Enterprise & Entrepreneurship

The terms enterprise and entrepreneurship can be confusing, often associated with starting a business venture however, they simply refer to the generation and application of ideas to address practical situations (QAA definitions). They aren’t so much skills, but rather a collection attributes - in fact there are 38 descriptors within the Researcher Development Framework which relate to enterprise, including communication, innovation and enthusiasm.

The very act of deciding to undertake a postgraduate research degree demonstrates enterprise skills and attributes such as having an inquiring mind, enthusiasm and perseverance.

You have had to identify a gap or need or problem which you are addressing through your research, therefore you have generated an idea, spotted an opportunity and worked out a strategy to explore it.

Case Study: PGR Researchers Frankie Lewns and Paris Lalousis, founders of Bloomwise

No matter what career you have in mind, enterprise skills will help you. For a career in academia, enterprise skills will help you have impact with your research – opening up options such as commercialisation, spin-out, licensing, participatory research and successful grant applications. For others within the UoB PGR community they are using their skills to creating new opportunities , opening up different futures for themselves.

University of Birmingham start-up community (Video transcript)

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Emerging Researchers Innovation Challenge (previously PGR Innovation Challenge)

Background and context

ERIC, previously called the Postgraduate Enterprise Summer School (PESS) is an annual, in person, non-credit bearing multidisciplinary enterprise focused programme, specifically designed for PGR students. It is delivered by the University of Birmingham’s B-Enterprising team.

Overall aims

ERIC aims to provide research students with a greater understanding of the benefits of developing entrepreneurial skills. Skills that are beneficial for research practice as well as their future careers, whether in academia or not.

Through the completion of ERIC 2025, PGRs will be able to:

Understand different market research techniques to identify and analyse opportunities.
Apply human-centred design approaches to identify and address real-world challenges.
Collaborate in groups to generate and develop creative ideas.
Communicate information confidently and effectively in a formal presentation setting.

Programme Challenge

ERIC will consist of teams of 6-8, who will be directed and supported to respond to the central challenge for 2025, which is related to the field of waste by-products. For this year’s challenge PGRs will have to identify waste products that can be repurposed into a commercial value proposition, by continuing the life of the resource in a different form. They will be encouraged to research expansively deploying a growth mindset to create an idea for a new impactful product from waste.

Delivery overview

ERIC will be delivered in person on in 8 x 2 hours, in response to student feedback delivery will be in concentrated sessions over 4 days spread across 2 weeks on the University of Birmingham campus, University House (Map code: O3), room number 103.

	Date	Time	Delivery	Learning Outcomes
Session 1	Tuesday 1^st July	10-12	Introduction to ERIC 2025	Understand the challenge requirements and format of ERIC 2025 Construct multidisciplinary teams and build some camaraderie Outline a team ethos which includes expectations of all team members Discuss and apply innovative thinking to create a new idea in a different industry to their primary research area
Session 2	Tuesday 1^st July	1-3PM	Your career post PhD	Evaluate careers options beyond academia Discuss how doctoral students can pursue an entrepreneurial path by commercialising their research Design an individual career plan for success
Session 3	Wednesday 2^nd July	10-12	Identifying and understanding waste by products in a global context	Evaluate different market research techniques Analyse major waste producing industries Investigate and analyse the impacts of waste by products in environments globally and nationally Understand the real-world impact of innovative solutions Understand cultural awareness in a commercial context and its impacts on successful market adoption of a new product
Session 4	Wednesday 2^nd July	1-3PM	Developing creative and innovative solutions	Develop ideas in teams for waste by products that could have a real-life need Evaluate potential commercial viability of a new products which utilises a waste by product Produce a validation model to develop a business case around the new idea
Session 5	Tuesday 8^th July	10-12	Creating and delivering a presentation	Evaluate pitching examples to understand the essential elements to delivering a professional presentation Design a presentation for a commercial product
Session 6	Tuesday 8^th July	1-3PM	Presentation practise and feedback session	Analyse presentation feedback from peers and the judges Apply key elements of feedback to presentation Practise presentations again after implementing improvements as a group
Session 7	Friday 11^th July	10-12	Final practise and reflection	Examine personal performance in ERIC with a critical self-reflection
Session 8	Friday 11^th July	1-3PM	Final presentations	Produce a presentation for a new commercially viable product created from a waste by product

Programme assessment

Students will create ideas in response to the challenge brief, presenting these via a formal in-person 15-minute presentation. These will be judged a panel of academics and entrepreneurs, who will evaluate each presentation against the criteria of creativity, commercial viability and quality of presentation. All participants will also be invited to complete an optional1000-word individual reflective skills portfolio, to evaluate their ERIC learning experience.

What's Next?

Have a question?

Please email: benterprising@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Business start-up advice

If you have started a business, have an idea for a business (including consultancy) or are interested in commercialising your research you can book a Business Start-Up Advice appointment with the B-Enterprising Team.

Click here for more information about Business Start-Up Advice appointments.

B-Enterprising

B-Enterprising is a hub of enterprise and entrepreneurship support based within Careers Network. The team offer a range of programmes, start-up training, freelance workshops, online tools, funding and more.

You can get everything you need from the B-Enterprising Team to help you develop enterprise skills, commercialise your research or start your own business or consultancy.

Visit the B-Enterprising website