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 Research at Queen’s brings researchers and businesses together to co-develop solutions to complex industry challenges, combining experimental research, technical innovation, and university cross-disciplinary expertise. Funding for collaborative research can be accessed either by the researcher or the industry partner, depending on the funder.

Such collaborations are designed to explore new technologies, improve processes, or create products that could not be developed by a business or university alone, with the ultimate aim of advancing knowledge.

How it works for your business

• Tackle challenges requiring original research and experimentation.
• Combine expertise across multiple disciplines, such as 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 research and innovation activities.

Collaborative Research allows businesses to innovate at the forefront of their sector, delivering outcomes beyond short-term consultancy or standard contract research.

Get started

Contact us to discuss collaborative research opportunities with Queen's.

Contract Research enables your organisation to commission targeted research directly with Queen’s University Belfast. Projects are designed around your specific objectives, giving you access to academic expertise, specialist facilities, and technical support to address complex challenges or explore new ideas.

This approach allows Queen’s to work closely with your organisation to develop practical, research-led solutions aligned to your strategic needs.

How it works for your organisation

Contract Research is delivered through a formal agreement between your organisation and the University, rather than through a competitive research grant. For businesses and other organisations, this offers:

• Greater flexibility in project scope and delivery
• Clear governance and timelines
• Defined ownership and use of research outputs

Get started

Contact us to discuss contract research opportunities with Queen's.

A Collaborative PhD Studentship is a structured way for your organisation to work in partnership with Queen’s to address a defined business or sector challenge through applied doctoral-level research.

Unlike a traditional PhD, Collaborative Studentships are co-designed with an external partner. Your organisation helps shape the research focus to ensure it is aligned to a real operational, technical, or strategic need, while benefiting from Queen’s world-class, multidisciplinary research expertise.

This route is particularly suited to organisations seeking deep insight, evidence-led solutions, and long-term capability development in areas critical to future competitiveness.

How it works for your business

• You work with Queen’s academics to define a PhD research project focused on a challenge facing your business or sector.
• A dedicated PhD researcher spends several years developing deep insight, evidence, and solutions aligned to your strategic needs.
• Collaborative PhDs are designed to build knowledge and capability over time, supporting sustained growth rather than short-term fixes.
• You can fully fund a Collaborative Studentship, giving you greater influence over the project focus and outcomes.
• Alternatively, Queen’s researchers can access competitive funding schemes, such as the NI Department for the Economy (DfE) Collaborative Studentship programme or UK Government-funded Industrial Doctoral Landscape Awards (IDLAs), which can offset costs.

Get started

Contact us team to discuss whether a Collaborative PhD Studentship could support your organisation’s innovation, research, or growth objectives.

Whether you need specialist insight, independent analysis, or applied expertise to support decision-making, Queen’s consultancy services enable you to work with leading researchers on clearly defined projects that deliver practical outputs and measurable value. Consultancy provides a natural route into longer-term collaboration, funding opportunities, and strategic partnerships with the University.

How it works for your organisation

• Access a wide range of specialist knowledge across Queen’s to support your technical, strategic, or operational needs
• Work with Queen’s researchers through direct consultancy requests or formal tender processes, depending on your requirements
• Consultancy provides a high-value resource on a flexible basis to solve challenges your business may be facing.
• Many consultancy projects progress into larger research collaborations, funded programmes, or Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), supporting sustained innovation and growth.