Accelerators and incubators play an important role in startup ecosystems throughout the UK. In an effort to understand them better, Nesta has been actively involved in this field for a number of years, with activities ranging from research to investment to networks of good practice.

However, this space changes rapidly and data can quickly become inaccurate. With accelerators, in particular, the state of knowledge has not kept pace with their phenomenal rate of expansion. Indeed, simply tracking new programmes can be a major challenge in itself.

For this reason, Nesta is working with BEIS, the United Kingdom Science Park Association and artificial intelligence software provider Synoptica to create the most complete database of UK accelerators and incubators to date.

Our aim is to build a database that is open and available to all, as well as easy to update and maintain.

Why do we care about accelerators and incubators?

Accelerators and incubators support startups through the early and fragile stages of business. This support can – in theory – help firms avoid the mistakes of others, saving time and money and increasing survival rates. This, in turn, has consequences for job creation, regional development, innovation and economic growth.

This database will provide entrepreneurs with information about programmes and facilities to which they can apply, as well as helping to identify geographical areas and business sectors which may be underserved.

Why should people help us?

Contributing to this database is an opportunity for accelerators and incubators to increase their exposure to entrepreneurs and promote the services they provide.

However, in order for our database to have real impact and be as useful as possible, we need to collect information such as the location of programmes and facilities, any sector specialism and details of the services they provide.

How you can help

We would like your assistance in compiling this new directory. If you work for, or are involved in, a UK accelerator or incubator, please check that your accelerator or incubator is on our working list here.

If your programme or facility is not currently on this list, please fill in this short questionnaire to add it. If you are already on this list, we already know about you and will contact you in the next few weeks. Please also help us spread the word by sharing this survey with your network.

The full list of accelerators and incubators will be made publicly available in March, alongside a report containing a typology of accelerators and incubators and insights from our research.

If you have any questions about this survey or the research more generally, please contact Nesta's research team at [email protected].

Image credit: United States Department of Agriculture, Creative Commons 2.0 license