A recent workshop series for enterprising researchers, jointly funded by a UKRI-EPSRC award to the Doctoral College and the University’s Impact Acceleration Account (IAA), has enabled researchers to develop valuable entrepreneurial skills and business acumen.

The workshops were delivered by Spin Up Science, who provides innovation and entrepreneurial training to groups of researchers for early-stage innovation and start up ideas.

The series comprised three workshops: ‘Spark’, a one-day workshop for spotting great ideas; ‘Ignition’, a two-day workshop for building a business; and ‘Lift off’, an entrepreneur experience five-day placement.

Luca Lipani, a Post-Doctoral researcher from the Department of Physics at the University of Bath, attended both the Spark and Ignition workshops. Luca’s PhD involved researching technological approaches to developing a non-invasive monitoring platform with first focus being Type 2- and pre-diabetes glucose management. More on Luca's research.

Luca Lipani says:

The enterprising researcher workshop series was a fast and effective course which provided an informative overview of the principles of start-ups, from the technology you are developing to your market reach. It was hands on and from people who have passed through the process of spinning out and starting up a company. I would really recommend the series if you are considering commercialising your research.

As a result of networking through the workshops, Luca is now attending the Deep Launch Academy run by Spin up Science. This is an 8-week practitioner-led programme to propel your deep technology company from idea to investment readiness.

He is also attending the NorthByNorthwest Innovation to Commercialisation of University Research (ICURe) programme, which offers UK research teams with commercially promising ideas to ‘get out of the lab’ and to the marketplace, funded by Innovate UK.

Dr Neil Bannister, Doctoral Skills Manager at the Doctoral College, says:

We are delighted by the success of our workshop series. It provides an opportunity for enterprising researchers to build skills, knowledge, and attributes for developing commercial ideas, which they wouldn’t get through their academic study.

Due to its success, a further entrepreneurial workshop series in being planned for next academic year. New dates to follow.