Services

We provide strategic guidance and advice on emerging and upcoming R&I external landscape changes through horizon scanning and engagement with external networks and stakeholders, to evaluate the potential impact on the School’s ambitions, position, policies and processes.   

We lead on internal initiatives that help realise the School’s R&I priorities, such as managing internal R&I funding schemes to support researcher activities, implementing a research management system (the Research Management and Infrastructure Programme), support for non-academic partnership development, and a new facility for entrepreneurial-related activity.

We facilitate, develop and generate R&I income through grants, consultancy, commercial training provision, speaking engagements, contract research, tenders, investment and Generate-related gifts.

We provide underpinning operational support for R&I activities, including application development, contracting, pre-and post-award finance and HR, compliance and assurance, ethical review and approval, progress monitoring, systems, awareness raising, due diligence (of research partners and clients) and internal committees.  

We advise, support and track outcomes from research such as commercialisation, impact generation for and knowledge exchange with non-academic partners, as well as driving entrepreneurial activity across the School by supporting students, alumni and researchers to develop and grow new ventures.

We lead or inform R&I institutional-level reporting and exercise submissions for internal and external stakeholders such as funders, Government and for audit purposes.  

• We help you prepare strong research grant applications by offering advice on costing, reviewing drafts, editing, checking funder terms, supporting contracts and sharing examples of past proposals. We also help you prepare for interviews, mock panels and any demand management processes  
• We support discussions and negotiations with internal teams and external partners to set up new research awards, making sure you can begin and deliver your project smoothly across its full life at LSE
• We track national and international funding trends and share clear guidance so you have the latest information on funder priorities, assessment criteria and emerging opportunities, triaging funding calls to highlight those that fit your research  
• We assist academic units with developing research funding strategies to support future research priorities and strengthen long-term funding pipelines
• We design and run workshops, events, digital resources and one-to-one sessions that help you explore new research ideas and build collaborations, and match your ideas to suitable funding schemes. We deliver training and development activities that build grant writing skills across the LSE research community, helping you feel confident and prepared to secure competitive funding 
• We help you identify potential partners, working closely with R&I Partnership Development Managers and linking with LSE Innovation and Impact where useful. Together we help identify connections to national networks and advise on both internal and external funding routes for support.

Please click HERE to find your academic unit's Research Development support contact. 

• We support project set-up by issuing an award notification with project codes, budgets, key dates and sponsor details, and a Project Grant Management document which outlines all the key considerations tailored to your award. We offer a kick-off meeting which is an opportunity to discuss any key issues relating to your project at the outset
• If you are hiring staff on your project, we can support the process by confirming available budgets and providing fund checks and approvals for new appointments, staff transfers and contact variations
• We can help support procurement and contracting of goods and services by advising on process, budget availability and eligibility
• We monitor and approve project expenditure and budgets on an ongoing basis, advising on project resources, reforecasting and financial planning through regular financial updates and with opportunities to meet in person
• We prepare and submit financial claims, invoices, statements and reports to funders in required formats and deadlines to help you meet your contractual grant commitments
• We can help you navigate complex funder requirements to ensure compliance with funder terms and conditions, protecting your funding and the School’s reputation
• We provide advice on LSE financial procedures and policies
• We can support you with any changes to your project including amendments, extensions, budget virements, changes to collaboration agreements, transfers and terminations. We will liaise with the sponsor or research lead and LSE support teams as appropriate on your behalf
• If your project needs one, we coordinate audits by engaging and liaising with external auditors 
• We service the Research Grants Policy; administering the Research Investment Fund (RIF), calculating your Personal Financial Reward (PFR) allocations, explaining options available and how you can use funds.

Please click HERE to find your academic unit's Research Awards Manager. 

• We can advise and support you on all matters related to research ethics, research integrity and the School’s Code of Research Conduct, whilst ensuring compliance with external requirements such as the Concordat to Support Research Integrity and UKRI assurance processes
• We can advise and support you and your academic unit on all aspects of national research assessment exercises, such as REF2029
• We can guide you on the governance of LSE’s research units (Institutes, Research Centres, Departmental Research Units, inter-Departmental Research Units and Recognised Groups) including the creation, review and closure of these units
• We support the decision-making processes by facilitating the School’s research-related committees and by reviewing and updating LSE research-related policies and guidance, abiding by external guidance as appropriate
• We can work with you to identify opportunities to enhance LSE’s research culture, for example through training and development, mid-career coaching and the Early Career Researcher (ECR) Network and identify potential sources of funding for research culture initiatives
• We can connect you with internal, national and international networks to share and learn best practice in research governance and culture, including groups such as ARMA, the Research Culture Enablers' Network, the London Research Culture Group, the Pure UK user group, the UK Research Integrity Office and HEIs globally.  
• We can work with you to enhance LSE’s research culture for academic, research and policy staff as well as research-enabling staff. For example through training and development via our RISe Programme and our Policy Career and Mid-Academic Career coaching provision, through community-building via the Early Career Researcher (ECR) Network and CREAM Network, and by identifying potential sources of funding for research culture initiatives.

