Queen’s supports businesses that received a £5K Innovation Voucher from Invest NI. Redeeming an Innovation Voucher with Queen's, gives your business affordable access to our specialist knowledge.

Designed to help businesses explore new ideas without a large upfront investment, this funding supports;

• Product, process, or service development
• Technical consultancy and feasibility studies
• Access to cutting-edge research and emerging technologies
• Insights into materials, design, and scientific approaches
• Exploration of new business models

Who Can Use an Innovation Voucher?

If you’re a Northern Ireland-based SME, social enterprise, or third sector organisation, including sole traders, startups, or pre-trading entrepreneurs, and you’ve already secured a voucher from Invest NI, you are eligible to partner with us.

How it Works

• Apply through Invest NI
• Get your voucher awarded
• You’ll receive up to £5,000 in funding, with a £1,000 contribution from your business
• Contact us to start your partnership

Ready to Redeem Your Voucher?

Get in touch once your voucher is approved: innovationvouchers@qub.ac.uk.

The Innovation Boost programme enables businesses based in the Republic of Ireland to partner with Queen's to help you solve critical business problems or provide the expertise to bring an innovative idea to life.

Funded by InterTradeIreland, the programme is specifically designed to support cross-border collaboration between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Eligible projects can access funding of up to £56,000 / €67,900.

What You’ll Gain

• A dedicated, full-time graduate embedded in your business for up to 18 months
• Access to Queen’s academic expertise aligned to your innovation goals
• Ongoing, hands-on support from Queen’s researchers throughout the project
• Up to 50% salary support for the graduate, with funding worth up to £56,000
• A springboard into longer-term research, development and collaboration

How it Works

Innovation Boost helps you drive change in your business by matching you with Queen’s research expertise and a high-calibre graduate to lead a strategic innovation project.

The graduate is directly employed by your company for 12–18 months and becomes a key part of your team. Throughout the project, they’re supported by expert mentors at Queen’s and an InterTradeIreland Innovation Boost advisor, ensuring both academic insight and practical delivery.

Projects typically focus on product development, process improvement, or technical problem-solving, all driven by your business needs and challenges.

Enquire today to see how Innovation Boost can support your business.

Queen’s is a key delivery partner in the Connected NI programme, offering local businesses access to academic academic expertise and world-class facilities, typically out of reach for most SMEs.

Funded by the Department for the Economy, Connected NI is a Northern Ireland-wide knowledge transfer initiative designed to promote collaboration and knowledge exchange that drives research, product development and business growth.

Through Connected NI, you business can;

• Partner with academics from a wide range of sectors, including manufacturing, digital, health, life sciences, agri-food, and engineering.
• Collaborate on feasibility studies, product development or process improvement projects that help build in-house capability and boost competitiveness.
• Use cutting-edge labs, prototyping spaces, and testing facilities to explore, validate, and scale new ideas.
• Access expert guidance and funding support to shape projects, reduce risk, and accelerate innovation.
• Work on projects of any size or complexity, from short-term feasibility studies to large-scale development programmes.

Get Started

Contact our team to explore how Connected NI can help your business innovate, grow, and compete. 

Collaborative R&D at Queen’s brings researchers and businesses together to co-develop solutions to complex industry challenges, combining experimental research, technical innovation, and cross-disciplinary expertise.

These projects are designed to explore new technologies, improve processes, or create products that could not be developed by a business or university alone.

How it works for your business

• Tackle challenges requiring original research and experimentation.

• Combine expertise across multiple disciplines, including advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, AI, life sciences, agri-food, and sustainability.

• Share risk while accessing cutting-edge labs, prototyping facilities, and testing equipment.

• Generate insights, prototypes, proof-of-concept results, or intellectual property.

• Build long-term partnerships and a pipeline for ongoing R&D.

Collaborative R&D lets businesses innovate at the forefront of their sector, delivering outcomes beyond consultancy or standard contract research.

Get Started

Contact us to discuss collaborative R&D opportunities with Queen's.

Contract Research allows your company to commission specific research projects directly with Queen’s University. Projects are fully designed around your objectives, giving you access to the University’s academic expertise, specialist facilities, and technical support to solve complex challenges.

Businesses can benefit from Queen’s collaborative studentship programme (CAST), gaining access to highly skilled postgraduate researchers to tackle innovation projects.

Through our Consultancy Services, we provide access to our vast array of research facilities and equipment across a variety of sectors and disciplines and offer support with;