Date/Time
Date(s) - 10/06/2019 - 11/06/2019
All Day
Location
University of Glasgow, Sir Charles Wilson Building
However big, however small your ideas, Research Ventures is about finding out how you can develop them into something that matters for you
We’ll cover all the areas you’d expect from an entrepreneurship course (different business models, protecting your ideas, where to get funding…the nuts and bolts) but it doesn’t stop there. In two days, we get to the heart of what it means to be an enterprising researcher. You’ll meet some inspirational people and come away with new ideas, friends and collaborators, as well as a better understanding of what motivates you and how you can transform your ideas into reality.
The course and the skills you will learn from it is designed to be relevant to you now, in your research environment, as well as in the future, whether you see that as being in academia or in another kind of role.
Who is it for?
This course brings together early-career researchers (PGR and postdoctoral) from a wide variety of backgrounds, including physics, computer sciences, engineering, energy, chemistry and earth sciences. It’s aimed at researchers with an interest in:
- Exploring the commercial possibilities of a research idea and how your research might attract industrial funding or be used in setting up a spin-out company
- Knowledge exchange, research impact and winning funding for academic career progression
- Future employment in industry
- Collaboration with researchers from otherdisciplines
What will we be doing?
The course is a mixture of practical activities and case studies as well as talks from experts and entrepreneurs with inspiring stories and first hand experience of bringing exciting ideas to life. Our speakers will share their knowledge of:
- Creative thinking and what being enterprising means to them
- Business planning and different models of research commercialisation (including spin-outs and licensing)
- How to cost projects and manage finance in a new venture
- Protecting your ideas and intellectual property
- Compelling and convincing communication, that helps you to bring others onboard and win funding
- How to inspire and motivate others – the skills needed to build strong working relationships, whether you see yourself as working in business or building a research group
- Sources of support, advice and funding
- Resilience and how to deal with set-backs
- Networking – how to make this fun, useful and interesting, rather than something you dread!
Tutor and Guests
Alison Gray, Founder and Director of Skillfluence
Director of Skillfluence, Alison Gray is a training designer, facilitator, speaker and coach specialising in the business skills and professional attributes of successful scientists and technical specialists. While living in the San Francisco Bay area Alison studied cutting edge Training Design at UC Berkeley, Collaborative Leadership at the American Management Association and Lean Startup methodology at Stanford University. The Skillfluence mission is to do our part to advance scientific discovery and the commercialisation of research. We do this by creating and delivering training and development programmes that equip scientists and researchers with essential entrepreneurial and professional skills.
Other speakers and guests include patent attorneys, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and academic staff involved in spin-outs and other forms of commercialisation.
Registration, Venue, Travel and Accommodation
SICSA is funding 10 student places on this course. If you would like to apply for a SICSA funded place, please email admin@sicsa.ac.uk stating why you wish to attend the course. Places are offered on a competitive basis.
The course takes place at The University of Glasgow. For anyone coming from outside of Glasgow, you will need to organize your own accommodation and claim back costs via your own institution. The Argyll Hotel and Guest House is close by and people have stayed there in previous years. To reach the University of Glasgow from Queen Street Station, you can take the Subway to Kelvinbridge Station (about 10min) and from there it’s a 10min walk to the Sir Charles Wilson Building. Please arrive no later than 10.30am on day one. We will finish by 4.30pm on day two. We will provide dinner on the evening of 10 June.