Early Engagement and Innovation Support  

• Innovation disclosure  - Advising researchers on when and how to disclose new ideas, technologies, methods, datasets and creative outputs
• Assessment and triage - Reviewing disclosures for novelty, commercial potential, societal benefit and alignment with LSE’s strategic priorities.  

Intellectual Property Management  

• Due diligence  - Conducting checks to see if the academic owns or has the right to use the IP generated by their research 
• IP strategy development  - Recommending protection pathways (e.g. patents, copyright, know-how, trademarks etc.) tailored to the nature of the research output
• Advice  - Supporting researchers by interpreting the LSE IP policy, publication considerations and collaboration agreements.  

Market Validation and Proof of Concept Support  

• Market testing - Identification of channels to market and target customer groups to engage
• Advising on level of Minimal Viable Product (MVP) required for Proof of Concept demonstration with target customers 
• Provision of data science support where MVP is digital/technical  
• Identification of funding for MVP development. 

Partnership and Collaboration Development  

• Matchmaking and brokerage - Identification of potential partners across business, government, civil society, NGOs and organisations interested in research-based innovation and joint funding opportunities 
• Strategic partnerships - Helping to shape academic and non-academic collaborations, including interdisciplinary and inter-institutional partnerships, co-creation models and pilot deployment opportunities 
• Seedcorn funding for events and initiatives to establish, consolidate or develop partnerships and collaborations.  

Funding and Commercialisation Support  

• Identifying and promoting relevant innovation, translational and impact funding schemes, whether external (e.g. UKRI) or internal
• Bid development support - Budgeting, internal policies and processes, partner engagement, project set up, contractual agreements, advising on project design, commercial strategies, market needs and routes to impact
• Incubation of projects - Helping researchers to plan validation studies, prototyping, user testing and demonstrators.  

Commercial Pathway Development  

• Market analysis and positioning - Assessing market size, competition, user segments and potential barriers to adopting the innovation 
• Commercialisation planning - Development of commercialisation plan, designing pathways for licensing innovations or creating new ventures (whether or not for profit). Working closely with other teams within R&ID  e.g. LSE Consultancy where there may be more than one commercial pathway
• Business plan and business model support - Helping researchers shape viable and sustainable value propositions, pricing approaches, delivery models and impact cases.  

Spin Out and Social Venture Support  

• Spin out - Supporting researchers through feasibility assessment, governance options, early-stage structuring and legal incorporation 
• Investor readiness - Advising on pitch materials, financial planning, equity considerations and engagement with early-stage investors 
• Network access - Connecting founders with mentors, alumni entrepreneurs (via LSE Generate), industry experts and innovation partners.    

Commercial Negotiation 

• Guiding on the approach to licensing and revenue sharing with external organisations, working with the R&I Contracts Team to negotiate and advise on terms.

Impact Development, Evidence and Reporting  

• Pathways to impact planning - Helping embed impact strategies within projects from the outset, considering appropriate routes of engagement and identifying diverse beneficiary groups
• Evaluation and evidence frameworks - Providing tools and advice to track, measure and demonstrate impacts of any type 
• Impact case support - Assisting with the development of case studies for REF, funder reporting and institutional narratives.    

Training, Capacity Building and Community Development  

• Workshops - Delivering sessions on topics such as commercialisation, funding opportunities/strategies, impact planning, REF impact case study development and partnership working
• One-to-one advisory support - Offering bespoke guidance to researchers at any stage of their journey to impact
• Community building - Facilitating peer networking and thematic innovation clusters across LSE.

Please click HERE to find your academic unit's LSE Innovation and Impact Manager.

• Core Consulting - High-impact research and strategic advice across sectors, responding to client requests
• Bespoke Training - Tailored programmes created by Academic Departments, Centres or Institutes, integrating theoretical insights with practical application 
• Academic Speakers Bureau (ASB) - The UK’s only speakers’ bureau dedicated to academic experts, facilitating keynotes, panels, and free online Taster Talks 
• Consulting Hubs - Interdisciplinary teams tackling global issues such as trade, education, foreign policy, and behavioural science. 

