Supervisors
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APPLICATIONS TO COHORTS 2.0 & 3.0 ARE NOW OPEN

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

Help researchers turn materials breakthroughs into real-world opportunities

Royce Catalyst expands the UK’s capacity for advanced materials entrepreneurship by connecting early-stage technologies from inventors with researcher teams who assess their commercial potential.

Supervisor applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Royce Catalyst is in a growth phase and we are actively expanding our pool of supervisors to support future cohorts. There is no fixed deadline to apply.

Supervisors are central to this process. You guide teams as they apply entrepreneurial frameworks, helping them evaluate markets, customers, risks, and business models. Your input ensures teams deliver valuable insights for inventors while developing the mindset and skills to become future entrepreneurs.

By joining as a supervisor, you’ll help build an entrepreneurial culture across the UK materials research community — while expanding your own professional networks and sharpening your mentoring expertise.

Programme Dates

Applications open: 18 February 2026.

The programme format is blended, with in-person dates in Manchester plus online (evening) team-based project work and supervisions. Places may be offered on a rolling basis.

Cohorts will run within the following dates

ROYCE CATALYST COHORT 2.0

Dates: 08 September – 11 December 2026 | Application deadline: 08 June 2026

In-person sessions in Manchester:

Launch Night: 08 September 2026.
Lecture intensive: 09-12 September 2026.
Pitch Night: 09 December 2026 (TBC).

ROYCE CATALYST COHORT 3.0

Dates: 25 January – 23 April 2027 | Application deadline: 9 November 2026.

In-person sessions in Manchester:

Launch Night: 26 January 2027 (TBC).
Lecture intensive: 27-30 January 2027 (TBC).
Pitch Night: 21 April 2027 (TBC).

WHY TAKE PART?

As a supervisor, you’ll work closely with motivated researchers, gain fresh perspectives, and play a pivotal role in shaping their entrepreneurial journey. You’ll provide structure, perspective, and critical feedback, helping teams bridge what they learn with the practical challenges of taking research to market.

Your role is to mentor the student teams: encouraging entrepreneurial mindsets, enabling rigorous analysis, and supporting them to collaborate effectively under time and resource constraints.

SUPERVISORS ARE THE LINCHPIN OF ROYCE CATALYST. WITHOUT YOU, STUDENT TEAMS COULD NOT BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE

Benefits for supervisors

Educational impact

Shape how the next generation of researchers think about entrepreneurship, innovation, and translation in the materials sector.
Support student teams to develop mindsets and practical skills they can take back to the lab, multiplying impact beyond the programme.

Professional growth

Refine your mentoring and coaching skills in a structured, high-impact environment.
Gain fresh perspectives from motivated PhD and postdoctoral researchers outside your immediate expertise.
Refresh your own approaches to commercialisation and venture creation by working with diverse teams on novel technologies.

Networks and contribution

Expand your professional network across the Royce community and the wider UK innovation ecosystem.
Connect with inventors, students, and fellow supervisors from academia, industry, and investment.
Be acknowledged in programme materials and Pitch Night.
Play a visible role in strengthening the UK pipeline of materials-focused ventures and embedding responsible innovation in research culture.

Your Commitment

Launch Night in Manchester (first day of the programme): Meet your student team and their inventor(s), frame the project, and set expectations. This is the first day of the programme.
Research phase online: Lead a minimum of three 2-hour supervisions, scheduled flexibly to suit your availability, guiding teams as they apply frameworks to their project.
Pitch Night in Manchester (last day of the programme): Join the programme finale to see teams present their findings and celebrate their progress.
Total commitment: around 15–20 hours over 12 weeks, and engagement at both Launch and Pitch Nights.

Relevant Experience

We welcome supervisors with expertise in areas such as:

Entrepreneurship, commercialisation, or innovation management.
Founding or leading start-ups in science, engineering, or advanced materials.
Corporate innovation, R&D translation, or investment.
Teaching, mentoring, or coaching in entrepreneurial or business contexts.

Supervisors should be comfortable working with PhD students and early-career researchers. The role is about mentoring teams to apply entrepreneurial thinking and explore commercial pathways, not providing technical or scientific solutions.

Application Guidance

SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION:

Applications are now open for both 2026–27 cohorts and are reviewed on a rolling basis.

ONLINE INTERVIEW

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a brief online interview.

OFFERS AND ENROLMENT

Successful applicants join the Royce Catalyst supervisor pool. Supervisors indicate project preferences, and the Royce team matches supervisors to projects based on background, expertise and availability. Not all supervisors are matched to a project in every cohort.

If you have any questions before getting started, please email the team at catalyst@royce.ac.uk.

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 student participant, inventor, or supervisor, 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