In order to achieve a truly inclusive society there is a major requirement for the rapid development of many more researchers in the field of inclusive design and in related disciplines. SPARC set out to attract new academic researchers into these fields and to support them with pump-priming research funds, mentoring and advice as well as access to prestigious platforms for presenting their work and assistance with writing publications for non-academic audiences. SPARC supported 15 design-related projects of which nine were strongly orientated towards inclusive design. The support given to the project leaders and their teams provided significant new experiences ofthe environment of users and beneficiaries of research and useful additional experiences of working in the academic environment.