Accelerator Centre
IOP Accelerator is our affordable, fully serviced workspace in King's Cross, offering both fixed and hot desks to entrepreneurs, and micro and small businesses.
We want to help start-ups get the next big ideas off the ground by providing an attractive base that is flexible enough to support them in their crucial early stages of growth, whilst helping them to capitalise on the wealth of our network, business knowledge and skills training.
To ensure affordability, fees can be negotiated in return for service in kind to help us grow the Accelerator hub and regional network and the space can be hired for business or investor meetings at a daily rate.
Business Innovation and Growth (BIG) Group
The Business Innovation and Growth (BIG) Group is a member-driven special interest group, supporting individuals and businesses of all sizes, as well as entrepreneurs from the physics community who take ideas to market.
Being a member of the group provides opportunities for:
- physics networking
- profiling and B2B development
- knowledge-exchange events to support industry/academia collaborations
- business support, finance and affordable workspace
- accessing our business hub and resources
To join the Business Innovation and Growth (BIG) Group login to IOPConnect and select 'My groups'.
Not yet an IOP member? Join today
Find out more about the Business Innovation and Growth Group
quantum Business Innovation and Growth (qBIG) Group
The quantum Business Innovation and Growth (BIG) Group is a member-driven special-interest group, supporting the growing business community of industrial quantum physicists, engineers, innovators and entrepreneurs, and the curious who want to know more about this sector.
Being a member of the group provides opportunities for:
- increasing awareness of the potential of quantum technology
- collaboration and business development opportunities across a broad range of sectors
- showcasing businesses and state-of-the art capability
- linking business to centres of excellence, support and investment
- identifying and promoting the formation of new supply and value chains
- stimulating debate around sustainability and ethical issues arising as the sector grows
- representing the community to national and regional policymakers
- capturing and communicating developing infrastructure requirements
- accessing professional development for the quantum workforce
- informing IOP members in industry about relevant developments in quantum technologies
- providing a networking platform for members to share their experiences
To join the quantum Business Innovation and Growth (qBIG) Group login to IOPConnect and select 'My groups'.
Not yet an IOP member? Join today
Find out more about the quantum Business Innovation and Growth Group
Business events
Supported by the Business Innovation and Growth (BIG) Group, the IOP organises an exciting business events programme for IOP members, R&D innovators, engineers, investors and leaders of small, medium and large business.
Events include:
- ‘Business Briefings’ on access to finance, facilities and business support
- ‘Sector Forums’ to understand challenges, consider physics solutions and explore business development opportunities
- Our annual ‘Innovation Showcase’ spotlighting exemplar business taking innovative physics solutions to market
Get involved and be part of our active Business Innovation and Growth network.
Awards
Our portfolio of Business Awards for companies and individuals recognise the significant contribution that physicists and physics make in industry across all sectors and at all stages – from start-ups to multi-national corporations.
The awards are a celebration of entrepreneurship, excellence in innovation and the successful implementation of physics into a product or service.
Award winners join a growing network of the most innovative and promising from the physics business community. We are committed to developing strong, effective relationships with the winners and opening new opportunities with them through our business innovation and growth network.
Knowledge network
The IOP supports over 50 special interest member groups. Joining a group is a great way to share your passion for physics and to play a pivotal role in the physics community. It also gives you access to a network of professional connections outside of your normal working environment.
Groups enable you to take part in activities in your particular areas of interest, and to share and receive expert advice on developments in your sector.
The IOP funds groups to deliver a range of activities including events, prizes and bursaries. All of our groups are driven by members.
A number of groups are particularly relevant to physics-powered businesses and individuals within industry, including:
- Applied Mechanics Group
- British Carbon Group
- Business Innovation and Growth (BIG) Group
- Early Career Members Group
- Energy Group
- Food Physics Group
- Instrument Science and Technology Group
- Medical Physics Group
- Nuclear Industry Group
- Optical Group
- Printing and Graphics Science Group
- quantum Business Innovation and Growth (qBIG) Group
To join any of these Groups login to IOPConnect and select 'My groups'.
Not yet an IOP member? Join today
Leadership and influence
One of our key roles, and that of our members, is to ensure that those with decision-making power fully understand the contribution a strong and connected physics business community can make to the economy, and how vital a well-funded, thriving R&D base is to the discovery and solutions process.
We are committed to representing physics-based businesses and physicists at the highest levels of government and have produced influential reports highlighting the critical contribution that physics-based businesses make to our economy.
Professional development
Professional development is an excellent way to maintain and update your skills and knowledge.
We offer a wide range of professional development activities for physicists in business to engage in:
- gaining professional registration
- outreach activities
- gaining fellowship
- committee and panel work
- attending or presenting at conferences
Our Career Development Hub is a dedicated careers tool for IOP members, designed to be a flexible portal where you can access resources that are relevant to your personal objectives, interests and career level. There are various materials to help you such as a career development planner, access to industry reports, jobs portal and exclusive access to a series of webinars.
Members can access The Hub via IOPConnect.
Diversity and Inclusion
We recognise that the success of our organisation, community and physics as a whole relies on our ability to recruit, nurture and retain the richest mix of talent and we want to ensure that everyone who wishes to study and work in physics has the opportunity to do so.
Our diversity programme seeks to use evidence-based research to create and share communities of good practice in academia and business that will encourage and engage diverse groups in physics.
The IOP has also published a guide setting out the benefits of greater diversity and inclusion in physics and what people can do to support this goal.
Get in touch
To get in touch please email the relevant contact below:
- For enquiries regarding how the IOP can support you and your business, email [email protected]
- For enquiries regarding IOP Accelerator Centre, email [email protected]
- For enquiries regarding IOP Business Awards, email [email protected]
- For enquiries regarding IOP Special Interest Groups, email [email protected]