitive nature of this accelerator programme and the significant opportunity provided to candidates, we reserve the right to remove candidates from the accelerator programme if at any point it is clear that they are not committed to these expectations.

The responsibility for identifying and protecting IP remains with programme participants, for example IP relating to engineering biology or any other scientific technology or business process.

We recommend that applicants take time to identify any ‘background IP’ (ie IP developed by applicants prior to enrolment onto the accelerator programme) so that they can be clear on what has been developed and when. Ownership of ‘Foreground IP’ (ie IP developed during participation in the accelerator programme) will be determined by the contribution made by programme participants to the IP and by agreement between the participants.

If the core IP of your EngBio company / idea is currently owned by a university or research organisation, you are required to discuss your intent to apply to the accelerator with the relevant Technology Transfer Office (TTO) prior to submission of the EOI. Should you advance to a full application, we will require the TTO / university / research organisation sign an NDA, in addition to you, the applicant.

We expect program participants to deal with each other openly and honestly, and so if IP is developed jointly by multiple Programme participants, we expect the participants to come to a fair agreement on ownership reflecting the contributions of each inventor.

We retain the rights to any processes, know-how, trade marks or any other intellectual property generated by us and our delivery partners related to tuition, evaluation and the operation of our accelerator programme.

There are a number of specific questions related to IP included within the expression of interest related to IP and we encourage you to read them carefully before submitting your application.

You can download the question list here if you would like to read them in advance.

The programme is supported by a number of internationally renowned VC partners who will provide investor insights and training as part of the accelerator.

The programme aims to connect participants with potential investors and funding opportunities, including an investor demo day after the accelerator graduation and introductions to investor networks. The timing of the demo day will be reactive to the needs of those applicants on the programme and likely to happen after the feasibility funding round is complete.

Networking events will be held throughout the programme, allowing the cohort to connect with Science Creates’ members and partners.

Participants will receive support and mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs, industry experts, and investors throughout the accelerator.

The majority of core support will be provided by our programme team and delivery partners.

Successful candidates will attend a short meeting with the programme team prior to the accelerator starting. As each project is likely to vary significantly in terms of its thematic focus and technological requirements our aim is to identify what each candidate needs before making any match-making with either mentors or co-founders.

Our expectation is that all successful candidates are motivated and are in a position to launch and run a company by the end of the programme.

One of the key expectations from UKRI is that candidates graduate from the programme with a UK-registered company and are in a position to to apply for further UKRI competition funding for Engineering Biology in the future.

If you already have a UK-registered company and would like to apply please note, any follow-on feasibility funding annoiunced by UKRI will be subject to Minimum Financial Assistance rules. Therefore, companies that apply must not have received more than the upper financial limit in place for their region, which differs depending on if you are in Mainland GB or Northern Ireland - please see the application for more details.

There may also be requests in the future from either us, UKRI or our delivery partners for update data on your progress post accelerator.

Our programme is a full-time, so while you are welcome to apply and potentially be able to take part in both, this would require a conversation with our accelerator team if there is likely to be any overlap in terms of your time requirements or a conflict of interest between both accelerators. We are happy to be flexible where we can.

Yes you can, as part of the application process we ask you which you have been on and what you have learned. It’s helpful for us to know so that we don’t duplicate training you may have also received.

The selection process involves an expression of interest, a full application, and a remote interview. Details of the selection criteria and steps can be found throughout the application process and by downloading the application questions that are specific to your application type (applying with / without a company).

Our programme is intense and will require a commitment to your EngBio venture on a full-time basis throughout. For this reason, we provide a small stipend for your time.

The ultimate goal of the accelerator programme is for participants to have launched an engineering biology company by the latter part of the accelerator and be in a position to apply for future UKRI funding and / or seek investment.

If that doesn’t sound like what you want to do, we would recommend you consider applying to join our network instead.

We would discuss any complexities related to this as part of a full application / interview.

This programme is exclusively for companies or individuals developing technologies based on engineering biology as defined by UKRI: “The application of rigorous engineering principles to the design and fabrication of biological components and systems, from modifications of natural systems to new forms of artificial biology"

It’s important to highlight that the term engineering biology is not “engineering” + “biology” and it is expected in some way to contain elements of synthetic biology.

There are 4 key technological application areas of interest: Food Systems, Biomedicine, Clean Growth and Environmental Solutions.

Only those applicants who’s technologies are within this scope will be considered for invite to submit a full application.

Places on the programme will be awarded to individuals, not teams.

Only one person per founding team / company will be accepted onto the programme. If you are part of an existing team we recommend you discuss who would be the most candidate for the accelerator, prior to that person submitting an application.

However, we will look to provide support to the team where possible.

We would discuss any complexities related to this as part of a full application / phone interview.

Yes, we have hot-desking space available within our Old Market facility (Bristol) for programme participants for the duration of the accelerator. Unfortunately we cannot provide co-working space for those based elsewhere in the UK at present.

This would be on a case-by-case basis and we would try our best to support you through the programme. We don’t make any claim to the IP during the programme or any ownership of companies formed, so you are free to do as you choose. Should you need to withdraw from the programme prior to graduation, the value of your stipend will be adjusted on a pro-rata basis.

The programme comes with a small stipend for participants to help support their living costs. Participants are only required to be based in Bristol during the weeks 1 and 6 of the programme (plus graduation day) and may choose to work either in-person or remotely (in the UK) for the remainder. Candidates will be reimbursed for accelerator-related travel to Bristol and nearby hotel accommodation will be provided whenever overnight stays are required.