This document describes a workshop for developing enterprising researchers. It discusses defining entrepreneurship versus being enterprising. The workshop includes activities to help researchers identify transferable skills, develop business ideas, and pitch concepts to investors. The workshop runs over two days and covers topics like business planning and intellectual property rights. Other suggested enterprise activities are longer schools, business plan competitions, and training researchers in consultancy skills.

1. Policy into Practice:
EURAXESS Researcher Career Skills for Career Development
PIPERS
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework
Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant
agreement No 643330
Helping researchers to pursue their professional ambitions:
A workshop for staff assisting researchers’ development
21 – 22 June 2016
WARSAW, POLAND
Developing Enterprising
Researchers

2. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Enterprising researchers or
entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurship The capacity and willingness to
develop, organize and manage a business venture along
with any of its risks in order to make a profit. The most
obvious example of entrepreneurship is the starting of
new businesses.
Enterprising Ready to undertake projects of importance
or difficulty, or untried schemes; energetic in carrying out
any undertaking.

3. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
What Great Entrepreneurs Have in Common
• See opportunities where others see challenges and crisis
• Have a sense of urgency
• Do things they love, they would even pay to do them
• Not concerned with failure
• Take risks
• Seeks alternative opinions
• Always seek a better way
• Prioritize
• Focus and specialize
• Always curious and making sense of the system as a whole
• Commitment and balance
• Listen to intuition and inner voice
• High level of awareness and sense of uniqueness

4. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Scene setting – Why should we develop
researchers’ enterprise skills?
Process
Discussion in pairs (5 minutes)
Then report back

5. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Why might researchers be resistant to
developing enterprise skills?
Discuss on your tables (5 minutes)
Report back

6. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Video

7. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
What are the specific skills researchers
have that are transferable to business?
Discuss on your tables (10 minutes)
Report back

8. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
What activities do you provide in your
institutions to develop researchers’ enterprise
skills?
Process
Table discussion (10 minutes) and report back

9. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
A Day and a Half Enterprise
Workshop
Participants (in groups)
• Develop a business idea
• Translate this into an outline business model
• Develop a pitch for their proposal
• Pitch their idea to a team of investors
Key ideas about start-ups, IPR are introduced
throughout the session.

10. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Programme Day 1
10.30 – 10.45 Entrepreneurship activity – introduction
10.45 – 11.00 Coffee
11.00 – 12.30 Market exploitation of research results
12.30 – 13.30 Lunch and networking
13.30 – 14.30 Conceptualising a business idea
14.30 – 15.30 IPR
15.30 – 15.45 Coffee
15.45 – 16.30 Business planning
16.30 – 17.25 Preparing your business model

11. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Programme Day 2
09.15 – 09.20 Introduction to the day
09.20 – 10.20 Preparing your business model (contd.)
10.20 – 10.45 Pitching presentation
10.45 – 11.00 Coffee
11.00 – 11.15 Presentation by researcher entrepreneur
11.15 – 12.30 Preparing pitches
12.30 – 13.00 Teams pitch to the panel
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch and networking
14.00 Winners announced

12. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Other Enterprise
Activities

13. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Longer Enterprise School
Longer version lasting 1.5 days with much more input on
enterprise formation, business planning, IPR.
4-day version which includes exercises on consultancy and
much more on branding and marketing.
Very flexible framework. Develops much wider skill set.

14. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Business Plan Competitions
Works best with real embryo businesses.
Contestants develop business idea with mentoring support
over a six-month period.
Often have semi-final stage to reduce field to about 10
entrants – outline business plan without financials.
Finalists go on to produce full business plan with outline
financials for first 2 years of trading.
Business plans read by panel of entrepreneurs and
contestants then pitch their business.
Winners announced at gala dinner with real cash prizes.

15. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Researchers as Consultants
Early career researchers have the technical skills to preform a
consultancy/problem solving role for many businesses.
• But they need some training in effective consultancy skills.
• Can be extremely effective – often business will pay for
doctoral student/post-doc input.
• Can work very effectively at undergraduate level.
Developed in Physics at Durham – see
http://www.iop.org/education/higher_education/stem/ind
ustrial/page_47362.html

16. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Other ideas
• Internships
• Jointly-funded PhD and research projects with industry
Specific workshops on IPR, spin-outs, …
• Intrapreneurship – the effective research leader is an
intrapreneur

17. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Key Takeaways
Share the key takeaways from this session.