The University of Queensland’s main commercialisation company UniQuest Pty Ltd is working in collaboration with the UQ Business School to provide entrepreneurial students with an opportunity to become involved in commercialising UQ innovations.
Postgraduate students undertaking UQ Business School’s Advanced Entrepreneurship course will develop business plans for a range of UQ research projects with identified commercial potential.
The students will be given the unique chance to work with UniQuest staff to develop plans to source investment and create start-up companies around the innovations. There is also the opportunity for students to take an active role in the new companies.
Senior Lecturer Dr David Gow said the agreement was a breakthrough in terms of stimulating new ventures and innovation.
“The natural fit of business skills with the technical expertise of students and post-docs from across the University makes this an exceptional opportunity for students,” Dr Gow said.
“A student could roll on from this course to enter our business plan competition Enterprize, and potentially go straight into a new start-up with $100,000 in seed capital.”
“UniQuest is widely considered to be among the world’s best university commercialisation operations and this agreement is a strong endorsement of the calibre of our students.”
UniQuest Director David Henderson said the collaboration between UniQuest and the UQ Business School was an exciting chance to develop a body of trained entrepreneurs in Australia.
“Working with the UQ Business School is one of several steps UniQuest is taking to address Australia’s chronic shortage of entrepreneurs who can create businesses out of new technologies developed in our universities,” Mr Henderson said.
“We will be harnessing and skilling some of the best emerging business minds in Australia to develop research breakthroughs with commercial potential.”
The Advanced Entrepreneurship subject will run for the first time next semester and is open to MBA students who meet certain prerequisites.
Media: Dr David Gow (07 3365 2689, d.gow@business.uq.edu.au), David Henderson (07 3365 3993, 0418 745 404, d.henderson@uniquest.com.au) or Cathy Stacey at the UQ Business School (07 3365 6197, 0438 339 538).
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