The Venture Prize is given as a £25,000 convertible loan or equity investment into a startup company. The prize was established in 2008, to encourage links between Materials Science researchers and the financial and business community. It enhances the economic impact of Materials Science in the UK by the creation of new businesses offering challenging and interesting career paths for Materials Scientists and Engineers.
The application must be on behalf of a project and a project team that are based in the UK. Previous winners have been based in or had strong links to a UK university.
Entries should be submitted online via the Armourers & Brasiers website. The entry form follows the structure of a simple business plan. The deadline for receipt of entries is Monday 17th March 2025.
This short film features previous winners and members of the Venture Prize Committee explaining the purpose and value of the prize.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to give a presentation on Monday 12th May 2025 to the Armourers & Brasiers Venture Prize Committee, which includes scientific, financial and commercialisation experts.
The winner will be announced at the Armourers & Brasiers Cambridge Forum on Monday 23rd June 2025. The audience at the Forum includes researchers, industrialists and investors from the UK’s Materials Science community. The Armourers & Brasiers’ Company engages a PR consultant to maximise publicity for the winning project at the time of the announcement.
More information about the purpose of the prize and about previous winners is available on the Armourers & Brasiers website.
