Case Studies
From idea to application
European Space Agency, £200K
Problem
Gap in the market identified for microfluidics manufacturing with specific materials requirements
Current equipment / processes unsuitable
Solution
Apply for non-dilutive grant funding to develop capability for a new service offering
Embedded R&D leadership to minimise impact on commercial work
What I did
Funding:
Proactive identification of suitable grant funding
Ideation:
Company’s long term vision + key customer requirements
Created a concept:
Defined a staged approach to R&D workstreams with increasing levels of risk
Align with funders priorities
Wrote the proposal:
Project description, state-of-the-art, TRL progression, commercialisation, work package descriptions etc
Managed stakeholders:
Obtained letters of support from end users, coordinated with partners, submitted to funder
What’s next?
My role in the project: Fractional Head of R&D and Project Lead
Deliver R&D, coordinate staff and partners, onsite method development and training, report to the funder
Awaiting assessment outcome (July 2026)
To be continued…
“We wouldn’t have pursued this funding without Anna, we didn’t have the time or the expertise to navigate it ourselves. She led the process from start to finish, sought our input early to define our priorities, and kept us informed without pulling us into the detail. She came back with a clear, novel, and profitable concept that became a high quality proposal, giving us access to advanced materials and manufacturing expertise we couldn’t have accessed otherwise.”