Brunel University London will take part in this year's Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) Scheme and host one of fifteen senior scientists and business leaders, appointed through a highly competitive process to help turn world-class research into commercial successes.
The Royal Society EiR scheme is part of the Science, Industry and Translation programme and gives experienced industrial scientists the opportunity to spend one or two days a week at a university, helping with a project. It looks to increase awareness of cutting-edge industrial science in UK Higher Education and has already funded 49 placements at 29 universities since its creation in 2018.
Dr Alexander Reip, the CEO of Oxford nanoSystems Ltd. and Brunel alumnus, will begin his two-year term as Brunel’s Entrepreneur in Residence in order to support the development of an Open Innovation Approach (OIA), starting on campus on Tuesday 3 March 2020. He will also help to design a training programme to create entrepreneurial academics within the University.
The OIA will generate a network of Brunel academics and external science and engineering industry experts who will work together to identify specific scientific challenges and their potential solutions. The OIA network will initially be based at Brunel’s Experimental Techniques Centre, providing flows of expert knowledge between both academics and industry and amongst industry experts.
(Dr Alexander Reip)
“Academic research has the ability to fill gaps in industry and will benefit from diverse external viewpoints. The Entrepreneur in Residence Scheme will hopefully further connect research and industry and will also allow me to give something back to Brunel – to which I accredit so much of my success,” said Dr Reip.
Brunel will benefit from Dr Reip’s experience of working in industry in synthesis, nanomaterials and coatings. The OIA will also be able to look to his extensive network of worldwide manufacturers as potential members for the group.
Whilst completing a PhD in Materials Sciences at Brunel, Dr Reip joined Oxford nanoSystems as CTO and spent three years developing the company’s innovative nanoFLUX coating technology and co-writing its core patent, before being appointed CEO in 2015. He also won the 2018 Oxford Trust Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the 2019 Royal Society of Chemistry Rising Star in Industry Award. Dr Reip can also boast membership of many networks, including the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Professional Standards Board.
Brunel’s Chief Business and Innovation Officer, Elizabeth Flint said: “Brunel University London is delighted to have one of our successful alumni work in partnership with us to help nurture a mutually beneficial relationship between our academics and business leaders within the industrial sciences industry.
“It is yet another step the university is taking to produce impactful research which meets a societal need in an innovative way.”
How to apply to be an Entrepreneur in Residence:
Applications are open to any business leader in the physical sciences sector, including engineering, who is eligible to work in the UK. See site for more details.
Applications should be submitted through the Royal Society’s grant management system Flexi-Grant. It is expected that applicants will be notified three months after the closing date whether their application was successful. For enquiries, please contact industry@royalsociety.org.
Reported by:
Simone McNichols-Thomas,
Media Relations
+44 (0)1895 265219
simone.mcnichols-thomas@brunel.ac.uk