Ian RobertsonChief Executive

Developing Entrepreneurship as a Corporate Growth Strategy

Developing People for Growth and Innovation

Sri Lanka5th March 2010

Vision

Context

Definitions

The Challenges

Business and University Entrepreneurship

A Higher Education environment driven by:

►Entrepreneurial Institutions

►Entrepreneurial Staff

►Entrepreneurial Stakeholder Partnerships

►Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Leading to:

►Entrepreneurial Graduates

►Entrepreneurial Lives and Careers

►Entrepreneurial Organisations and Communities

The Vision for UK Higher Education

The world is emerging from the largest global financial crises and deepest downturn for almost a century.

►Imperative to focus on equipping people and business

► Potential impact of HE on competitiveness and social cohesion

► Business needs graduates with relevant skills and experience

►Need to increase HE Industry collaboration

►Globalisation: uncertainty and complexity; opportunities

►The development of Entrepreneurial Universities and Graduates

►Pressures on the public purse; HE income circa £23bn

► Focus on SMEs and knowledge exploitation

Context

A necessary condition for an Innovative Economy is Entrepreneurship.

DEFINITIONS

What is the role of the private sector, public sector and universities in an Innovative Economy?

►Universities producing employable graduates

►Deeper engagement between business and universities

► Universities to understand the needs of business

►Business to understand what universities can do

►Build relationships not transactions

► Collaboration to provide tangible benefits – not charity

►Public sector should ‘grease’ the engagement

►Government funding and support for collaboration

Challenges

Government should provide the policy and regulatory framework and the challenge is then for industry and academia to make things happen.

Facilitated by government with NCGE as a catalyst.

►In 2009 the government announced the setting up of University Enterprise Networks to focus on key sectors of the economy

►Tripartite partnerships and funded by the partners

► Seed long term entrepreneurial relationships

►Specific outcomes for businesses, universities and the public sector. Tangible economic and social benefit

►Universities had to change their cost model to engage

►Key sectors include: Advanced Manufacturing, STEM, Creative Industries, Innovation, Nuclear, Social Enterprise, Low Carbon, Super Fast Broadband, Energy, Smart Planet, Process Engineering. More will follow.

Business and University Entrepreneurship

UENs is a key UK programme to engage the key players in the economy in an economically productive and socially responsible way.

►11 UENs at various stages

►59 partners: 27 universities, 18 companies, 14 public bodies

► Plans jointly developed to :

►Deliver tangible benefit to companies

►Support Organisational change in universities

► Provide all students and graduates with enterprise education and real world experience

► So far 4 UENs are live and will deliver over 3 years:

► 5,000 skills assists► 500 new collaborations► 400 new businesses► 286 new innovations

► Overall impact:

►Greater business/HE collaboration► Increasing economic competitiveness► More innovative economy

University Enterprise Networks

Thank You