Renewable Engine PhD Student Enhances Entrepreneurial Skills

Renewable Engine PhD Student Enhances Entrepreneurial Skills

Renewable Engine PhD student Zara Shiels recently enhanced her entrepreneurial skills and knowledge by completing a virtual ‘Science Entrepreneur Experience’ delivered by Spin Up Science in May 2020. Spin Up Science – who specialise in teaching PhD students and post-doctoral researchers the pathway to commercialising a research idea into a fully-fledged company – delivered the course remotely due to lockdown restrictions cancelling the original Belfast based event in March 2020.  

Working as part of Renewable Engine, Zara realised that her research – Developing New Nanocatalysts for the Direct Conversion of Biogenic CO2 to Sustainable Fuels – is a problem that many are interested in; and knowledge of how the research may translate to industry through commercialisation of the concept is an important part of the project. Through the event, Zara has gained an increased awareness of how it would be possible to take her current research from laboratory stage into a real world setting. The course highlights included: how the commercialisation of a very early stage research project can progress, understanding market research and market attractiveness, analysing route to market as well as financial projections and different funding streams available.

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The project is supported by the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), with match funding provided by the Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland) and Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Republic of Ireland).
Interreg - Northern Ireland - Ireland - Scotland - European Regional Development Fund