Commercialisation training
The commercial opportunities for graphene are huge, but to find success we need people who understand the technology and the market. Fostering a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship in our students is an important objective of the Graphene NOWNANO CDT.
I found the Innovation and Commercialisation of Research unit to be one of the highlights of the programme. It allowed me to develop solid business awareness and... also gave me invaluable insight into the world of entrepreneurship.
Julio M. Rios de la Rosa / CDT graduate based in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
As part of your training, in your third year your will undertake a three month commercialisation training programme which includes:
- introductory sessions,
- guidance on how to develop a commercial idea from research,
- how to progress from idea to market,
- what not to do,
- how to put together a business pitch,
- how to approach investors,
- what can go wrong,
- and much more.
There will be additional guidance along the way from guest speakers from within industry and academia who have succeeded, and failed, in the commercial world. Our students have built on their success from this training and are creating companies, winning investments and awards, and developing products to market.
Recent commercialisation highlights
Following completion of the commercialisation training programme CDT students Scott Dean and Vicente Orts Mercadillo put their skills to good use and developed Graphene Trace, for sleep mapping, an idea aimed at those who suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnoea by offering a novel technology for sleep monitoring, diagnostics and therapeutics disguised as a mattress protector.
They submitted their idea to the annual Eli and Britt Harari Graphene Enterprise Award at The University of Manchester and were the 2020 winners of £50,000 to develop their idea into a commercially-viable business.
The benefits of commercialisation training
Hear what our students have to say about their experience of the commercialisation training: