A Brunel University London degree programme designed with entrepreneurship in mind is in line for a European 'Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year' award.
Run by Professor Ronan McCarthy, the undergraduate course is custom-crafted to embed entrepreneurship and innovation across its syllabus.
The international title is one of the Triple E Awards for Entrepreneurship and Engagement Excellence in Higher Education. Its organisers, the newly formed Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACEEE), will announce the winners at Portugal’s Nova University on 18 September.
“It’s exciting, obviously” said Prof McCarthy. “I designed this component of the degree to expose biosciences students to the principles of entrepreneurship and innovation from the moment they begin their university journey.
“Each year we build on this foundation, equipping students with all the key skills to develop their own biosciences business ideas. We also showcase the extensive support available at Brunel to help them with everything from filing for a patent through to designing a business plan.”
Professor Ronan McCarthy
Prof McCarthy worked alongside Brunel’s Professional Development Centre (PDC) and the Entrepreneur Hub to design modules that immerse biosciences students in a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation from day one.
A Dragons’ Den-style pitching competition and guest lectures from start-up founders and CEOs have won widespread praise and recognition in the UK. Second-year students hear from Brunel academics running their own successful spin-out companies.
“It’s incredibly refreshing to see,” senior biosciences lecturer Dr Victor Hernandez said of the course which has run for three years. “Traditionally science-based courses tend to shy away from entrepreneurial opportunities. It is clearly igniting an entrepreneurial passion in these students.”
Find out more about Brunel’s Biomedical Sciences courses
Reported by:
Hayley Jarvis,
Media Relations
+44 (0)1895 268176
hayley.jarvis@brunel.ac.uk