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Introduction 

• The Bhattacharyya Award celebrates outstanding collaboration between universities and industry. Each year, a prize of £25,000 is awarded to a partnership that demonstrates how academia and industry can work together to address complex challenges and deliver real-world impact.  

• Established in 2019 in tribute to Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, the award recognises strategic partnerships between universities and industry that accelerate innovation and deliver societal benefit.  

• For 2026, the Royal Academy of Engineering is operating two separate award strands:  

• • Industry Strand – recognising long-standing collaborations between universities and industry partners with significant national or global impact.  

• • SME Strand – launched in 2026 to recognise impactful collaborations between universities and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).  

• ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ may submit:  

• • One application to the Industry Strand  

• • One application to the SME Strand 

Criteria 

Industry Strand 

• The collaboration is expected to have lasted at least five years, still be active at the point of submission, and have spanned across multiple projects, grants, and activities.  

• Submissions must address the following criteria:  

• • Clear evidence of sustained, strategic collaboration lasting at least five years and spanning multiple projects and activities.  

• • Why the collaboration is exceptional and deserving of national recognition.  

• • How the collaboration is original and distinctive.  

• • How the collaboration has specifically benefited the delivery of the institution’s goals.  

• • How the collaboration has benefited UK society and globally.  

SME Strand 

• The collaboration should demonstrate at least two years of sustained engagement.  

• SME partners must meet the UK Government SME definition:  

• • Fewer than 250 employees  

• • Annual turnover of £50 million or less, or balance sheet total of £43 million or less  

• • Independent business and not a subsidiary of a large parent company.  

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:  

• Sustained and strategic collaboration  

• Exceptional collaboration  

• Originality and distinctiveness  

• Benefit to the partners  

• Impact on UK society or the economy.  

Eligibility 

• The Bhattacharyya Award is open to all UK universities and colleges.  

• Submissions may be in any discipline and may include collaborations from the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, medical sciences and biological sciences, as well as engineering and technology.  

• Cross-university collaborations are eligible, provided they involve genuine, substantive partnerships between institutions and include at least one industry partner.  

Internal Selection Process 

³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ may submit only one application per strand. Therefore, an internal selection process will be used.  Faculties are invited to submit:  

• A maximum of two nominations for the Industry Strand  

• A maximum of two nominations for the SME Strand  

Nominations will be reviewed by RAG or a subgroup of RAG chaired by the Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise). Separate recommendations will be made for the Industry Strand and SME Strand submissions. 

Internal Submission Requirements 

Faculty nominations should include: 

• Name and contact details of the lead collaborators from industry/SME and academia  

• Basic details about the collaboration, including:  

• • collaboration start date  

• • proposed 10-word title  

• • confirmation of the strand being applied for (Industry or SME)  
• Narrative submission (maximum 10 A4 pages)  

The narrative should clearly demonstrate, with evidence, how the collaboration meets the published criteria for the relevant strand. Submissions may include images and/or graphics. 

For SME Strand submissions, faculties should additionally confirm that the SME partner meets the eligibility definition set out in the guidance notes.  

Use of AI 

Applicants should note the Royal Academy of Engineering guidance regarding the use of generative AI in submissions. Submission authors remain fully responsible for all content submitted and any use of AI tools should be appropriately acknowledged. 

Internal Timetable 

• Internal submission deadline to the VPRE Office: Friday 5 June 2026  

• Outcome communicated to internal applicants: Tuesday 16 June 2026  

• Final institutional application refinement period: 16 June – 2 July 2026  

• Institutional submission deadline to VPRE Office for final sign-off: COB Thursday 2 July 2026  

• Royal Academy of Engineering deadline: 4pm, Tuesday 7 July 2026

Further Information 

Full guidance for both strands can be found on the Royal Academy of Engineering website: