For Supervisors
For Supervisors — Mark, Awais, Salem
Quick guide to where supervisor input is needed and where it isn't.
What you'll be asked to do
| Activity | Cadence | Time/effort |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly progress update (read) | Weekly Friday | 5 min |
| Decision sign-off at gates | 4 times across 18 months | 30 min meeting each |
| Co-pitch at Big-4 second meetings | When invited | 30–60 min meeting |
| Paper review at submission | Per paper | Depends on paper |
| Endorsement letters for grants | 3–5 over 18 months | 30 min each |
Total realistic supervisor commitment: ~2–4 hours per month during Phase 1–2; less in Phase 3–4.
Decision points where your input is needed
flowchart LR
G0{Gate 0
Phase 0 close} --> G1{Gate 1
End Week 4} --> G2{Gate 2
End Week 12} --> G3{Gate 3
End Month 9} --> G4{Gate 4
End Month 18}| Gate | When | Decision needed | What you'll review |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Week 0 (now) | Endorse commercialisation plan; confirm comfort with Tech Transfer engagement | Master Plan |
| 1 | End Week 4 | Phase 1 close-out; proceed to Phase 2? | KPIs, outreach status, paper status |
| 2 | End Week 12 | Commercialisation route hypothesis (audit firm licence vs open-core vs spin-out) | Customer-discovery synthesis |
| 3 | End Month 9 | Sign off on KTP project; spin-out terms if applicable | Term sheet, KTP application |
| 4 | End Month 18 | 18-month review; Year 2 plan | ARR, pipeline, PhD progress |
Where supervisor input is not needed
To save your time, the lead researcher handles independently:
- ❌ Day-to-day outreach emails
- ❌ Trade-mark filing administration (Tech Transfer / TM attorney)
- ❌ KTP application paperwork (Portsmouth KTP Office)
- ❌ Customer-discovery interviews
- ❌ Funding-call monitoring
- ❌ Standards-body cold emails (initial)
- ❌ Weekly KPI tracking
- ❌ Risk register updates
Lead researcher will escalate to you only when:
- A decision exceeds their authority
- A blocker exceeds 1 week without resolution
- A new significant risk appears
- An offer / commitment requires academic endorsement
What to expect from weekly updates
Every Friday EOD, the lead researcher will email a 1-paragraph update:
Mark, Awais, Salem — Week N update.
- Outreach: X emails sent / Y replies / Z meetings.
- Funding: [submitted / next deadlines].
- Papers: [V62 status / next submission target].
- Blockers: [if any, with proposed resolution].
- Decisions needed from you this week: [list, or "none"].
— Mohammad
If no concerns, no reply needed. If concerns, reply or schedule a 15-min call.
Co-pitch availability
In Phase 2 onwards, Big-4 and major partner second meetings benefit from a senior academic presence. The lead researcher will request 30–60 min of your time, with at least 1 week notice, for:
- Big-4 audit-firm pitch meetings (any of KPMG, Deloitte, PwC, EY)
- BRAID or RAi UK consortium kick-offs
- DSIT AI Assurance Innovation Fund and Sovereign AI £160m partner conversations
Saying "no" is fine — alternatives (other supervisors, written endorsement) are available.
Endorsement letters expected
| Letter | When | For |
|---|---|---|
| ICURe Explore academic referee | Week 4 (May 2026) | Innovate UK |
| KTP application supervisor signature | Phase 2 (Jul 2026) | Innovate UK |
| Sovereign AI £160m consortium letter | Phase 3 (Q4 2026) | DSIT |
| RAi UK Phase 2 / BRAID Phase 2 endorsement | Phase 3 | UKRI |
Each letter takes ~30 min to draft; the lead researcher will provide a draft you can edit.
Reference
Contact
mohammad.akeel@myport.ac.uk · happy to drop into your office hours any time.