As part of the programme new Fellows
undertake a training day at our
Innovation Centre to introduce them
to the skills needed to undertake a
variety of assignments to support UMIP's
activities. These include completing initial
assessments of the commercial viability of
new inventions, including how to identify
potential applications and competitors,
development of marketing materials for
technologies, creating lists of companies
for potential collaboration or licensing and
analysis of patent literature. Fellows also
have access to and support from the team
at the Manchester Enterprise Centre during
the term of their appointment.
Tony Walker, Director of Innovation
Optimiser at UMIP, commented: "The
Fellows are now seen as a key component
in our venture development process,
adding value at many stages through the
range of tasks they perform. They add
significant insight being at the cutting edge
of scientific research and this really proves
beneficial in the work they deliver. It's also
great to see an alumnus of former Fellows
progressing into new and varied roles and
citing their time with us as contributing to
their career potential.
Uzma Choudhry, a former PhD Biochemistry
at MIB who is now working for the
renowned global Venture Capital (VC) firm
Octopus Ventures, said: "As a scientist, I am
super keen to learn about new technologies
and discoveries so I was really keen to apply
for the UMIP's Fellows Scheme when I heard
about it. It was an amazing opportunity
for me to learn about and get involved in
the commercialisation of a diverse range
technologies built on cutting edge research
being conducted at the University. This led
me to consider a career in Venture Capital.
As a VC investor, you learn a little about a
lot. My scientific expertise stands me in a
good stead to review Deep-Tech start-ups, a
significant proportion of which are spin-outs
or based on technologies and platforms
developed on top of extensive research."
For additional information about our
Fellow Programme, please contact:
Margaret Lewis on 0161 306 3067 or
margaret.lewis@umip.com.
Uzma Choudhry
