Young entrepreneurs invited to unleash their ingenuity at YES 2017

Posted on: 30/08/2017

YES is an innovative competition developed to raise awareness among ECRs of how ideas can be commercialised.

The Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) has been in existence for 22 years and its alumni surpasses 5,400. If you have not heard of YES, it is an initiative to raise awareness of the commercialisation of ideas among PhD and post-docs. At the same time, it provides a real insight into career opportunities.

Delivered in partnership and drawing on unparalleled expertise from industry and the research community, the competition aims to encourage an entrepreneurial culture that benefits the UK economy. Teams of Early Career Researchers (ECRs) united by a dedication to their subject, curiosity and enthusiasm attempt to deploy blue sky thinking to address seemingly impossible challenges such as the ageing population, novel battery technologies, sustainable food production and global warming.

In this way they develop a business plan for a start-up company based on a hypothetical but plausible idea during an intense three-day residential workshop. Interested in taking part? Visit www.yescompetitions.co.uk.

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YES provides so many benefits and here are just a few of them:

  • The high energy that is exuded by the self-selecting PhD and post-docs when they attend the 3-day workshop.
  • The platform it provides to showcase the world-renowned research that has been carried out within our UK universities and industries, benefitting not only society but the economy.
  • The opportunity to learn directly from entrepreneurs, gaining a unique insight into career paths that can shape and inspire personal development.
  • Blue-Sky thinking takes place in this environment which lends itself perfectly to the production of innovative ideas that are not hindered because they may not be commercially viable or scientifically possible yet.
  • New knowledge is created within an exceptionally stimulating environment where experiential learning is at its very best; as one past participant said ‚Äú‚Ķan absolutely great way to understand the process of how one takes a scientific idea and spins it out into a product.‚Äù
  • It‚Äôs constantly evolving and changing. Each year is different and in 2017 one of the five workshops will focus on the industrial strategy challenges exploring the principles of clean energy technologies; robotics and artificial intelligence; satellites and space technologies; manufacturing processes and materials of the future, to name but a few.
  • Professionals spanning a broad range of businesses and academia and from small to large organisations, dedicate their time to speak, mentor or judge. In 2016, more than 200 people from 79 organisations donated a total of 1321 hours!
  • Strong collaborations are created with industry due to the close working of co-organisers at The University of Nottingham and the Research Councils. In 2015, research showed that every ¬£1 of Research Council Funding for YES was matched by ¬£2.89 from other sources.
  • The Final will be held at The Royal Society in London again this year; a breath-taking venue with a rich historical heritage, the Society has organised some of the most important events in the scientific world over the past 350 years.

Workshops will take place throughout October and early November.

If you are a PhD or post-docs and wish to participate, check out the YES website at www.yescompetitions.co.uk.

If you are interested in learning more on how to get involved as a speaker, mentor or judge or to share your YES personal experiences email admin@yescompetitions.co.uk.

YES provides so many benefits and here are just a few of them:

  • The high energy that is exuded by the self-selecting PhD and post-docs when they attend the 3-day workshop.
  • The platform it provides to showcase the world-renowned research that has been carried out within our UK universities and industries, benefitting not only society but the economy.
  • The opportunity to learn directly from entrepreneurs, gaining a unique insight into career paths that can shape and inspire personal development.
  • Blue-Sky thinking takes place in this environment which lends itself perfectly to the production of innovative ideas that are not hindered because they may not be commercially viable or scientifically possible yet.
  • New knowledge is created within an exceptionally stimulating environment where experiential learning is at its very best; as one past participant said ‚Äú‚Ķan absolutely great way to understand the process of how one takes a scientific idea and spins it out into a product.‚Äù
  • It‚Äôs constantly evolving and changing. Each year is different and in 2017 one of the five workshops will focus on the industrial strategy challenges exploring the principles of clean energy technologies; robotics and artificial intelligence; satellites and space technologies; manufacturing processes and materials of the future, to name but a few.
  • Professionals spanning a broad range of businesses and academia and from small to large organisations, dedicate their time to speak, mentor or judge. In 2016, more than 200 people from 79 organisations donated a total of 1321 hours!
  • Strong collaborations are created with industry due to the close working of co-organisers at The University of Nottingham and the Research Councils. In 2015, research showed that every ¬£1 of Research Council Funding for YES was matched by ¬£2.89 from other sources.
  • The Final will be held at The Royal Society in London again this year; a breath-taking venue with a rich historical heritage, the Society has organised some of the most important events in the scientific world over the past 350 years.

Workshops will take place throughout October and early November.

If you are a PhD or post-docs and wish to participate, check out the YES website at www.yescompetitions.co.uk.

If you are interested in learning more on how to get involved as a speaker, mentor or judge or to share your YES personal experiences email admin@yescompetitions.co.uk.

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