The E-factor
Why Queen's has become the enterprise leader.
Entrepreneurship is embedded in the fabric of Queen's University Belfast. Given the number of entrepreneurial students and staff winning major prizes, the award-winning student societies, a top ranking UK knowledge transfer unit, and excellent local and international links it is not surprising that Times Higher Education awarded Queen's the prestigious 2009 'Entrepreneurial University of the Year' title last Autumn.
Indeed, the Sunday Times Good University Guide said that ''no other university in the UK has had such a direct influence on the region it serves'' and described Queen's as ''a casebook study of how a university can help drive the regeneration of the region in which it is located.''
''Enterprise is the process of thinking of something and then making it happen,'' says Queen's academic David Gibson, who was named by the United States Association of Business Educators as one of the top three enterprise educators in the world. David is the first person in Europe to receive this honour which recognises his work introducing entrepreneurship education (or the ''E-factor'' as he calls it) into all courses at Queen's.
Queen's has embedded the ''E-factor'' in every degree pathway, reaching 11,000 students across the University. This includes students on the expected business-type courses through to subjects often unconnected with enterprise like history, nursing and accountancy. Now ALL undergraduate students arriving at Queen’s this autumn will collect not only their degree certificate when they graduate but also a Queen's Certificate in Entrepreneurship Studies.
Queen's model of enterprise teaching has led to over 500 students becoming directly engaged in business activity and is intended to give Queen’s students an advantage in the highly competitive job market. A measure of its success is its adoption by the European Training Foundation.
Vincent Murray (MEng Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, 2010), Queen's Student of the Year 2010, enthused: ''The Queen's approach to enterprise is inspiring, it makes you want to get active and do something. I have benefitted from the schemes, the teaching and the valuable networks that exist.
''I launched my own business and gained a strong mentor. I also chaired Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), which is recognised locally and nationally for its excellence. It is one of several student run enterprise groups and last year we launched a unique and innovative cross-community music social enterprise as well as offering marketing consultancy to local community-based groups amongst a range of other projects.''
The Students' Union at Queen's is committed to supporting the enterprise agenda. Enterprise SU is a dedicated space in the Union building which regularly hosts CV workshops, interviews skills sessions and social enterprise events. It also hosts talks from entrepreneurs and business leaders (many of who are themselves Queen's alumni) and links to other local or national initiatives such as the Head Start programme or ''My Wok Rules!''
The Head Start programme encourages student teams to compete to develop business ideas through a series of seminars and business visits. Students also fought for the chance to run a Belfast restaurant (Oodles Loves Noodles) for a day in the Belfast City Council initiative ''My Wok Rules!'' and put their presentation skills to use in Dragon’s Den scenarios on campus.
To tap into the commercial value of the research and development activities undertaken at Queen's, the University launched QUBIS to assist staff with the formation of 'spin-out' businesses. A significant proportion of new high technology companies in Northern Ireland have been created as a result and more than 90% of the spinouts’ products are exported globally.
Internationalisation at Queen's has been equally successful. The University secured an RCUK Science Bridges award with China and this is complemented by two Employability and Entrepreneurship grants as part of the Strategic Alliances and Partnerships strand of the Prime Minister’s Initiative for International partnerships.
Enterprise is not restricted to industry. Queen's graduate Maebh Cormacain (BSc Geography, 1999) is Development Manager at UnLtd – The Belfast-based foundation for Social Entrepreneurs. She commented, ''We support people with the drive to change society for the better and I am delighted to see so many are Queen's graduates. For example, Joan Henderson founded the charity Sólás this year to offer schools throughout Ireland ICT podcasting products and training to help children with additional needs and teenage drop outs utilising the skills of retired teachers in the community.''
The University embraces its leadership role in Northern Ireland and encourages business growth in the region. Since its inception, The Knowledge Transfer Centre at Queen's has helped over 200 small and medium sized regional enterprises (SMEs) by acting as a focal point, promoting technology transfer activities by linking the SMEs and the University in collaborative projects. The Chief Executives' Club at Queen's is another prestigious outreach project. It offers a forum for high level business networking and knowledge transfer between Queen's and industry. Members of the Club benefit from the Innovation Lecture Series which brings to Queen's internationally renowned scholars to disseminate global best practice.
Many people think of Sir Richard Branson, Bill Gates or Lord Sugar when they hear the word entrepreneur but these are only the high profile tip of the iceberg. ''Being entrepreneurial is not necessarily about making millions: instead it is about having a mindset which is geared towards making a contribution, and the skills to turn opportunity into reality,'' said David Gibson. ''Queen's is committed to driving forward development by providing people with the skills and the mindsets to make a difference in whatever way they can,'' he concluded.
