UG OFFICIALS VISIT THE IMPERIAL ENTERPRISE LAB AT IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
A three-member team led by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development, Professor Felix Ankomah Asante paid a working visit to Imperial College London (ICL). Other members of the team are Dr. George Acheampong, Coordinator, University of Ghana Business School Innovation and Incubation Hub and Mrs. Mammie Nyamekye Nortey, Research Development Officer, Technology Transfer, and Intellectual Property Services Team at ORID. The visit took place from September 12 to September 15, 2022.
The University of Ghana partnered with Imperial College London (ICL) and Impact Hub, Accra in July 2021 on a project funded by the British Council to scale up and strengthen systems to promote digital innovation, entrepreneurship, youth employability. In addition, the project seeks to offer strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The visit to Imperial College London was facilitated through the Imperial Enterprise Lab and formed part of the sustainability component of the project, designed to enhance learning experiences, deepen UG’s knowledge of the Imperial enterprise system and promote global exchange through;
· Knowledge sharing among stakeholders in the Imperial Enterprise Landscape
· Familiarization with specialized facilities, incubators and other infrastructure that foster innovation and entrepreneurship
· Experiencing the London Demo Day designed to showcase business ideas from Imperial College London, Kings College and University College of London to potential investors.
The trip also provided the opportunity to establish research and development relationships and foster stronger collaboration between Imperial College London and University of Ghana.
The team was hosted by the Director of the Enterprise Lab, Mr. Ben Mumby-Croft, and supported by Mrs. Sarah Ranchev- Hale and Mrs. Victoria Nicholl. Mr. Mumby-Croft outlined the structure and operations of the Lab which featured a four-stage process; Inspire, explore, validate and grow, designed to unlock, guide and advance student enterprises at ICL.
A post-doctoral and fellows’ development centre provides comprehensive development and support to advance careers of post-doctoral candidates and train them to be entrepreneurial minded. The centre holds a range workshops, networking events, online resources, and other development opportunities.
The UG team visited the White City Campus where most of ICL’s specialised innovation facilities are located. These include the Scale Space, Invention Rooms, a Makerspace and an Advanced Hackspace, Incubation Hub, and the Chemistry Department Building; each facility designed purposefully to support the innovation pipeline at Imperial College.
UG Team
Imperial Enterprise Lab: The team with Sarah Ranchev-Hale and Rhea Singla (Futurize)
The team toured other ICL facilities including the Advanced Hackspace and the Translation and Innovation Hub and have returned with a raft of ideas and recommendations to improve UG’s innovation and entrepreneurship enterprise.
The Chemistry Department Building