ACTUATE 2026: From Research to Application

ACTUATE is the university’s in-house accelerator programme designed to help academic staff & technicians to successfully commercialise their research and ideas.

Purpose and Intended Outcomes

ACTUATE 2026 aims to broaden participation in knowledge exchange across departments and faculties by focusing on unregistered intellectual property (IP) and practical routes to application, while maintaining a clear pipeline to future commercial opportunities and creating sustainable ways to support these ventures and their impact.

This year we are supporting diverse routes to exploring how expertise and ideas create value without formal IP protection. The programme aims to develop ideas for application beyond the university: an exploration programme.  

Format

5 x 90-minute sessions
Wednesdays, 1pm–2.30pm 

• Session 1: 8 April 
• Session 2: 22 April
• Session 3: 6 May 
• Session 4: 20 May 
• Session 5: 3 June 

Proposed Agenda

Session 1: Ideas, IP and Value Creation - Framing IP beyond patents 

Date: 8 April

Introduction: welcome and overview of programme

What is IP:  Registered vs unregistered IP

• Key types of IP beyond Patents - Copyright, know-how, databases, designs, teaching materials
• Ownership basics: who owns what and why it matters – Freedom to Operate
• When speed of application matters more than formal protection

Understanding the value of unregistered IP

• Exploring how unregistered IP can create real-world value
• Creating Value Without Patents

Outcome: The Cohort will be able to articulate what intellectual assets they have and why they hold value. 

Session 2: Understanding Demand - Market without the jargon

Date: 22 April 

Understanding your market 

• Market scoping with minimal effort (TAM, SAM, SOM simplified)
• Identifying the problem your idea addresses
• Mapping competitors and assessing market gaps
• Distinguishing between customers vs users
• Defining why your solution matters to the customer (Value Proposition)
• Translating academic expertise into practical problem-solving solutions

Market Feedback

• Introduction to customer discovery conversations
• How to gather insights to refine your idea – metrics 

Outcome: The cohort will be able to describe a real user or customer and their key pain point.

Session 3: Testing and Shaping Your Idea 

Date: 6 May 

Using consultancy and engagement to refine ideas

• Consultancy as a tool for:
  • Income generation
  • Validation of ideas
  • Learning and professional development
• Types of consultancy and engagement opportunities:
  • Training, CPD, and short courses
  • Toolkits, frameworks and methodologies
  • Paid advisory and project-based work

• Designing low-risk pilots or paid engagements
• Getting feedback without giving IP away
• Iterating your offer based on real-world input
• From conversation to collaboration: understanding what works in practice
• How real-world engagement strengthens research:
  • Early feedback
  • Early collaboration
  • Early validation 

Outcome: The cohort will understand how to “learn while earning”, developing products or services that meet customer needs while validating ideas in the real world 

Session 4: The importance of brand and Marketing

Date: 20 May

• Practical advice on marketing your idea
• Understanding the importance of brand development
• Lessons from real examples: what worked and what didn’t

Outcome: The cohort will understand the role of brand and image and how to align this with their idea or offering.  

Session 5: Next Steps for Impact and Income

Date: 3 June

• Understanding when (and if) scaling makes sense
• Licensing content, tools, and methodologies – The Essex Storefront 
• Spin-outs, including social enterprise and mission-led models
• University support for:
  • Contracts
  • Pricing
  • Risk management
  • Business development
• Identifying realistic next steps for the next 3–6 months

Outcome: The cohort will recognise multiple “success paths” that are compatible with academic careers and understand the support available to pursue them.