Innovation and Enterprise

Undergraduate Students

For information on Commercialising your ideas
Oxford University Innovation

For information on entrepreneurship training
The Saïd Business School

The short option S33 Entrepreneurship is a collaboration between the Saïd Business School and the Department of Physics and is run in Trinity term for all 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate Physics students.

It is a bespoke course being delivered over 7 sessions of Trinity Term to equip undergraduate Physics students with the knowledge and skills to transform ideas and inventions into scalable businesses. During the programme you will learn from expert start-up coaches, ex-Physicists turned entrepreneurs, industry experts, and senior faculty from the Saïd Business School to guide you through this introductory course. The course will conclude with an assessment.

The Saïd Busines School also offer E-School, a new online learning platform for Oxford students run by the Entrepreneurship Centre. The platform includes on-demand content to help aspiring student entrepreneurs start, grow and scale their own high-growth start-ups.
E-School

To find out what entrepreneurial activity is happening in and and around Oxford
EnSpire Oxford

Postgraduate Students

For information on Commercialising your ideas
Oxford University Innovation

For Academic Consultancy
Oxford University Consutling

For information on training
MPLS Enterprise

The Saïd Busines School also offer E-School, a new online learning platform for Oxford students run by the Entrepreneurship Centre. The platform includes on-demand content to help aspiring student entrepreneurs start, grow and scale their own high-growth start-ups.
E-School

To find out what entrepreneurial activity is happening in and and around Oxford
EnSpire Oxford

Researchers and Staff

For information on Commercialising your ideas
Oxford University Innovation

For Academic Consultancy
Oxford University Consutling

For information on training
MPLS Enterprise

The Saïd Busines School also offer E-School, a new online learning platform for Oxford students and staff run by the Entrepreneurship Centre. The platform includes on-demand content to help aspiring student/staff entrepreneurs start, grow and scale their own high-growth start-ups.
E-School

To find out what entrepreneurial activity is happening in and and around Oxford
EnSpire Oxford

Department of Physics Innovation and Enterprise Committee

The Innovation and Enterprise Committee is a Standing Committee of the Physics Management Committee. A chair is appointed by the Head of Department.

Terms of Office
Members are appointed by the Head of Department for a period of three years, renewable once.

Membership
Three nominated members of academic staff
One representative from Oxford University Innovation
One representative from MPLS Innovation Business Partnerships

Ex officio members
Head of Department
Associate Head of Department for Industry, Enterprise, Business
Innovation and Enterprise Manager

Members
Prof Armin Reichold (Chair)
Prof Chris Lintott
Dr Peter Leek
Dr Carly Howett
Mr Adrian Coles
Dr James Semple
Prof Ian Shipsey
Prof Andrew Turberfield
Dr Phillip Tait

Remit
i. To foster a department culture that respects and encourages innovation and enterprise across all departmental activities and including all staff, academics, researchers and students.
ii. To develop initiatives that celebrate innovation and enterprise and the impacts they enable.
iii. To ensure department duties and recognition policies recognise engagement with, and success in, innovation and enterprise.
iv. To maintain an understanding of the research, technology, skills and services of the department with a view to facilitating their application beyond academia.
v. To identify commercial and societal challenges that can be tackled by capability within the department.
vi. To foster an effective interface between the department and the users of physics (e.g. businesses).
vii. To identify the administrative barriers, either within the department or the university, faced by those engaging in enterprise activities and/or with external organisations.
viii. To propose departmental and university administrative mechanisms that support efficient impact-driven activity and external collaboration, whilst also adhering to the university statutes (e.g. protecting IP) and government regulations (e.g. export controls).
ix. To improve awareness and understanding of departmental and university mechanisms required to collaborate with external organisations and commercialise research.
x. To promote the provision of teaching, experience and support in innovation and enterprise for Physics students (e.g. by proposing new short course option and developing high quality projects engaging a wide variety of external organisations).
xi. To share best practice, raise awareness and ensure an inclusive approach when fulfilling its mission (e.g. by sending a precis of the committee meeting minutes to an agreed list of affiliated members in the department and counterpart groups in the university).
xii. To review the department’s progress against an agreed set of innovation and enterprise metrics.
The Committee will meet termly and additionally as deemed necessary by the chair. The minutes of the meetings will be reported to the PMC.

Increasing Diversity in Enterprising Activities

IDEA (Increasing Diversity in Enterprising Activities) is a set of long term and sustainable actions and interventions aimed at addressing inequalities in entrepreneurship. While the University of Oxford is a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, and has committed to supporting entrepreneurship (as detailed in the Strategic Plan 2018-23, the KE Strategy, and Innovation Strategy), there are still inequalities in the entrepreneurship ecosystem which need to be addressed. IDEA is currently focussing on gender, with an aim to broadening the scope as the programme develops.

Why do we need this?
The playing field is not, and has never been, level. Globally, women hold fewer than a quarter of senior leadership positions, and in 2020 less than 2% of European tech investment capital went to female founders. The UK government’s 2019 Alison Rose Review highlights gender inequalities throughout the entrepreneurial life cycle, showing that women entrepreneurs are at a disadvantage every step of the way. We need to act now to change this picture for current and future generations of women, and to create the conditions that will enable significantly more women to become leaders and entrepreneurs.

How do I participate?
If you’re interested in participating, simply sign up here, and we’ll keep you informed about upcoming opportunities and events. For more information, visit our site here and don’t forget to join our LinkedIn group!