Invited talk from Advances in Boronic Organic Chemistry, Sheffield 2017

1. The Enterprising
Researcher
Dr Gary C Wood, University of Sheffield Enterprise
g.c.wood@sheffield.ac.uk | @GC_Wood

2. Enterprise
2
“With the growing pressures of a complex and uncertain world, enterprising
researchers are vital to maximise the benefits gained from excellent research.”
Vitae Researcher Development Framework

3. Your future challenges
● Funding
● Competitive job market
● Not enough academic jobs
● Need to evidence impact and application
● New job roles and unidentified challenges.
3

4. Enterprise
4
“Enterprise is having ideas, doing something about them, and taking advantage
of opportunities to bring about change. It is about making things happen.”
TUoS Enterprise Education Mission Vision and Strategy

5. Enterprise capabilities
5
Enterprise capabilities enable individuals to spot opportunities,
generate ideas, and do something about them.

6. Enterprise capabilities and research
● Identifying the problems – ‘what if…’
● Applying research to make a positive
difference
● Require strategic thinking and analysis
● Take account of constraints
Research is about identifying and solving
problems through developing knowledge.
6

7. Enterprise capabilities and research
● Generating and testing ideas through an
iterative process
● Thinking critically and creatively to
overcome challenges
Research is creative, generating and
testing new ideas.
7

8. Enterprise capabilities and research
● Anticipating outcomes and taking
measured risks
● Making decisions without complete
information
● Being tenacious and persevering
Research requires testing predictions and
responding to results.
8

9. Enterprise capabilities and research
● Using initiative
● Demonstrating leadership skills
● Identifying resource requirements,
including information needs
● Taking responsibility
Research requires responsibility, resource
utilisation and creates information needs.
9

10. Enterprise capabilities and research
● Working together and independently to
meet a goal or achieve an objective
● Using different methods of communication
● Connecting and working with external
organisations, bodies and groups
Research is inherently collaborative and
involves making connections.
10

11. Vitae
Researcher
Development
Framework
Full Vitae Enterprise Lens:
www.vitae.ac.uk/vitae-
publications/rdf-related/enterprise-
lens-on-the-vitae-researcher-
development-framework-rdf-apr-
2012.pdf

12. What might enterprise mean to you?
● Commercialisation of ideas or
intellectual property
● ‘Selling’ your ideas
● Making the most of your PhD
and becoming an ‘enterprising
academic’
● That you are more effective as
an employee (or employer) and
can do a broader range of jobs.
Remember the challenges:
● Funding
● Competitive job market
● Not enough academic jobs
● Need to evidence impact and
application
● New job roles and unidentified
challenges.

13. Entrepreneurship
● The process of creating something different with value by devoting the
necessary time and effort, assuming the accompanying financial,
psychic and social risk and receiving the resultant rewards of monetary
and personal satisfaction (Fry, 1996)
● Using enterprise to create new businesses and ‘can-do’ organisations and
services (Nixon, 2004)
● Organising, operating and assuming the risk for a business venture.

14. Intrapreneurship
● The art of working within an organisation to effect change, by developing
new ideas, procedures or products, by innovating practice and thereby
enhancing the business (Kneale, 2002)

15. Would you stay put on the escalator?

16. USE Support
● Skills programmes, workshops and
training
● Support with exploring your potential
to start a business
● Support with starting a business
● Available for life, as a Sheffield
Graduate.

17. Contact us
● Visit our website:
www.sheffield.ac.uk/enterprise
● Email us:
enterprise@sheffield.ac.uk
● Phone us:
0114 222 4044
● Pop in and see us:
9-5 Monday-Friday, 210 Portobello.

18. The Enterprising
Researcher
Dr Gary C Wood, University of Sheffield Enterprise
g.c.wood@sheffield.ac.uk | @GC_Wood