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Build entrepreneurial skills. Explore real technologies. Shape the future of materials innovation.

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APPLICATIONS TO COHORT 3.0 ARE NOW OPEN

Home / Training & Skills / Entrepreneurship & Commercialisation / Royce Catalyst / Royce Catalyst – Learners

Learn entrepreneurship. Apply it to advanced materials.

Royce Catalyst is an applied entrepreneurship education programme that connects early-stage advanced materials technologies with multidisciplinary learner teams who investigate their commercial potential.

As a learner, you combine expert-led education with practical work on a live project. You develop entrepreneurial skills and commercial judgement that can serve you whether you pursue a career in academia, industry, a start-up or as a founder.

Programme Dates

The programme format is blended, with in-person dates in Manchester plus online (evening) team-based project work and supervisions.

Next cohort: Cohort 3.0
Application deadline: 23 November 2026
Participation dates: 6 April – 6 July 2027
In-person attendance in Manchester: 6-10 April and 6 July 2027

APPLY TO JOIN ROYCE CATALYST

Why Apply?

We’re looking for entrepreneurial curiosity and a genuine appetite to act on it. You don’t need to bring your own technology, be planning to start a company or have previous commercial experience.

We particularly welcome people who want to play an active part in advanced materials innovation, whether by joining or growing a start-up, helping technologies move forward within a university or established business, or becoming a founder in the future.

You don’t need to know exactly where the experience will lead. What matters is that you’re ready to step beyond your own specialism, work with people who think differently, engage with the wider market and put what you learn into practice beyond the programme.

What will you gain?

Practical experience investigating a live commercial opportunity.
Greater confidence working across science, business and industry.
Stronger commercial judgement and customer discovery skills.
New relationships across the advanced materials innovation community.
A joint certificate of completion from the Henry Royce Institute and the Alliance Manchester Business School.

LEARN BY DOING, BUILD ENTREPRENEURIAL INSIGHT AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE UK’S ADVANCED MATERIALS INNOVATION COMMUNITY.

The learning experience

Everything you learn is designed to be used. From the outset, you’ll work in a multidisciplinary team on a live, non-confidential project proposed by a founder or inventor.

The programme opens with Launch Day followed by an intensive four-day Learning Retreat in Manchester, with online Boost sessions continuing as your project develops.

Across 60 hours of entrepreneurship education and supervision, you’ll learn to:

frame problems and recognise opportunities
assess commercial feasibility and value
navigate risk and commercial pathways
make decisions with incomplete or changing evidence
engage externally and communicate with confidence

Customer discovery and primary market research sit at the heart of the team project work. You’ll explore market and value chains, using evidence to test assumptions and compare applications.

Your team will produce two assessed assignments: a commercial feasibility report and a six-minute pitch and accompanying deck.

Alongside the required Manchester dates, you should allow around five to six hours each week for team project work. Consistent participation throughout the programme is essential.

On successful completion, you will receive a joint Certificate of Completion from the Henry Royce Institute and Alliance Manchester Business School, signed by the Royce CEO.

Fees and Scholarships

Royce Catalyst uses a tiered fee structure, with scholarships available to support UK university researchers. Programme fees contribute to the entrepreneurship education, supervision and programme delivery you receive.

FEES:

UK university researchers: £1,200
Includes PhD researchers, postdocs, early-career academics and technical staff
University researchers based outside the UK: £1,800
Professionals outside academia: £3,500
Includes people working in start-ups, established businesses, corporate industry R&D staff and other organisations

ROYCE SCHOLARSHIPS:

UK university researchers may apply for one of a limited number of scholarships covering either 50% or 100% of the programme fee, regardless of career stage or background. Applicants must provide a justification for funding as part of their application.

PAYING BY INSTALMENTS:

We may be able to arrange payment of the programme fee in three instalments. If you are offered a place, please discuss this with us before accepting it.

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION:

Travel and five nights’ accommodation for the required Manchester dates are not included. You’re responsible for arranging and paying for these and should secure any necessary support or funding before accepting a place.

IF YOU ARE OFFERED A PLACE:

Following interview, you will be asked to make a non-refundable £50 place-confirmation payment to secure your place. This applies to every learner, including scholarship recipients, and is additional to any programme fee due.

A cancellation and refund policy applies to programme fees. Full terms will be included with your offer so you can review them before accepting.

Application Guidance

Submit your application online by the published deadline. On the application form, you can select your preferred cohort or ask to be considered for either cohort.

To help you prepare, you can download a Word template from the application page and consider your answers before completing the online form.

We review applications as they arrive, so you may hear from us before the deadline. If shortlisted, we’ll invite you to a short online interview to learn more about your background, what you hope to gain and how you would contribute to the programme.

Scholarship decisions are made after the application deadline, once all interviews have taken place, so we can consider every request fairly. We’ll confirm the outcome with any offer of a place.

If offered a place, you’ll be asked to make a £50 non-refundable place-confirmation payment to secure it. This applies to every learner, including scholarship recipients, and is additional to any programme fee due.

If you have any questions before applying, please contact us at catalyst@royce.ac.uk. We’ll be happy to help.

Be part of the bigger picture

Royce Catalyst is more than a programme. It marks the start of a national effort to embed materials-centred entrepreneurship education, put technology translation into action, and ultimately support the UK’s advanced materials research base.

Whether you join as a learner, founder, supervisor or mentor, your involvement will help shape the culture, capacity, and community that drives material discoveries into real-world impact.

Questions? Contact us at catalyst@royce.ac.uk