EEUK puts ‘policy’ centre stage and our new “Rough Guide” events are no exception. We have always been keen to provide support to our members/associates and whilst this puts metrics and impact measures at the heart of many of our discussions, it also means highlighting the reports and evidence base that can support your work (and when possible we try to share them in the bite-size pieces!)

With our next “Rough Guide” event being hosted in Cardiff in Sept 2019, we are keen to share the perspectives from the Nation States and explore the in more detail the work of key organisations such as Big Ideas Wales, QAA Scotland, Universities Scotland as well as explore the impact of key strategies (such as YES from Welsh Government) to appreciate how this documentation can drive your approach, wherever you are based. EEUK also curates the only national repository as a publication list: as many Associates also find it helps to “step back to move forward” as they develop their own approach.  Here you will find key reports as well as consultations, such as the most recent APPG report.

EEUK continues to contribute at a policy level and we are currently supporting the latest Government consultation.  We are working in partnership with Centre for Entrepreneurs to support the Princes Trust with their review of the barriers that young people face when starting up. We look forward to their report in September.

We are also following the consultation work from VITAE (who support the professional development of researchers). EEUK responded to their recent Concordat review which sought to take a fresh look at expectations and practice in order to provide a clear statement from our members that researchers need enterprise and entrepreneurship.

The Concordat was launched in 2008 to provide a framework to support the career development of researchers in UK universities and research institutes and having sought views VITAE have shared:

“A clear theme which came through from the consultation events and the survey was that a commitment must be made by all stakeholders to the professional and career development of researchers. Respondents were asked to consider ways in which researchers could be supported, by employers and funders, in their career development and in establishing researcher identity.  This included the review recommendation of 20% of researcher time to be used for professional and career development, and development of researcher identity, including ten days training to be available to all researchers, annually.”

The importance of professional development for research staff was well supported – a message that EEUK echoed, calling for enterprise and entrepreneurship to form part of this staff development programme. In addition Vitae’s review recognised how precarious researcher employment and contracts are, describing it as a “significant challenge” as further evidencing our call for researchers to be enterprising, for their own careers as well for the potential of their research.

Alison Price

Head of Policy, Enterprise Educators UK