The University's new Ignite+ event series is aimed at academics, businesses, and other external organisations for developing collaborative opportunities.

Our inaugural Ignite+ event recently took place on campus with strong attendance from industry. The focus was on Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnerships as a tool to collaborate and effectively transfer knowledge from academia into industry, with government support.

Dr Steven Boakes, Head of Business Partnerships and Knowledge Exchange in Research and Innovation Services (RIS), who is leading on the new Ignite+ and Bitesize event series says:

We have a wealth of talent and expertise at the University. Our new Ignite+ event series offers a mechanism for researchers to make connections and start conversations with external organisations. They can begin a journey which has the potential for fostering opportunities, transferring knowledge, and delivering meaningful partnerships, with dedicated support available from our Business Partnerships and KE team in RIS throughout.

Dr Philippe Blondel, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics who attended the inaugural Ignite+ event, says:

Ignite+ was a very productive event, with a clear focus on collaborations between academia and industries. I met two companies interested in knowledge transfer, and we are now looking at how to work together.

Further Ignite+ events are being planned and will be promoted in due course. Meanwhile our accessible online Ignite+ Bitesize series has a range of concise events scheduled.

Upcoming Ignite+ Bitesize events

There is also an Ignite+ Bitesize event option as part of the series. These are shorter in duration, lasting for twenty minutes. The bitesize versions provide concise information on a range of business support services and advice, followed by Q&As to the team.

The first Ignite+ Bitesize took place on 5 October and focused on business engagement. Amine Moussa, who is undertaking a DBA from the School of Management, was in attendance. He said:

The Ignite+ Bitesize series is customized in such a professional way. They are short, focused, and highly applicable. I only needed to allocate 20 minutes on my agenda to attend the session, which was super convenient and doable! It was presented by professionals in the field who gave sound applicable advice on how to approach and engage with partners for a successful exchange of knowledge!

The following Ignite+ Bitesize are planned over the next few months:

Please register to attend.