Cambridge NeuroWorks is a new three-year, multi-million-pound partnership with Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) in the Scalable Neural Interfaces Opportunity Space, as part of ARIA’s Activation Partner programme.
Our mission is to address some of the most pressing neurological and mental health challenges, including depression, dementia, chronic pain, and brain injury, by overcoming barriers to accelerating the translation of bold ideas into investable propositions and real-world therapies.
Our programme is designed to catalyse the translation of ideas by engineering serendipity, providing world-class mentorship and ‘What If’ ideation processes, awarding Blue Sky proof-of-concept project funding, providing business training, and awarding Fellowships to bold thinkers from across the UK.
The virtual part time What If Programme is an especially curated version of the full time What If Programme, brings together participants from across the UK, providing a structured pathway to explore bold neurotech ideas, refine hypotheses, and plan the next steps alongside existing commitments. Participants will be invited to attend 2-3 selected in-person events in Cambridge. The programme takes place from May to July 2025. Participants progress through ecosystem mapping, problem refinement, expert engagement, hypothesis testing and entrepreneurial training to develop promising neurotech innovations that can create a better future. They take part in weekly virtual workshops, drop-in sessions/ office hours, with pre- and post-work designed to develop a business thesis.
Is this programme for you?
Are you passionate about developing a technology which can be used to address unmet needs in significant neuroscience conditions? Do you wish to develop a bold neurotech idea in a safe environment? Do you have an innovative neurotech idea and don’t know what to do next? Do you like to discuss bold neurotech ideas with like-minded individuals? Are you ready to take the next steps to turn your refined idea into a reality? If this sounds like you, we look forward to receiving your application.
Programme offering
- Flexible Time Commitment: Ideal for those contributing ~4 hours/week, supplemented by pre- and post-work. Sessions will typically be hosted midweek, in the late afternoon-evening.
- Virtual Sessions: A shared hybrid kick-off event with full-time fellows sets common objectives. Subsequent office hours and workshops delve into innovation processes, business fundamentals, venture creation, and commercialization strategies tailored to neurotech provide mentoring touchpoints and iterative feedback.
- Resource Access & Events: Part-time fellows receive invitations to 2-3 in-person gatherings and can apply for travel stipends when they don’t live locally to attend unconferences, enriching their network.
- Poster Presentation & Next Steps: At the end of the cycle, part time participants present a poster of their POC plan and receive guidance on whether to pursue a full-time fellowship, move into a dedicated POC phase, or utilise external pathways. Data on outcomes will be collected afterwards.
- Culture: ARIA and Cambridge NeuroWorks aim to promote a science-founder-friendly approach to intellectual property. The What If Programme is designed to help part-time participants navigate the balance between sharing confidential information during the ideation process and protecting their intellectual property for future commercialization. The programme will adapt to the complexity of IP requirements by offering tailored support, including training and mentorship.
Programme - Four Core Stages
1 - Multiple Problem Statements & “What If” Ideation (weeks 1-4)
Scoping & Exploration: Part time participants explore various neurotech challenges, before posing multiple “What if X was possible?” statements to identify high-potential opportunities.
Prioritisation: With entrepreneurial education and mentor & expert feedback, participants narrow down these ideas, deciding which “What If” concepts merit deeper research.
2 - Define the “How To” Approach (weeks 5-8)
Proposal Formulation: Top ideas transition from “What If” to “How To,” establishing clear objectives, experimental strategies, and expected milestones.
Mentorship Injection: Guided by experts and focused research, part time participants ensure their approach is both scientifically sound, scalable, ambitious and commercially viable.
3 - Proof of Concept (POC) Development (weeks 9-10)
Refinement & Collaboration: Part time participants engage in a range of events that include targeted workshops, networking, and regular meetups.
Feedback Cycles: Part time participants iterate their concepts via office hours.
4 - Pathway to Implementation (weeks 11-12)
Part-Time Next Steps: Part time participants finalise poster presentations and determine their pathway - this could include applying for a full-time (Blue Sky/ Frontier) fellowship in the next cycle, applying to a Blue Sky POC grant, seeking external resources, or discontinuing unviable ideas.
Programme application criteria
- Applications are open to UK-based engineers, scientists, clinicians, other medical professionals and those with an industry background.
- We are looking for candidates who are passionate about developing a technology which can be used to address unmet needs in significant neuroscience conditions.
- We will only accept applications from candidates who can spend a minimum of 4 hours per week on their ideas.
- Successful applicants must be able to commence the part time What If Programme from first week in May until end of July 2025.
If you like to apply for the programme and live abroad, please contact Alexandra Huener ah930@cam.ac.uk before completing your application form.
Programme format
All workshops, drop-in sessions, and virtual office hours take place in Zoom/ Teams meetings. Only non-confidential workshops will be recorded. Participants must attend the weekly workshops (with a 70% attendance requirement) to maximise their experience in the programme. Only selected events take place in-person in Cambridge. All relevant programme information will be shared in the What If Programme Community on Connect Health Tech. A full outline of the programme will be shared with participants as part of the kick-off event.
Programme fee
This specially curated What If Programme for part time participants is funded by the ARIA Activation Partners Programme. Participants attend virtual workshops/ drop-in sessions/ office hours and selected 2-3 in-person events in Cambridge. A limited amount of travel funding is available for those events, and participants who do not live locally can apply for a travel stipend.
Application deadline
Apply the 16th April 2025, by 5 pm >> https://forms.gle/yvXqHNZY8KjXv3zWA