This event, funded by the British Academy, brings together key stakeholders in the UK innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems areas to discuss the challenges and opportunities. The discussion aims to inform businesses and local and national policymakers to help build a strong entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem in the UK. The event will be interactive and includes a panel discussion with Q&A. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. There will be an open bar with cocktails during the networking session.

We will specifically discuss the challenges of UK higher education, the challenges and opportunities that the UK has in bringing its world-class innovation into the market, and how we will make the UK an innovation and entrepreneurship powerhouse. We ultimately aim to inform policymakers based on our discussion. 

Book your place

Speakers:

We have two exciting speakers for this event - Dr Harry Destecroix, MBE, and Professor David May, who are pioneering leaders in biotech and AI chip industries.

Harry Destecroix is one of the most successful entrepreneurs and an ecosystem builder in the UK. He is a founder of Ziylo, which is Bristol's diabetes spinout acquired by Novo Nordisk for $800M. He is also a founder of Science Creates and a founder and managing partner at SCVC which supports UK's deep tech startups. He will share his story about how he transitioned from a PhD student to one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the UK. 

David May is a professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Bristol and founder of XMOS Semiconductor, serving until February 2014 as the Chief Technology Officer. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society for his contributions to computer architecture and parallel computing, which have become the foundation of modern GPUs. He is a pioneer in the UK chip industry widely known for his work on innovative microprocessors including the Inmos transputer, and currently taking advisory roles for the UK startups and young engineers. He will share his view of the challenges that the UK entrepreneurial ecosystem has based on his experience as an educator, and one of the most respected thought leaders in the UK chip industry.

We also have two exciting panellists who will sit with Harry and David for a discussion, Tony Soteriou and Tony Lowe:

Tony Lowe has spent over 15 years at the intersection of hardware and software, delivering complex products globally and operationally scaling startup/scaleups for growth, fast flow and investment. His passion is the near-term commercialisation of Deep Tech – and of Quantum technology in particular. He previously served as COO with Oxa and OQC, raising over $300M in series B/C funding in the Quantum Computing and Autonomous Vehicles spaces - playing a central role in defining the strategy to support the development, delivery and commercialisation of nascent deep tech. Now he is the CEO of Delta g, the University of Birmingham spin-out commercialising quantum gravity sensors for mapping the underground.

Tony Soteriou is director of commercialization at UKRI, who has a demonstrated history of working in research and research commercialisation across university, research funder, NHS, and government sectors. With his biochemistry background with a PhD and postdoctoral research experience, he will share his perspectives about research commercialization 

Provisional Programme

12:00 - 12:40: Registration, lunch, coffee and refreshments
12:40 - 12:50: Welcome and Introduction, Professor Palie Smart (Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Global Civic Engagement, University of Bristol)
12:50 - 13:05: The need for building locally self-sufficient, globally connected enterprises, David May
13:05 - 13:20: How to support deep tech startups and university spinouts, Harry Destecroix
13:20 - 14:20: Panel Discussion: Challenges and opportunities of UK innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem
14:20 - 14:50: Q&A
14:50 - 16:00: Drinks & Networking

Provisional Panellists and Chair

Chair: Cath Fletcher (General Partner at SCVC)
Harry Destecroix (Science Creates)
David May (University of Bristol)
Tony Soteriou (UKRI Commercialization Director)
Tony Lowe (Delta G)

Organisers:

Haneul Choi (Lecturer at University of Bristol Business School) - This event is organized and funded thanks to her British Academy Innovation Fellowship on a project titled "Roles, perceptions, and behaviours of local non-academic venture builders in academic entrepreneurship and regional innovation ecosystem".

John Williams (General Partner at SCVC, Founder of Kudan - $1.5Billion exit at Tokyo Stock Exchange, Co-applicant to the British Academy Innovation Fellowship).