This course is delivered by the Researcher Academy and Business Engagement and Innovation Services

Important course booking guidelines

Target audience

This course is designed for second and third year research students, as well as early career research staff, with an interest in exploiting ideas gained during scientific and technological research. Whether you are a budding entrepreneur or a researcher who would simply like to learn more about how to recognise and cultivate opportunities for commercial exploitation this course provides and exciting and novel opportunity to develop valuable insight and skills.

Researchers with business ideas that are not related to their research are also welcome.

Process

This workshop uses a variety of teaching methods including a seminar, team-working, student discussion and team presentations. This is an intense and fast paced day. Participation will help researchers to develop a range of skills that are relevant to students’ research training, for example, problem solving, negotiation, planning and time management.

Description

Along with researchers from other Science and Engineering schools, you will be working in the University Technology Demonstrator where you will learn how to:

·        Identify markets for new inventions arising from research activities at the University of Nottingham.

·        Utilise a toolkit developed in partnership with the Design Council for research based innovation.

·        Sell technical ideas to potential partners and investors through an elevator pitch.

The University of Nottingham Technology Demonstrator is located in the Sir Colin Campbell Building, Jubilee Campus. It is a unique facility that is home to working prototypes of some of the latest University inventions, all of which are available for commercial development.

Throughout the day you will work in teams to identify a potential market for a novel invention such as:

·        New generation super-capacitors

·        Heart and breathing rate monitor

·        CO2 mitigation technologies

·        Wind turbine technology

·        Fine particle separation technology

·        Medical Devices

·        Industrial microwave processing

At the end of the day you will make a presentation to sell your idea to a group of potential 'equity investors'.

Related courses

The University of Nottingham Institute for Enterprise and Innovation (which sits within the Business School) offers extensive support for researchers. Further details can be found at the The EnterpriseLab.

Related courses:

·        Engineering Young Entrepeneurs Scheme (YES)

·        Bio Technology Young Entrepeneurs Scheme (YES)

·        Digital Economy Young Entrepeneurs Scheme (YES)

·        Energy Young Entrepeneurs Scheme (YES)

·        The Enterprising Researcher (online)

 

Aims

 

To help researchers to understand the process of taking a science or technology based business idea through to commercial exploitation.

 

Objectives

 

By the end of this course you will,

 

·        Be able to draw upon the experience of “pitching” an idea to potential investors in order to apply this to your own future ventures

·        Be able identify markets for new inventions

·        Understand some potential strategies to exploit innovations

 

Location

Room A31, (Technology Demonstrator) Sir Colin Campbell Building, Jubilee Campus.

Booking Guidelines

2 stage release of courses
Instances of this course will be released in two phases: on 12th October 2015 for courses commencing prior to the end of February 2016 and on 1st February 2016 for courses commencing 1st March onwards. This is to ensure a fairer booking opportunity for all researchers.

Latecomer policy
Researchers should plan to arrive prior to the advertised course start time. Except for exceptional reasons, there will be no admittance to a Researcher Academy or Faculty Training Programme (FTP) course 15 minutes after the advertised course start time.

Importance of booking commitment
When booking on to a Researcher Academy short course you are entering into a commitment to attend. If you find that you are no longer available to attend you MUST cancel your place (on the system if more than three days before the course) or if at short notice by emailing pg-training@nottingham.ac.uk. This will ensure that your place can be offered to another researcher on the waiting list. Failure to cancel a place results in other researchers missing out on places through the waiting list process.

It is unacceptable for researchers to just not attend when booked onto a course. Researcher Academy maintains records of those who repeatedly do not attend courses they have booked. This may affect future eligibility to book onto further Researcher Academy courses and will affect considerations for Researcher Academy funded opportunities.