week 1:4
Entre – between
Preneur – one who takes
Added together = one who moves things / ideas / money between.
Jean-Baptiste Say, a French economist, is believed to have coined the word “entrepreneur” in the 19th century – he defined an entrepreneur as “one who undertakes an enterprise, especially a contractor, acting as intermediatory between capital and labour”
Is that like a special case of a problem solver? And the fast flowing flaming flowering high achieving driven entrepreneurs are people who want this change – this adaptation – to happen quickly?
In my new office (large and open plan on the 8th floor with a view over the city of Newcastle’s hills, construction and I can see the bridges over the Tyne and the Sage too) there are twelve or so RA’s in an open plan office. The printer is located near me. The staff were abandoning the empty printer paper wrappers on the small cupboard by the side of the floor standing printer. I put the wrappers inside the paper recycling bin. Next day more wrappers. Then I realised that the paper bin was on the opposite side of the printer to where the cupboard with the paper was. I moved the bin to be next to the cupboard. And now no more wrappers being abandoned. Fabulous.
Met with Richy Hetherington, Postgraduate Skills Development Co-ordinator at Biomedicine. He works with 600 students at the MRes and PhD level and has a book full of both compulsory and optional skills for the Biomedicine students to take up. Understanding IP, Writing skills…. anything that they are thought to need in conjunction to their research. The Roberts Report indentified a lack of appreciation for this level of students among employers. Many of the skills offered in these short courses are mean to address this, getting students to develop confidence and a conscious appreciation of their own capability.
{What kind of organisational structure works in the research teams? Is it very different to most companies?}
e-portfolio is being used / piloted to get students to reflect on their experiences, trials and tribulations – this self awareness then leading to self confidence. Medical students have long been encouraged to reflect on their experiences to improve their practice and do so more naturally.
Richy likes skills to be taught in context. An alternative context that has developed is the student organised PG Conference for which the students do everything from reviewing papers, inviting speakers, venues, funding – everything. This year the conference will start on 26 October. The student organisers are always easily employed.
{I want to investigate making a contribution at the conference, if appropriate}
6 or 7 teams of 4 to 5 students each take part in Biotechnology YES every year and always highly recommend this. It addresses the process of commercialisation fairly high up the food-chain i.e. student teams must make pitches and develop (mock) businesses in the bio arena.
There is no direct recruitment at the events or after however – when students put this on their CV’s, employers always want to talk about it. Employers know about the contest.
{Is it possible to increase the number of teams who attend?}
Placements – internships of 3 months – to be done any time during the MRes or PhD years have become mandatory (by some funders?). Finding and managing placements – which do not have to be in the field of study – are still being trialled. The aspect that they are trying to get right is – when should these fit in? Either just after the MRes and before PhD, or after submission of thesis and waiting for viva.
{What if it were in the field of study? Would these people be suitable for placement at one of the many pharma or bio companies in the region?}
Michael Whitaker worked on a very useful document – laying out, on one page, the entrepreneurial activity across the University. He grants that it may be a tiny bit out of date since he did it 18 months ago, but it captures the activities and the purpose for them and the outcomes very neatly. I have asked for a copy to include here.
Michael expects me to run around meeting as many people as possible – network and be visible – for my first month and come up with ideas of things to do. To this end I have a few extra people to add to my list of people to meet. I will be meeting with him again at the end of the month.