Shaping a Better World Since 1845

In today’s business environment, innovation and knowledge are key to providing competitive advantage.

Queen's University Belfast is one of the leading research-intensive universities within the UK and has a long-standing international reputation for successful dissemination and application of cutting-edge research, knowledge transfer and the commercialisation of research ideas and innovations. 

The Research & Enterprise Directorate is the first point of contact for industry and the wider community wishing the engage with the University. The Directorate team draw upon the depth and breadth of our world-class multidisciplinary research base to help provide answers to many of the challenges faced by companies and public bodies, and to provide access to our vast array of research facilities & equipment across a variety of sectors and disciplines. The team promotes and supports academics in building relationships with commercial and public sector partners, and facilitates the knowledge exchange process across the wider University community, leveraging opportunities for further business engagement and identifying and supporting the transition from problem to solution. 

The Directorate can put you in contact with the relevant member of staff from any of the industrial centres or from the wider academic community. In delivering a project the University can work with companies in a number of ways including:-

• Innovation Vouchers 
• Consultancy  
• Training and development  
• Testing and technical services  
• Knowledge Transfer Partnership 
• Contract or Collaborative Research 
• Invest and Innovate UK supported projects 

The R&E Directorate will assist you to identify the engagement process which is the most suitable for your company and project to ensure a successful outcome.

Areas of expertise include, for example: 

• Product design and design for manufacturing  
• Digital manufacturing and efficiency improvement  
• Plastics/polymer analysis and testing  
• Polymer extrusion /rotational moulding/injection moulding and thermoforming  
• Waste reduction and resource efficiency 
• Water and wastewater treatment 
• Food nutrition, traceability and rapid testing 
• Executive development 
• Mechanical and aerospace engineering 
• Architecture and Civil engineering 
• Pharmaceuticals