At the University of Edinburgh Business School’s Credit Research Centre, we offer multiple ways for businesses and organisations to engage in collaborative research projects with our members and students. Whether you are looking for short-term student projects, PhD sponsorships, or government-funded research collaborations, we provide flexible opportunities to support innovation and industry challenges.

Opportunities

  1. Short-Term MSc Projects

    Duration: 3 months
    Cost: Free
    Best for: Proof-of-concept projects

    The University of Edinburgh Business School offers MSc student projects at no cost to businesses. These projects are ideal for testing ideas, analysing data, or exploring innovative concepts in a short timeframe.

    Learn more: Client Sourced Dissertations – University of Edinburgh Business School

  2. PhD Sponsorship Opportunities

    Duration: 3–4 years
    Funding: Co-funding opportunities available
    Best for: Long-term research and innovation

    Organisations can sponsor a PhD student to work on a research topic relevant to their industry. There are co-funding partnership opportunities available, for example:

    SGSSS Collaborative Competition: Allows for smaller contributions (often in-kind), but is highly competitive.
    SGSSS Collaborative PhD Funding

  3. Innovate UK Funding for Business-Academia Collaboration

    Funding Type: Single or collaborative applications
    Best for: Joint innovation and R&D projects

    Innovate UK offers various funding schemes that support business-academia partnerships for research and development.

    Find out more: Innovation competitions - Innovation Funding Service

    You may also be eligible to propose a joint project under Horizon Europe: Horizon Europe - European Commission.

  4. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)

    Duration: Typically up to 3 years
    Funding: Partially funded by UKRI
    Best for: Embedding academic expertise into business

    The KTP scheme enables UK businesses to collaborate with a university to solve strategic challenges. It provides funding to hire a graduate associate who will work on an innovation project under the guidance of both business and academic mentors.

    Learn more about Knowledge Transfer Partnership – UKRI

  5. Data-Driven Research Collaborations

    Duration: Flexible
    Cost: project-based
    Best for: Businesses with valuable datasets seeking research insights

    Companies can collaborate with academic researchers by providing access to proprietary datasets in exchange for analytical expertise, insights, and innovative research outcomes. This partnership can help businesses gain advanced modelling, AI-driven insights, and risk assessments while supporting cutting-edge research.

    How It Works:

    • Businesses provide anonymised or secure access to data. The process it regulated with a bespoke Non-Disclosure Agreement with the possibility of secure storage/transfer.
    • University researchers apply advanced analytics, AI, and modelling.
    • Findings can be shared in reports, papers, or exclusive business insights. The data provider gets priority access to research results.

    This is an excellent opportunity for companies to gain valuable research-backed insights while contributing to industry-leading academic work.

  6. Further Research Funding Opportunities

    Businesses can collaborate with academic teams to apply for research grants, providing access to funding while contributing industry expertise through data, advisory input, or support letters.

    EPSRC Funding: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
    EPSRC Research Funding

    ESRC Funding: Economic and Social Research Council
    ESRC Research Funding

  7. Executive Education

    We can offer a range of open or custom programmes for upskilling and developing awareness, either in-person or remotely.

    Duration: Flexible
    Cost: Course dependent
    Best for: Credit specialists and practitioners within industry

    Executive Education – University of Edinburgh Business School

  8. Joint events/ panel discussions / mini-conferences

    We can offer a range of joint events, including lectures, workshops, and roundtables on areas of mutual interest. These events provide an opportunity for companies to engage with leading academics, industry experts, policymakers, and other stakeholders in the field of credit research and risk management.

    Our events can be tailored to suit different levels of engagement and formats, including:

    • Panel Discussions and Thought Leadership Forums– Bringing together experts from academia and industry to discuss pressing issues in credit risk, open banking, modelling, and fair AI in credit. We currently have a panel discussion series running (Let's Talk About | Credit Research Centre, and we are open to topics being suggested.
    • Mini-Conferences and Research Symposiums– Hosting focused research conferences that explore key themes in credit analysis, risk modelling, consumer lending, or regulatory developments. There are currently some sponsorship & branding opportunities available for the Credit Scoring and Control Conference XIX (August 25-28) here: https://www.crc.business-school.ed.ac.uk/conference-2025/sponsorship.
    • Executive Workshops and Training SessionsExecutive Workshops and Training Sessions – Bespoke workshops designed for professionals looking to deepen their knowledge of credit analytics, ML/AI modelling techniques, data science in lending, or the latest methodologies in risk assessment. These sessions can be designed in collaboration with corporate partners to ensure relevance and applicability to industry challenges and staff training needs.
    • Roundtable Discussions and Networking Events– Small, invitation-only gatherings that foster candid discussions between industry practitioners, academics, and policymakers. These events allow for the exchange of ideas, informal networking, and the potential for long-term collaborations.
    • Public Lectures and Guest Speaker Series– Hosting high-profile speakers from industry, regulatory bodies, or academia to share insights on critical consumer credit topics. These sessions can be open to the broader business and academic community.

  9. Consultancy

    The CRC provide tailored consultancy services to address specific business challenges related to credit risk, lending, and financial analytics. Our team of experts can support your organisation by:

    • Developing and validating credit risk models using the latest statistical and machine learning techniques.
    • Analysing consumer lending behaviour to optimise credit scoring and lending strategies.
    • Assessing the impact of regulatory changes on credit risk management and compliance.
    • Conducting policy evaluations for financial regulators and industry bodies.
    • Applying advanced big data and AI-driven solutions to improve credit assessment and fraud detection.

    We work closely with partners to define the scope of each project, ensuring actionable insights and real-world impact.

Get involved today!

If you’re interested in partnering with us, please reach out to explore opportunities tailored to your business needs.

Contact us: credit.research.centre@ed.ac.uk

Let’s drive innovation together!