Our Future Wealth Creators:

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abc

• Our Future Wealth Creators
• Graduate Start-up Companies
• Professor Helen Pickering, Deputy
  Vice-Chancellor, The University of Teeside, UK

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UNIVERSITY OF TEESSIDE

• Medium Sized University (17000 students)
• Located in Middlesbrough/North East England
• High Levels of Economic/Social Deprivation
• Historically Large Company Dominated Area and Low
  Number of SMEs
• New Company Formation Low
• Low Participation in Higher Education
• Low Graduate Retention

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Enterprise - Building a Knowledge Based Economy

• Universities at the Heart of Government
  Commitment to Economic Regeneration
• Creating a Culture of Enterprise in the
  University
• Staff/Student Commercialisation Activity Support
• New High Technology Innovation Centre On-Campus
  and Incubator Space
• Structured Enterprise Learning Programmes

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The University of Teesside Business Incubation
Model

• Top level University Support
• On-Campus Business Development Team
• Enterprise Educational Programmes in Support
• Easy-in and Easy-Out Office Space for Teesside
  Graduates
• Business Advice Off-Campus to Graduates from any
  University

• Common Support services provided (eg. legal,
  accommodation)
• Funding, Information and Guidance available
• On and Off-site Business Mentoring
• Graduate Companies Programme not for profit
• University Commercialisation Programme for profit

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Business Incubation Process

• Roll-out into pre start-up advice/ incubation/
  acceleration
• Ongoing support and access to a range of internal
  and external help
• Business re-assessed by Panel in 12 months
• Further assistance agreed/declined
• Aim to move business off-campus

• Business Development Panel scrutinises business
  idea
• Assistance agreed/declined
• 2 Routes Graduate Business and Direct
  Commercialisation
• Identification of relevant educational support
  programmes
• Identification of space with self-sustaining
  rental model

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Graduate Companies Programme Considerative Factors

• Company Characteristics
• Inter-company collaboration
• Building powerful external networks
• Ability to react quickly
• Building up a track record
• Moves to Commercialisation/Equity/ IPR
• Evaluating success

• Still developing the model
• Partnerships with Public and Private Sectors
• Funding Support
• University-wide knowledge/commitment to the
  project
• Relevant Educational/ Business Advice Support
• Graduate Characteristics

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Is It Working?

• 27 Graduate Companies on campus in 3 years
• 50 Graduate Companies supported off-campus
• Demand for space growing and new space being
  funded
• Companies mainly in ICT, Design and Business
• New areas of activity include Creative/Cultural
  and Food

• Relevant educational support programmes (FT/PT)
• Developing staff/student research
  commercialisation collaboration
• Creating jobs
• Supporting University income generation
• Aiding graduate retention and supporting
  regeneration
• National interest in the Project

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What Next? - Over to You

• Have we got it right?
• What should we do differently?
• What have we over-looked?
• Where do we go from here?
• How do we build on what has been achieved?