Turning research into innovative enterprises
In collaboration with the Universities of Leeds and York, the Faculty of Social Sciences has devised an enterprise support programme on behalf of the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership (WRDTP) to help turn innovative research ideas into a new product, service or social enterprise.
Routes enabled postgraduate and early career researchers in social science to take part in a four week programme which included an introduction to enterprise, guidance on intellectual property and practical implications, networking and communication with non-academic audiences, research development, the opportunity to hear from speakers across industry, academia and business development, and a chance to pitch an idea to an independent panel and win dedicated time with a marketing professional to visualise the idea.
The programme, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, supports the Faculty of Social Sciences strategy to empower doctoral students with their impact and innovation. After identifying a need for an enterprise skills and leadership training programme, the unique programme was devised and research enterprise professionals and social entrepreneurs delivered workshops with a final Dragon’s Den style panel at the end of the course.
28 doctoral students and early career researchers from across the WRDTP participated in the programme. Out of those, eight pitched their research underpinned business idea to the panel. The pitches delivered were of exceptional quality, and three winners were awarded £2k each to work with a Marketing and Design company to develop their brand. The winners were:
Bethany Suggett, Centre for Women’s Studies with her ‘Of Menses and Men’ pitch, advocating for a change in men and boys involvement in the menstruation conversation and education. Her mission is to provide the learning and materials for men to fully understand the menstrual cycle, challenge the taboo of discussion and create a society where menstruation is spoken about openly and comfortably.
Geneffa Ahmed Virjee, Department of Education with ‘Ziksanam Ista - Learning Loved’, a story-telling approach to support and educate refugees who want to learn English as a second language. Geneffa has devised a way of teaching English that is engaging and effective to help provide better futures for underprivileged groups.
Eleanor Craig, University of Leeds. Eleanor’s PhD research revealed that there is a lack of understanding among medical practitioners, as to the impact of sexual abuse or assault on people’s experience of undergoing examinations by medical staff. The Violet Project aims to provide training to health care and medical professionals to understand the complexity of the trauma on victims.
Overall, the programme made a huge impact on all attendees, with one commenting that it ‘changed [my] career trajectory and opened up a whole new professional avenue I was not previously aware of.’
Due to the programme’s success, funding opportunities are being pursued to deliver the programme to a future cohort of doctoral students and early career researchers. We continue to have discussions with our WRDTP partners as to the best way to bring this to fruition.
To support future promotion we have developed a short video about Routes, using personal insights demonstrating the impact and benefits of attending the programme.
