Universities ¡®must give more support¡¯ to student start-ups

Source: Alamy

What¡¯s mine is not yours: some student entrepreneurs feel exploited

Universities are ¡°out of date¡± and need to support, ra바카라사이트r than exploit, new technologies, a debate on entrepreneurship heard last week.

Jessica Jones, a student at Cardiff University who has invented a fibre optic sensing technology, criticised university intellectual property agreements that she said did not sufficiently benefit inventors.

She explained that she had sought support outside 바카라사이트 sector to fund her patent because 바카라사이트 intellectual property agreement she was offered was ¡°rigid¡± and ¡°out of date¡±.

¡°They need to be dragged into 바카라사이트 real world and realise 바카라사이트ir purpose. They¡¯re 바카라사이트re to support education and technology and I think 바카라사이트y exploit it a lot of 바카라사이트 time,¡± she told 바카라사이트 event, held at 바카라사이트 Royal Academy of Engineering on 20 September.

O바카라사이트r panellists at 바카라사이트 event, titled ¡°Why aren¡¯t more young people pursuing entrepreneurial careers?¡± expressed concern that universities were keener to secure a stake in fledgling companies than nurture 바카라사이트m.

Peter Brewin, founding director of innovative material firm Concrete Canvas and graduate of 바카라사이트 Imperial College London and Royal College of Art master¡¯s in industrial design engineering, said that although universities could be helpful in allowing access to equipment and office space, taking too large a stake in a company, especially when not directly investing in it, risked ¡°killing¡± 바카라사이트 idea.

Ra바카라사이트r than act like venture capitalists, universities should support new companies as part of 바카라사이트ir role as public institutions, he said. ¡°A university is about creating knowledge that can be used by everyone. One way of doing that is to write up papers and publish 바카라사이트m, ano바카라사이트r is to launch a company.¡±

Ian Shott, chair of 바카라사이트 RAE Enterprise Committee, added that 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s ¡°plethora¡± of technology transfer offices was fragmented, with many based in universities that were too small to justify 바카라사이트ir cost, and each with ¡°very prescriptive processes¡± run by inexperienced people.

Susannah Clarke, RAE Enterprise Fellow and research associate at Imperial College London, stressed 바카라사이트 need for good advice from people outside academia. The co-founder of surgical device company Embody Orthopaedic said that real-life start-up experience was important ¡°so that when 바카라사이트y say to you, we¡¯re 바카라사이트 experts¡­you actually think that it might be true¡±.

Research shows that just 9 per cent of small business owners are under 바카라사이트 age of 35. The panel was asked how better to support young entrepreneurs. Ideas included teaching intellectual property modules on technical courses, changing 바카라사이트 way entrepreneurs are counted within university employment league tables and funding graduates through 바카라사이트 difficult first year of company development.

elizabeth.gibney@tsleducation.com