2017 01 18 news entrepreneurialtrainingforchemistry

Entrepreneurial training for chemistry

19 January 2017

The article at a glance

Entrepreneurship Centre at Cambridge Judge partners with Royal Society of Chemistry’s Emerging Technologies Competition 2017. The Entrepreneurship Centre at Cambridge Judge is …

Entrepreneurship Centre at Cambridge Judge partners with Royal Society of Chemistry’s Emerging Technologies Competition 2017.2017_01_18_news_entrepreneurialtrainingforchemistry

The Entrepreneurship Centre at Cambridge Judge is partnering with the Emerging Technologies Competition 2017 of the Royal Society of Chemistry, which was established to identify promising chemistry-based technologies and help accelerate their commercialisation.

Hanadi Jabado
Hanadi Jabado

The Entrepreneurship Centre will offer different types of entrepreneurial training to finalists in the competition, now in its fifth year, which is open to early stage companies and academic entrepreneurs from the UK and Europe who are developing technologies for applications across innovative sectors from health to the environment.

Forty shortlisted entrants will present their technologies to expert industry panels at Chemistry Means Business, an event in Manchester on 13-14 June. Two prizes are available in each of four categories: health; energy and environment; food and drink; and materials and enabling technologies. Each of the eight winners receiving a £10,000 cash prize and tailored support from multinational companies.

Training offered to the finalists by the Entrepreneurship Centre at Cambridge Judge will include:

  • a place in the Accelerate Cambridge programme for competition finalists based in or close to Cambridge
  • free places including accommodation for two competition finalists in the Ignite programme held on 9-14 July
  • free places for all 40 Competition finalists on an Entrepreneurship Weekend programme
  • a webinar on the “perfect pitch” for all Competition finalists.

Since the competition began in 2013, winners have raised a combined total of over £25 million in equity investment and grant funding, and one recently announced a £28 million trade sale. Collectively, winners have doubled their number of employees.

Hanadi Jabado, Executive Director of the School’s Entrepreneurship Centre said:

Cambridge Judge Business School is delighted to be a partner in this year’s Emerging Technologies Competition to identify and accelerate promising ventures in the chemistry field. We aim to provide important insight to Competition finalists through the training and mentoring we’re pleased to offer.

Dr Steve Pleasance, Head of Industry at the Cambridge-based Royal Society of Chemistry said:

Increasing innovation in the chemical sciences is one of the key elements of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s industry strategy, and our Emerging Technologies Competition is one of our leading initiatives. Our industry partners are integral to the success of the competition. The support they provide has proved to be key in accelerating the commercialisation of the cutting-edge research taking place in both small companies and universities.

Beyond Cambridge Judge, other partners of this year’s competition include AkzoNobel, AstraZeneca, Croda, Diageo, GE Healthcare, GSK, Johnson Matthey, Mondelez, Pfizer, Schlumberger, and Unilever.

The competition opened for online applications on 10 January, and will remain open until 13 March.