The UKABCS University Partner Programme Explained

The UKABCS University Partner Programme is how universities, faculties and research institutes work with UKABCS. It is built on one general cooperation protocol between your institution and UKABCS. That protocol opens many benefits for your students, researchers and faculty, which you can join step by step as you need them.

What the programme is

At its core, the programme is a Framework Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed directly between your university and UKABCS. The Framework MoU:

• sets out the general rights and obligations of both parties;
• opens the ten areas of cooperation listed below;
• lets your institution join specific programmes later through short, specific agreements, without negotiating a new partnership each time.

You sign once with UKABCS. UKABCS then coordinates with its other partners, including companies, partner universities and volunteer experts, on your behalf.

Who provides the support

UKABCS is a non-profit academic society. The benefits in the programme come from three groups that UKABCS brings together:

• Industrial partners. Companies that donate or subsidise services, such as compute, research platforms, CRM licences, analytical services and training. See them on our Industrial Collaboration page.
• Academic partners. Universities in the UKABCS network that host exchange participants and co-run programmes. See Mobility Exchange.
• Volunteer experts. Researchers and professionals who give their time for mentorship, supervision and reviewing. See Volunteer.

How the support is funded

Every programme is co-funded. UKABCS covers part of the cost and the university or student covers only the essential part. UKABCS support comes in three forms:

Type	What it means
In-kind	Services donated by partner companies and provided to your students and researchers at no charge.
Subsidised	Services offered well below market price, such as GPU hours and AI usage, with discounts set by your agreement tier.
Cash	Direct, milestone-based support where a programme provides it, such as mobility pocket money or startup marketing funds.

Every budget and fee is declared in advance. See our Administration Fees Policy.

The ten areas of cooperation

Area	Where to find it
Graduation projects support	Graduation Project Capacity Building Grants
Capacity building and professional training	Events & Educational Support
Research support and scientific mentorship	Volunteer
International mobility and exchange	Mobility Exchange
Scientific conference support	Publications & Conferences
Scientific publication support	Publications & Conferences
Innovation, entrepreneurship and startups	Graduation Project Startup Grant
Academic events and scientific activities	Events & Educational Support
International partnerships and MoUs	Collaborate With Us
Faculty development programmes	Events & Educational Support

Open calls across all areas are listed on Programmes & Grants, and the institutions we have already supported are on Funded Projects.

Types of agreement

Most universities start with the Framework MoU and add specific agreements as they join programmes:

• Framework MoU. The starting agreement that opens all areas of cooperation.
• Co-funded Grant Agreement. Sets each party’s share of a specific grant.
• Compute & AI Access Agreement. Subsidised GPU hours and AI research tools at a tiered discount.
• Mobility Agreement. Joins your university to the UKABCS exchange network.
• Tool Contribution Agreement. Covers research tools your teams build for the UKABCS AI research platform.
• Industry In-kind Donation Agreement. For companies donating services through UKABCS.
• Faculty Development Agreement. Structured training programmes for faculty members.

Where to go next

• Your university wants to partner with us: Request a partnership.
• You want to see our partner companies: Industrial Collaboration.
• You want to give your time as an expert: Volunteer.
• You want to join as an individual member: Memberships.
• You want to apply for a current call: Programmes & Grants.

For enquiries, contact programmes-grants@ukabcs.co.uk.