Policy into Practice:EURAXESS Researcher Career Skills for Career Development

PIPERS

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant

agreement No 643330

Helping researchers to pursue their professional ambitions:A workshop for staff assisting researchers’ development

21 – 22 June 2016WARSAW, POLAND

Developing EnterprisingResearchers

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

Enterprising researchers or entrepreneurs?

Entrepreneurship The capacity and willingness to develop, organize and manage a business venture along with any of its risks in order to make a profit. The most obvious example of entrepreneurship is the starting of new businesses.

Enterprising Ready to undertake projects of importance or difficulty, or untried schemes; energetic in carrying out any undertaking.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

What Great Entrepreneurs Have in Common• See opportunities where others see challenges and crisis• Have a sense of urgency• Do things they love, they would even pay to do them• Not concerned with failure• Take risks• Seeks alternative opinions• Always seek a better way• Prioritize• Focus and specialize• Always curious and making sense of the system as a whole• Commitment and balance• Listen to intuition and inner voice• High level of awareness and sense of uniqueness

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

Scene setting – Why should we develop researchers’ enterprise skills?

Process

Discussion in pairs (5 minutes)

Then report back

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

Why might researchers be resistant to developing enterprise skills?

Discuss on your tables (5 minutes)

Report back

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

Video

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

What are the specific skills researchers have that are transferable to business?

Discuss on your tables (10 minutes)

Report back

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

What activities do you provide in your institutions to develop researchers’ enterprise

skills?Process

Table discussion (10 minutes) and report back

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

A Day and a Half Enterprise Workshop

Participants (in groups) • Develop a business idea• Translate this into an outline business model• Develop a pitch for their proposal• Pitch their idea to a team of investorsKey ideas about start-ups, IPR are introduced throughout the session.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

Programme Day 1

10.30 – 10.45 Entrepreneurship activity – introduction 10.45 – 11.00 Coffee11.00 – 12.30 Market exploitation of research results12.30 – 13.30 Lunch and networking13.30 – 14.30 Conceptualising a business idea 14.30 – 15.30 IPR15.30 – 15.45 Coffee15.45 – 16.30 Business planning16.30 – 17.25 Preparing your business model

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

Programme Day 2

09.15 – 09.20 Introduction to the day09.20 – 10.20 Preparing your business model (contd.)10.20 – 10.45 Pitching presentation 10.45 – 11.00 Coffee11.00 – 11.15 Presentation by researcher entrepreneur11.15 – 12.30 Preparing pitches12.30 – 13.00 Teams pitch to the panel 13.00 – 14.00 Lunch and networking14.00 Winners announced

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

Other EnterpriseActivities

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

Longer Enterprise School

Longer version lasting 1.5 days with much more input on enterprise formation, business planning, IPR.

4-day version which includes exercises on consultancy and much more on branding and marketing.

Very flexible framework. Develops much wider skill set.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

Business Plan Competitions

Works best with real embryo businesses.Contestants develop business idea with mentoring support over a six-month period.Often have semi-final stage to reduce field to about 10 entrants – outline business plan without financials.Finalists go on to produce full business plan with outline financials for first 2 years of trading.Business plans read by panel of entrepreneurs and contestants then pitch their business.Winners announced at gala dinner with real cash prizes.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

Researchers as Consultants

Early career researchers have the technical skills to preform a consultancy/problem solving role for many businesses.• But they need some training in effective consultancy skills.• Can be extremely effective – often business will pay for

doctoral student/post-doc input.• Can work very effectively at undergraduate level.

Developed in Physics at Durham – see http://www.iop.org/education/higher_education/stem/industrial/page_47362.html

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

Other ideas

• Internships• Jointly-funded PhD and research projects with industry

Specific workshops on IPR, spin-outs, …• Intrapreneurship – the effective research leader is an

intrapreneur

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programmefor research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330

Key Takeaways

Share the key takeaways from this session.