This fellowship provides the crucial support needed to translate my PhD research to reality, marking a significant milestone in my entrepreneurial journey. It allows me to focus exclusively on my start-up and helps to accelerate the development of cutting-edge solutions in semiconductor manufacturing.

Teja Potocnik founder of Nanomation

Teja Potocnik and Rasha Rezk are on track to commercialise novel inventions on a 12-month entrepreneurial journey with the Enterprise Hub. They will spend a year developing their skills and knowledge of entrepreneurship, supported by mentors and a training grant of up to £75,000.

✳️ Teja Potocnik - Nanomation- Automation software for industry-scale manufacturing of nanomaterial semiconductor electronics.

✳️ Rasha Rezk - ForCell- A mechanical cell-press that provides safe access to the intracellular spaces critical for gene therapies

Teja Potocnik - Nanomation

Teja recently completed her PhD in Engineering from Cambridge University, during which she founded her start-up company, Nanomation. Nanomation's technology enables nanoscale automation, enhancing the efficiency of semiconductor chip manufacturing. Their solutions facilitate the use of novel semiconductor materials for advanced chips, with the aim of transforming the semiconductor industry.

"This fellowship provides the crucial support needed to translate my PhD research to reality, marking a significant milestone in my entrepreneurial journey. It allows me to focus exclusively on my start-up and helps to accelerate the development of cutting-edge solutions in semiconductor manufacturing."

Rasha Rezk - ForCell

Rasha's research is at the interface of mechanics and biology. During her postdoctoral work in Cambridge and York, she developed a strong passion for applying her expertise to biological systems – specifically around developing bespoke tools to study tumour and stem cell heterogeneity which have emerged recently as major clinical challenges. ForCell will provide an unprecedented opportunity to deliver gene-modifying tools in a safer and more economical fashion. The ability to adjust the application of forces on the cell also allows the tools to respond to different cell types and drugs.

"The Enterprise Fellowships is the pinnacle for entrepreneurial engineers. I am proud to have been selected to be one of the Enterprise Fellows and I can't wait to work with some of the most talented engineers/brilliant minds!"

Enterprise Fellowships Programme

The Enterprise Fellowships Programme has been running since 2011, supporting graduates of undergraduate degrees and PhDs, as well as academics at all levels. This accelerator programme consists of fifteen days of training, which is complemented by six months of support from a business coach. Alongside this, the entrepreneurs benefit from a full year of one-to-one mentoring from a leading expert in engineering and tech startups and spinouts. There are twelve graduates and researchers in total each year.

Delivered by the Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub, experts in commercialising engineering research into successful, scalable businesses through a unique package of funding and training: 

What does the programme offer? 

• An equity-free grant of up to £75,000
• 15 days of practitioner-led training  
• 1:1 business coaching and mentoring from our unrivalled network of the UK’s Leading engineers and Royal Academy of Engineering Fellows 
• Subsidised access to Culture+,  our diversity and inclusion platform designed for engineering startups
• Lifetime access to our co-working spaces in London, Belfast and Swansea 
• Lifelong access to the Hub’s network of experts and investors.  

Who is eligible? 

• Recent graduates 
• International PhD students and recent recipients
• UK-based academic researchers at any career stage
• Ireland-based academic researchers at any career stage
• UK Public Sector Research Establishment researchers

Visit the programme page for more information and how to apply.