Research innovations often remain locked within research organisations (HEIs/research institutes and research-active businesses), never making their way into commercial startups or new business units. Leveraging these innovations should be a priority for such institutions. However, due to a dearth of entrepreneurial skillsets, researchers have little understanding about: (1) how to bring these innovations to market; (2) how to generate revenue; or (3) how to create important new areas for sustainable employment.The STARTED project will put in place a project-based learning approach for developing entrepreneurial skills (and spirit) in researchers, to foster interactions between stakeholders in R&D innovation, and to guide the transfer of innovative research projects through to becoming robust startup opportunities. The mission is to teach more researchers how to create companies.This project will enable the setting up of a European Research-to-Startup Centre (ERSC) supported by a shared web platform which will centralise ad hoc learning and training contents/tools/guidelines to create/help future entrepreneurs/intrapreneurs. Dedicated modules to promote interactions with R&D organisations, technical centres or business angels (ResearchInno database and forum) will be available to support participants. The scope of dissemination in this project is far-reaching considering the imperative of national R&D bodies and the support of European startup organisations.The key benefits for European society are: the creation of sustainable bridges between research organisations and startup ecosystems; the development of entrepreneurial skills through guided self-learning; an increase in researcher employability by IDEs (innovation-driven enterprises); and an improvement in innovation transfer to businesses in a variety of sectors in search of competitiveness enhancement (agriculture, tourism, sports, etc.).
The STARTED Project aims to lead to key changes in teaching and learning approaches to entrepreneurship for researchers and build strong and durable bridges between HEIs and businesses.Enable researchers to discover customer needs in different sectors in order to better shape research outputs and encourage close interactions with businesses concerned (startups, new business units).Help researchers to develop a more professional, complete and ‘real-life condition’ approach that will federate
Research innovations often remain locked within research organisations.Due to a dearth of entrepreneurial skill sets, researchers have little understanding about: (1) how to bring these innovations to market; (2) how to generate revenue; or (3) how to create important new areas for sustainable employment.The STARTED project aims to reinforce and structure a European network for promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in the R&D area.
<< Background >> Research innovations often remain locked within research organisations.Due to a dearth of entrepreneurial skill sets, researchers have little understanding about: (1) how to bring these innovations to market; (2) how to generate revenue; or (3) how to create important new areas for sustainable employment.The STARTED project aims to reinforce and structure a European network for promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in the R&D area. << Objectives >> The STARTED Project aims to lead to key changes in teaching and learning approaches to entrepreneurship for researchers and build strong and durable bridges between HEIs and businesses.Enable researchers to discover customer needs in different sectors in order to better shape research outputs and encourage close interactions with businesses concerned (startups, new business units).Help researchers to develop a more professional, complete and ‘real-life condition’ approach that will federate << Implementation >> Targeting the six regions highlighted in our needs analysis, as these are ripe for opportunity given the fact that there are already high levels of potentially commercialisable R&D in these areas, also bearing in mind that there are many other regions in Europe that could and will later benefit from this approach.To tackle the scope and geographical spread of the project, we have chosen a diverse group of 6 partners from four different countries. << Results >> The STARTED project aims to define and deliver new courses and methods for teaching entrepreneurship development to researchers, with knowledge exchange between HEIs and businesses. In order to execute the project goals within the 36 month project timeline, a rigorous work package methodology was drawn up and executed. Results consist of extensive needs analysis, adapting new entrepreneurship frameworks for researchers, creating tools to help them validate their ventures.