What we offer academics 

• Impact and visibility - Consulting projects can showcase your research, influence decision-making and strengthen your academic profile 
• Additional income - Consulting provides a route to generate income alongside your LSE role
• Networking opportunities - Build long-lasting partnerships with organisations and fellow experts
• Comprehensive support for your consulting opportunities including development of proposals, bidding, costing and pricing, contract progression, and project set up and delivery
• Pro-active sourcing of opportunities - We identify and develop funded opportunities for your consideration such as training, consultancy, contract research and speaking appointments via bespoke proposals, commercial tender calls, and the ASB
• Specialised consulting - We develop Consulting Hubs that highlight expertise in specific research areas, giving you greater opportunities to collaborate and deliver impactful solutions.  
• Marketing and strategy support - We can provide extensive services in business, marketing and strategy support as well as project management to ensure you feel fully supported in optimising the commercial value of your work and have an easy consulting experience.

• We help LSE students and alumni turn ideas into real businesses - We run programmes, workshops, offer funding, mentoring  sessions,  and hands-on activities that support people at every stage of building a startup - from the first idea to scaling and eventually exiting a company. Our community events connect founders with peers, experts, investors and supporters who can help them grow
• We provide a creative, open space on campus - Our on-campus hub is a place where entrepreneurs, staff, visitors and partners can meet, exchange ideas and work on new projects. It’s an everyday home for innovation, not just a venue 
• We work closely with LSE’s research community - We bring entrepreneurship training into degree programmes, offer project opportunities to PhD students and early career researchers, and collaborate with academics on research linked to innovation, business creation and social impact. Some of this work is funded by external partners and public bodies
• We connect researchers and founders across the world - Our global network of 22 international chapters connects LSE researchers, founders and innovators with alumni entrepreneurs across major cities worldwide. This gives them direct access to practical advice, local knowledge, collaboration opportunities and trusted entry points into new markets. It’s a worldwide support system they can tap into at any stage of their journey
• We support entrepreneurship in schools - Through a donor-funded schools programme, we bring entrepreneurship to life for primary and secondary pupils. We run hands-on challenges, support teachers to enrich their curriculum and host high-energy summer bootcamps on campus. It gives young people the chance to build real ideas, solve real problems and develop the confidence, creativity and teamwork skills that most people don’t encounter until long after university.

• We draft, review, and negotiate your research and innovation contracts to help you formalise collaborations, funding agreements, and partnerships in line with the latest legal precedence and sector good practice. This ensures your rights are protected, responsibilities are clear and all institutional and funder requirements are met
• We advise and oversee research due diligence to support you in working with trusted partners by assessing reputational, legal and ethical risks. We help raise awareness and understanding of these risks which allows you to focus on your research with confidence that the right checks are in place
• We cultivate and share up-to-date expertise through training and guidance to oversee all aspects of research security policy and legislation. This helps you protect your work by managing research risk, complying with Trusted Research principles and guarding against cyber or foreign interference. This ensures your research remains secure and compliant
• We provide legal commercialisation and IP support to help you identify, protect and work with LSE Innovation and Impact to develop intellectual property from your research. Whether through patents, licensing or spin-outs, this support helps your ideas achieve real-world impact beyond academia.  

• We provide, collate and share strategic intelligence to support informed decision-making by proactively gathering, analysing and interpreting R&I data, enabling the School to respond confidently to the competitive HE landscape. This includes generating insights into national and international policy, analysing LSE’s research and innovation environment and conducting horizon scanning to help senior leaders anticipate change, respond to sector developments and set strategic priorities
• We use data-driven insights to enhance the design, delivery and evaluation of LSE’s block grants and internal funding. Through evidencing outcomes we ensure that our internal funding portfolio delivers against strategic objectives and effectively supports high-quality research and innovation activity across the School
• We leverage our information and analytical intelligence to enhance LSE advocacy and engagement, using our evidence base to lead and support projects that advance the position of LSE and SHAPE disciplines. Through focused initiatives like the national Community of Practice in Research and Innovation Evidence and Analysis, and by working closely with senior sector leaders, we promote the value of SHAPE and raise LSE’s profile across the research and innovation landscape.  

• We manage and support the use of existing research management systems across the R&I lifecycle including Converis, pFACT, Pure, Salesforce (for research ethics and technology transfer) and DocuSign, improving user experiences and curating data quality
• We are leading the development, procurement and implementation of a new transformative research management system to aid whole lifecycle oversight by PIs, professional services and senior leadership   
• We generate tailored reports and visualisations using research management data at academic unit, divisional and institutional levels to aid understanding and decision-making  
• We manage School-wide outlets relating to R&I activity such as the R&I Briefing,  progressing the annual Researchfish submission, R&ID webpages, and the R&ID mailbox for internal and external enquiries
• We support R&ID operations such as staff recruitment and onboarding, office space maintenance, external visits, training and events.