Huddersfield hosts Vitae’s 2014 Impact Day
Dr Leigh Fleming undertaking her research at the University of Huddersfield
Wed, 09 Apr 2014 14:08:00 BST
Vitae’s The Enterprising Researcher hosted at the University of Huddersfield, the Entrepreneurial University of the Year 2012/13
THE University of Huddersfield has been acknowledged as a leader in the field of enterprise and entrepreneurship. Now it has hosted a conference that aimed to show researchers from throughout the UK how they can use enterprise skills to boost their careers.
The event was entitled The Enterprising Researcher and it was held at the University by the long-established organisation Vitae, which is dedicated to active career learning and development by researchers. It has received considerable backing from the UK’s network of research councils, but operates in a global context.
The University of Huddersfield event was one of Vitae’s 2014 Impact Days, which it stages in partnership with the Entrepreneurial Institute.
The day-long conference, aimed at doctoral students and early-career researchers, consisted of a sequence of sessions that examined many aspects of enterprise. And there were keynote addresses from two senior members of the University of Huddersfield staff.
Dr Kelly Smith, (pictured left) who is the University’s Head of Enterprise,
spoke about her journey of discovery on the way to becoming an enterprising researcher. Stephen Boyd, (pictured right) who heads the University’s Careers and Employability Service, spoke about the links between enterprise skills and career success and, as an illustration; he introduced the service’s own enterprise spin-off, the ground-breaking software named GEMS (Graduate Employment-Market Statistics), the first of its kind to be produced by a university.
GEMS disseminates the results of the national Destination of Leavers from Higher Education Survey – an annual survey which every UK University conducts to determine the employment and further study outcomes of their graduates.
There were also contributions from the University of Huddersfield’s Research Development Framework Administrator Dr Elizabeth Nassem (pictured left) – who spoke about starting a business based on her PhD research – and Bob Cywinski, (pictured right) who is Professor of Physics and Dean of the Graduate School. Professor Cywinski spoke about his experiences as a research entrepreneur.
The Vitae Impact Day at the University of Huddersfield was attended by researchers from across the UK and they came from a wide range of academic disciplines – from the sciences to the arts.
Google Hangout
Following the Impact Day, Vitae staged its first live Google Hangout – a web-based question and answer session – in which the University’s Dr Smith was one of the experts who fielded queries.
From her University of Huddersfield office she was seen in vision giving live advice to on-line participants, dealing with issues such as the opportunities for postgraduate entrepreneurs who are non-UK citizens to start businesses in the country. She also described the advice and support provided by the University of Huddersfield.
The Hangout – titled How to start a business after your PhD – was seen by some 260 people and hosted by Vitae’s Katie Wheat, who said: “It was a huge success. The reaction across social media has been really positive and lots of researchers tuned in to ask questions.”
A recording of the Hangout can be found on the web.
