This document provides information about the Growing Successful Entrepreneurs program run by The Royal Society of Edinburgh. The program offers a 12-month salary, business training, mentoring, networking opportunities, and up to £10K in funding to help innovators and researchers commercialize their ideas. Past fellows have founded over 100 companies in key Scottish industries and attracted over £63M in follow-on investment. The selection committee evaluates applicants based on the effectiveness of their technology, its market potential, and the applicant's commercialization plan and ambition to succeed.

1. Growing Successful Entrepreneurs

2. The Opportunity
Are you an innovator or researcher with:
• A technology-based business idea?
• An interest in building a successful company?
• The energy and motivation to help the business
reach its potential?
If so, we may be able to help.

3. Scottish Enterprise
Highlands & Islands Enterprise
eligible areas
• Aerospace, defence and marine
• Chemical sciences
• Construction
• Creative industries
• Energy
• Financial services
• Food and drink
• Forest and timber technologies
• Life sciences
• Manufacturing
• Enabling technologies and
convergent areas
• Textiles
• Tourism
Applications are welcome in key sectors for Scottish economic development:

4. BBSRC and STFC
eligible areas
BBSRC welcomes applications from individuals who have been connected to
research previously funded by BBSRC.
STFC welcomes applications from individuals who have been connected to
research previously funded by STFC, PPARC, CERN and the EPSRC Nuclear
Physics programme.
Applicants do not have to be the lead on a previous STFC or
BBSRC funded project but must have played some part in the
research team.

5. The programme . . .
✓Buys you time: A 12 month salary will allow you to focus
on commercialising your research
✓ Provides business training
✓ Links you up with mentors
✓ Gives you access to financial and entrepreneurial networks
✓ Supports you with up to £10K development funding

6. Business training
Business training is provided by the Entrepreneur
Business School.
It includes a 4-day Entrepreneur bootcamp, followed
by 10 workshops spread throughout the year.
These sessions are based in different locations,
determined by the geography of the cohort.

9. Strong record of success
For the 19 years that the RSE Enterprise Fellowship scheme has
been running, it has supported over 200 fellowships.
A recent survey showed:
• Over 100 high technology businesses have been formed
• 92.5% of participants said the scheme gave them the
confidence and skills to spin out or start up their company
• 75% of those who set up businesses are either still trading or
have sold their company
• Half of the former Enterprise Fellows have attracted £63.24M
follow-on investment

10. Strong record of success
What do past Enterprise Fellows say about the
programme?
Hear about their experiences

11. Entrepreneurial success
Barry Johnston
Founder & Company Director,
Scotrenewables
Barry founded Scotrenewables in 2002
with the support of an Enterprise
Fellowship from the RSE. Barry is
involved in all aspects of the engineering
design with a particular focus on
offshore testing operations.
Recently Scotrenewables received $8.4M
in private investment and €10M Euros
from the Horizon2020 programme.

12. Entrepreneurial success
Margaret Anne Craig
Co-founder & CEO of Clyde Biosciences
Margaret Anne Craig founded Clyde
Biosciences, a company that evaluates
drug toxicity, in 2012 on completing her
Enterprise Fellowship.
Spinning out of the University of
Glasgow, the company’s initial customers
included several top 10 global
pharmaceutical companies and it has
recently received £2M investment from
a leading international early-stage life
science venture capital fund.

13. Successes of former
Enterprise Fellows
Abesh Thakur, CEO of Two Big Ears, a company that
design immersive audio applications, was an
Enterprise Fellow in 2015. His company span out of
the University of Edinburgh and has since worked
with musicians - Björk and Massive Attack - gaming
companies and film makers; some of the films they
worked on were showcased at this year’s Sundance
Film Festival.
David Hunter, Chief Executive of Shot Scope, a
company specialising in golf wearable technology,
launched his company ’s first products in America.
They currently have pre-orders from 14 countries
worldwide for their Shot Scope wristband.

14. Selection committee
The selection committee is looking for:
• Effectiveness of technology - what is it and does it work?
• Market potential - what problem are you providing a solution
for?
• Commercialisation - how will you commercialise your
technology, what business model will you use?
• Success in business - do you have the drive and ambition to
succeed?

15. If you are interested
For further information, please contact:
Anne Fraser
Awards Manager
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
22 - 26 George Street
Edinburgh , EH2 2PQ
Tel: 0131 240 5013
Email: afraser@royalsoced.org.uk
Website: www.royalsoced.org.uk/enterprisefellowships
Twitter: @royalsoced
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/royalsoced