Manchester Enterprise Centre’s fourth annual four-day Enterprise School took place in Bassenthwaite, Cumbria between 10-13 July 2012. The School provides in-depth enterprise training for researchers in a collaborative environment.
30 postgraduates and post-doctorates took part from the Universities of Manchester, Liverpool, Lancaster and Durham. The participants came from a variety of subject backgrounds with each having a specific interest in enterprise and entrepreneurship. In groups, they were asked to create a business idea based on a problem they had identified in the inspirational setting of the Lake District.
Each of the days was split into themes of opportunity recognition, identifying the market, implementation and presentation pitching. Guest speakers included Olivia Stefanino (Be Your Own Guru Ltd) and the EngD PhD Engineering YES winners from 2011. The ‘identifying the market’ activity involved participants speaking to local businesses, tourists and local residents, with some of the ideas receiving a valuable reality check.
The winning idea used sheep wool from non-white sheep, currently a waste product for Lake District farmers to create sustainable and effective loft insulation.
The Enterprise School forms part of a connected series of enterprise activities for researchers at The University of Manchester including workshops, mentoring and guest speaker events.
For more details visit www.mbs.ac.uk/mec or contact
Posted on behalf of Dr Robert Phillips, Manchester Enterprise Centre
Tags: enterprise
