EMERGE program adds benefit
In May 2022, UNE SRI’s Regional Connector, Esther Pronker, organized and coordinated the EMERGE program to address the question:
How can I fully exploit my research for the benefit of the community?
According to the Australian Research Council, research impact is the contribution that research makes to the economy, society, policy, environment or culture, beyond the contribution to academic research.
The EMERGE program is specifically designed for UNE students, HDR students, PhD-I candidates, researchers and faculty, wanting to enhance research impact through commercial or social value, while learning transferrable skills necessary in project management and for general career development.
The path to achieving impact with research is never straight forward. EMERGE was developed as a 3-week intensive startup program including a series of Masterclasses and Skills workshops with guest speakers covering the following topics:
· Exploring commercial and social opportunity of research, including an introduction to Intellectual Property and Ideation
· How to turn an academic idea into a venture with the Lean Canvas tool
· What is the value of research, including the fundamentals of raising capital
· How to pitch the key components of your research
· Profiling your ideal customer and exploring the sales and marketing processes
The final session was a pitch and networking event in front of Ian Mason, the UNE SRI’s expert in residence and a key player in the creation of Virgin StartUp.
Ben Greatrex completed all sessions and had a chance to meet with Ian Mason to discuss his idea. Ben works in the chemistry department and more specifically in the field of organic synthetic chemistry. He enrolled in the EMERGE program to validate a business idea, based on his research and experience working in the industry. Ben is developing a process that would allow for separating and purifying fine chemicals using cellulose as a cheap alternative to current approaches.
Ben valued the program in restoring focus and insight about how to move forward with his idea. “I found the different sessions that were offered to be really helpful in different ways. Having the interactions with the different participants and seeing the challenges that they face, but also the support and encouragement that is available is really useful.”
Ben is still in the process of deliberating his next move. The UNE SRI and our network are here to support his entrepreneurial journey.
Are you working on some amazing research and are you open to exploring how to commercialize it? Do you have a business idea and does this program sound interesting?
EMERGE will be organized again in September 2022 on Tuesday the 6th, 13th and 20th in the afternoon.
For more details about the program, and how to register, please visit: https://www.unesri.com.au/emerge
Want to know more, or eager to express your interest, contact Esther Pronker, epronker@une.edu.au