CONNECT piloted the Emerge ideation training program to help researchers identify commercial opportunities as part of our commitment to increasing the number of spin-outs associated with research. Scholars at Masters, PhD, and postdoctoral levels from three national Research Centres—CONNECT, Confirm and Lero—took part. The Emerge program successfully identified entrepreneurial talent and new ideas, and the feedback from participants has been terrific. Following the successful completion of the workshops, 64% of participating researchers secured a place on national pre-accelerator programs to validate their ideas further and prepare for grant funding applications. I plan to commission the program once again in 2023.
Martin Johnsson
