Becoming a research entrepreneur

Posted on: 15 March 2024 by Michal Filus (Number of words: 504; Read time: 2 minutes, 31 seconds) in Blog posts

Michal Filus, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Manager within the Enterprise team, University of Liverpool, discusses the journey to become a research business founder.

Becoming a research entrepreneur is a transformative journey marked by challenges, triumphs, and invaluable lessons. It begins with a researcher's passion for their field of study and a desire to see their work make a tangible impact beyond academic confines.

The experience often starts with identifying a research finding or innovation with commercial potential. This realization sparks the transition from academic pursuit to entrepreneurial endeavour. Researchers must navigate the intricate landscape of intellectual property, securing patents or copyrights to protect their work while laying the foundation for commercialization.

Next comes the daunting task of transforming research into market-ready products or services. This stage demands interdisciplinary collaboration, drawing on expertise from fields such as business development, marketing, and product design. Researchers must learn to speak the language of entrepreneurship, balancing scientific rigor with market viability.

Entrepreneurial ventures are fraught with uncertainty and risk. Researchers-turned-entrepreneurs face formidable challenges, from securing funding to navigating regulatory hurdles. The journey is punctuated by setbacks and pivots, requiring resilience, adaptability, and unwavering determination.

Yet, amidst the trials, there are moments of triumph. Bringing a research-based innovation to market is a testament to perseverance and ingenuity. It represents the culmination of years of dedication, creativity, and hard work.

The experience of becoming a research entrepreneur is not solely about financial gain; it is about impact. It is about seeing ideas materialize into solutions that address real-world problems, enriching lives and advancing society. It is about fostering innovation, driving economic growth, and leaving a lasting legacy.

Ultimately, the journey of a research entrepreneur is as much about personal growth as it is about professional success. It is about embracing uncertainty, embracing failure as a stepping stone to success, and embracing the transformative power of research to change the world.

The Enterprise team within University’s Research, Partnerships and Innovation directorate, supports researchers who would like to commercialise their research. Please contact us to discuss your research commercialisation idea!

Michal and the Enterprise team are leading several workshops as part of Making an Impact 2024 to help researchers better understand research commercialisation and the resources available at the University of Liverpool:

'Why Commercialise? Benefits, impact and research dollars' - 16th May 2024, 11:30-13:00 BST, in person at the University of Liverpool. Find out more and reserve your place here: https://MAI24WhyCommercialise.eventbrite.co.uk

'Spinning out your research: Why, when and how?' - 3rd June 2024, 14:00-15:30 BST, in person at the University of Liverpool. Find out more and reserve your place here: https://MAI24SpinningResearch.eventbrite.co.uk

'Grant writing workshop with Innovate UK Business Growth' - 12th June May 2024, 10:00-12:00 BST in person at the University of Liverpool. Find out more and reserve your place here: https://MAI24InnovateUKEdgeWriting.eventbrite.co.uk

About the author

Michal Filus takes the role of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Manager within the Enterprise team, University of Liverpool. Michal provides operational support to the University’s Enterprise Investment Fund and manages entrepreneurial training programmes for research and research support colleagues.

Further reading:

IP Commercialisation pages: https://staff.liverpool.ac.uk/research/ip-commercialisation/  

UKRI Research Commercialisation: https://www.ukri.org/what-we-do/commercialisation/ 

UKRI How to commercialise your research: https://www.ukri.org/councils/esrc/impact-toolkit-for-economic-and-social-sciences/how-to-commercialise-your-research/#contents-list  

Luca Mannocchi, UKRI BBSRC, Challenges and opportunities for commercialisation of research out of the social sciences: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/challenges-opportunities-commercialisation-research-out-mannocchi/