Case Study 5 - Midlands Hub Supports Collaborative Training - Engineering YES!

In 2011, the Vitae Midlands Hub supported Engineering YES! in the Midlands.

The Engineering Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) is a competition jointly organised by Loughborough and Nottingham universities in partnership with the Rotary Club.  Engineering YES is aimed at postgraduate research students and early career researchers within five years of obtaining their doctorate. Teams can include up to two post-doc members.

Teams spend three days and nights working on a business plan for an imaginary start-up company before presenting it to a group of investors and industry experts who judge the best bid.

Participants learn the techniques of how to go about planning a new engineering research based business venture and also get the chance to meet meet some interesting people who have done it for real.

The Grand Final was held at Birmingham Science Park on Wednesday 8 June 2011 and the top prize and £2000 was claimed by team Pinnacle from the University of Manchester.   A team from Nottingham took the prize for best teamwork in the 2011 Midlands Heat and last year a team from Nottingham claimed the top prize.

Photos from the event can be can now be viewed online

The Vitae Midlands Hub will support the scheme again in 2012.