SPARK Innovation unlocks the full potential of SHAPE disciplines at a time when investment in this area faces real pressure across the UK. King’s is sending a strong message: we see the value, opportunity, and societal importance of SHAPE-led innovation. Whether through new commercial routes, social ventures, or interdisciplinary partnerships with industry sectors, like the creative industries, SPARK Innovation will creates the space for innovation to flourish.
Dr Vicky McGuinness, SHAPE Industry Research Partnerships Manager, King's Innovation Catalyst.
02 December 2025
King's launches SPARK innovation fund
New SPARK innovation fund to support researchers from Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Business, and Law.
King’s College London has launched an ambitious new initiative to champion innovation across the SHAPE disciplines: Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Business, and Law.
The new SPARK Innovation scheme, supported through the King’s Innovation Catalyst team, aims to empower researchers to explore new ways of creating innovation impact through interdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships with industry and community stakeholders.
In a national context where the arts, humanities and social sciences often face funding challenges, King’s is taking a proactive stance. The University is investing in SHAPE innovation to ensure that creativity, critical insight and social understanding continue to drive solutions to complex societal and economic challenges.
Many academics in the Arts and Humanities want to work with external partners, whether in cultural, social, policy, or creative sectors, and this is only set to become a more urgent and vital way to defend and promote our disciplines. Working with SHAPE Innovation provides researchers with the advice, expertise and support which is needed to develop these partnerships in a meaningful and productive way.
Dr Elizabeth Scott-Baumann, Vice Dean for Research, Arts and Humanities (Interim) Pro-Vice Dean for Impact and Knowledge Exchange, Arts and Humanities.
With the SPARK Innovation Fund, King’s is setting out to redefine how innovation is understood and supported within SHAPE disciplines: creating space for ideas that can transform society, culture and the economy. By investing in this area, King’s is reaffirming its commitment to a broad, inclusive vision of research excellence, one that recognises that innovation is not only about technology, but also about people, values and understanding the world in new ways.
Dr Mike Lyne, Director of Translation, King's Innovation Catalyst.
SPARK Innovation will create a supported pipeline for researchers across the four SHAPE-focused Faculties and beyond.
This will include seed funding, mentoring and opportunities to build partnerships with industry, policy and the creative sectors.
SPARK Innovation is part of a wider programme of support delivered through the King’s Innovation Catalyst, which seeks to strengthen innovation capacity across the university.
The first round of SPARK Innovation funding opened to researchers on Monday 1st December 2025.
For more information, King's researchers should visit the SPARK Innovation intranet page or contact Dr Vicky McGuinness: victoria.mcguinness@kcl.ac.uk
In this story
SHAPE Industry Research Partnerships Manager
Reader in Early Modern Literature
Director of Translation