Innovation Studio

Associate membership

Industry-engagement and our strong maker culture puts collaboration at the heart of everything we do.

Associate membership

Associate membership is suitable for established businesses looking to test prototypes and develop new products. We'll provide you with the space to foster creativity and nurture your ideas, and ultimately support your business growth.

Benefits of Associate membership:

Access to AUB's in-house Creative Technologies to test concepts and create prototypes.
Attend workshops to try the latest industry technology.
Utilise AUB's extensive Materials Library.
Collaborate with our talented technicians, academic practitioners and specialist partners.
Undertake collaborative Research projects.
One-to-one time with the Innovation Studio team.

Get in touch with us at innovationstudio@aub.ac.uk for more information and to see if your business is eligible to take out membership.

Get in touch

Meet our past and present Associates

Sunseeker

As fellow makers, British luxury yacht manufacturer Sunseeker shares AUB’s vision of developing solutions through collaboration.

Lush

As fellow innovators, Lush shares AUB’s vision of discovering new ways to create new products and push the boundaries of design...

Tricuro

Tricuro is an Associate Partner, combining innovation and technology to enhance its service offer to provide personalised care and support.

Aetha Design Studio

As fellow designers, Aetha Design Studio shares AUB’s vision of developing solutions through innovation and challenging 'normal' approaches.

Shore Architecture

As fellow designers, Shore Architecture shares AUB’s ethos of design-led, innovative ideas to explore all possible solutions.

Andy, Paul and Element Creative Ltd.

Andy and Paul joined our Residency Programme to expand the prototypes and components offered by their design company, Element Creative Ltd.

Etch

As fellow collaborators, Etch challenges the status quo and actively seeks to find innovative and smarter ways of working together.

Baseline membership

Baseline membership fees vary depending on the size of your business and whether you choose to pay for three, six or 12 months at a time. Other membership durations may be considered, get in touch with us to discuss your requirements. All prices are exclusive of VAT.

Included in your baseline membership:

Access to our creative technologies
Access to hot desking
Access to networking and knowledge sharing sessions
Access to our materials library
Five hours of design consultancy every three months
3D model (CAD) data associated with your prototypes
Initial Intellectual Property (IP) consultation
Access to 2.5 hour workshops, available in a range of subjects

Please note, prototyping costs are charged separately to membership fees.

	<10 employees	10-50 employees	>50 employees
3 months	£399 (+VAT)	£599 (+VAT)	£999 (+VAT)
6 months	£599 (+VAT)	£999 (+VAT)	£1,499 (+VAT)
12 months	£999 (+VAT)	£1,499 (+VAT)	£2,499 (+VAT)

Bolt-ons

In addition to your baseline monthly membership fee, you can add any of the following bolt-ons. Some are payable monthly, alongside your monthly fee, and others are available on a pay-as-you-go basis.

A person is sat at a computer. They're designing a product on the screen.

Design consultancy

Associate members to the Innovation Studio can add our design consultancy bolt-on to their monthly baseline membership fee.

A group of people sitting around a large table in the Innovation Studio. Two people are standing by the table delivering a presentation, with pieces of coloured paper stuck on the wall.

Boardroom hire

Associate members to the Innovation Studio can add our boardroom hire bolt-on to their baseline membership fee.

A person is using a 3D scanner to capture a quarry. They're wearing a high-vis jacket.

3D scanning services

Associate members to the Innovation Studio can add our 3D scanning services bolt-on to their baseline membership fee.

Colourful illustration of a person holding a phone up to their face and looking at it. Their head is parted between the forehead and mouth (with no eyes or nose) showing three full bodied versions of themselves painting and drawing in the gap

IP support

Associate members to the Innovation Studio can add our IP support bolt-on to their baseline membership fee.

Studio resources

The Innovation Studio features the state-of-the-art equipment, including Virtual Reality (VR), Body scanning, 3D printing and machining, cutting and engraving, fabric and hard surface printing.

We also have an extensive and regularly updated materials library, as well as testing machines, including a climate chamber and spectrometer.

Discover more

Training sessions and workshops

Associate members have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of Up-skilling sessions and Workshops to:

Enhance your skills
Learn about specialist subjects
Network
Try the latest industry technology
Experiment with new ways of working

Explore the opportunities below, led by our expert practitioners and academics.

"The Innovation Studio’s collaborative approach to work has been refreshing and educational, providing access to equipment and expertise that would otherwise be inaccessible. The Innovation Research Team has provided much appreciated expertise and guidance on not only how to run helpful tests, but also wider insights on how research can fit into a wider product development process in the industry.”

LUSH, Associate Partner of the Innovation Studio

“The Innovation Studio have been a great resource for our designers to explore, ideate and validate design concepts in an impartial way. Being able to experiment with different materials and 3D printing machines has helped us understand what works for us in terms of quality and cost, which helped inform our decision on who we should partner with commercially. What we have learnt from working with the Innovation Studio Team has resulted in a completely new manufacturing supply chain at Sunseeker, supporting our capability to customise solutions and to drive more sustainable practices.”

Sunseeker, Associate Partner of the Innovation Studio

“We had no idea when relocating from London in 2017 that AUB would become such a strong local innovation partner for us. They're always on hand to support us in our product development processes and dedicated to better serving local innovation in the future.”

Studio Wood, Associate Partner of the Innovation Studio

“The support given by the Innovation Studio has been immeasurably helpful; together they’ve been able to sketch out designs, seem them digitally modelled and then realised into 3D printed prototypes. On a control level such as this it’s essential to get the ergonomics right, which is nearly impossible when working from drawings alone.”

Salmon Power Sports, Associate Partner of the Innovation Studio

“The past experience with the Innovation Studio team and now the larger studio has made me aware of the possibilities and resources the Innovation Studio can offer us as an architectural studio. We use the studio to test and prototype details of construction"

Shore Architecture, Associate Partner of the Innovation Studio

“The vast amount of software, equipment, and resources the Innovation Studio has is impressive, and the opportunity to make products is one of the key reasons why we’re here. The Innovation Studio also has a great creative network, which helps us frequently consider and evolve our own design process as well as keeping on top of technology trends.”

Element Creative Ltd., Associate Partner of the Innovation Studio

"Throughout our journey, we have received invaluable support from AUB, particularly with prototype manufacture. We have extensively utilised the SLS 3D printer as well as 5-axis CNC machine to bring our products to life."

Aetha Design, Associate Partner of the Innovation Studio

“As a small, highly iterative design business the AUB's associate program is invaluable. The staff are extremely knowledgeable, helpful and the quality of prototypes I've had made is top notch too.”

Tom's Studio, Associate Partner of the Innovation Studio