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Recently there has been growing interest in an alternate business model, social enterprise. This is a different way of doing business that trades for a social purpose whereby the social or environmental aims of the business are of equal importance to its commercial activities. Consequently the skills required for running a successful social enterprise combine those typical of enterprise activities generally with a strong motivation and passion for social improvement. We have found that this aspect is useful in engaging researchers because at the heart of social enterprise is a strong commitment to achieving a better society, a motivation that resonates with that which typically drives the research agenda and researchers themselves. This collaborative project with Vitae has been successful in developing written and associated video materials to explore enterprise skills with early career researchers. There are plans to disseminate the resources via Vitae as part of the ongoing move to produce development resources that are freely available to HEIs as part of the research skills development agenda, this is likely to be in January 2011.

The North East of England has many exciting opportunities to offer researchers and are keen to retain excellent graduates from North East Universities. This conference gives researchers a chance to discover what the North East can offer them outwith the university sector.

Gradschool type resdiential activity to engender practice and skills development opportunities in enterprise related activity including social entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship and general entrepreneuralism Participants from research intensive institutions in the North of England will collaborate and innovate: • Enterprise focussed intensive four day residential course • Explore, develop and practice career enhancing skills alongside real entrepreneurs. • Available to Research Staff and Research Students from all disciplines. • EPSRC Funded • Designed for future research leaders in all areas of employment • Enterprise, creativity and innovative thinking • Places for 40 participants from the Northwest and beyond will join an expert team of tutors, intrepreneur mentors in a highly interactive and challenging environment.

The Northern Enterprise Schools Consortium aims to create a series of 3 to 4 residential workshops on both sides of the Pennines annually. It utilises Knowledge transfer, social enterprise and intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial activity to deliver a number of career skill needs to early career researchers. It is a collaborative exercise between the universities of Liverpool, Manchester, Lancaster, Leeds, Salford, Durham, and York.

The Social Media sessions demonstrated a successful integration of a student-led initiative within a formal graduate training provision. The initiative underlined the importance of engaging PhD students in their own learning and training needs, in both sharing expertise with peers and in contributing to their own professional development. In doing so, it demonstrated to other postgraduate researchers how they might utilise their own areas of expertise to develop further student-led initiatives.

Open competition to fund projects relating to research staff development

Three-day business plan competition for researchers to produce a business plan for an imaginary start-up company, engineering-based.

•The focus of the scheme is Researcher Excellence and encompasses Professional and Career Development •Individual objectives for the 6 month relationship are defined by the Mentor & Mentee at the initial meeting. •Following a successful 6 month pilot scheme in 2009/10 the scheme to be expanded to 20 Researcher Mentor/Mentee pairs. Both Mentors and Mentees receive training. •Disseminating professional skills more widely across the Research Community, Loughborough can gain key benefits in research success, especially in preparation for the Research Excellence Framework. •The Scheme helps the University to fulfil the requirements of the 'Concordat for the Career Development of Researchers’ in supporting the career and professional development of Research Staff.

An interdisciplinary initiative run by doctoral researchers to enrich their research environment, enhance their skills and facilitate exchange of ideas on Europe.

A 1 day conference for ECRs and those supporting ERCs in the South West focussing on interdisciplinary research and collaboration organized jointly by development and research staff - in 2009 The 2nd researchers cOnference in Bath has focussed on Impact.