Welcome back to the Developing Business-Aware Academics newsletter!

This autumn, we are seeking participants to trial five exciting new pilot networking initiatives. Plus, we welcome Enterprise Educators UK to the project and re-launch our survey seeking insights from those in research-adjacent roles on the ways that researchers engage beyond academia.

If you believe in supporting researchers to transform their research into action for a healthier, more sustainable and socially-just future, please encourage others to sign up!

Best wishes,

Alison

Professor Alison Truelove

Director, Developing Business-Aware Academics

University of Exeter

Launching! Networking beyond academia

We are excited to launch a series of networking opportunities and are seeking doctoral and early-career researchers (PGRs and ECRs) to trial the pilot events. Connecting with non-academic organisations needn't feel daunting. These immersive experiences are designed to inspire researchers from all disciplines to take their first steps towards collaborations beyond academia.

All costs are covered by the project and opportunities will be shared via our mailing list.

Networking communications workshop - Take part in practical activities to build your skills, confidence, and connections.
️One-to-one coaching - Meet with an experienced coach to develop your confidence in delivering clear and concise messaging about your research.
Exhibition hall experience - An introduction to face-to-face industry networking at a conference exhibition with the support of an experienced facilitator.
Workplace visit – Develop your understanding of industry R&D and workplace culture with a visit to a non-academic workplace aligned with your research.
Networking event - A tailored networking event for academic researchers and industry representatives to celebrate collaborative research.

If you know of a research network keen to build connections and inspire collaboration get in touch via dbaa@exeter.ac.uk to discuss tailored initiatives.

Find out more

Does your work support academic researchers? We want to hear from you!

We have re-launched our survey and are seeking further insights from research-adjacent staff about the ways researchers engage beyond academia.

Please take part to help shape an innovative programme that supports researchers to develop the skills and networks to engage with non-academic organisations.

The survey takes just 10-15 minutes to complete.

Note: If you completed the survey in June / July, thank you, please don't complete it again.

Complete the survey

Enterprise Educators UK partners with DBAA

This month, we are proud to welcome Enterprise Educators UK as a project partner. The partnership will focus on developing understanding, exchanging best practice and raising awareness with EEUK members about how best to support PGRs and ECRs to build confidence in engaging with organisations beyond academia.

Find out more about our partners

Networking communications workshop rolled out at early-career conference

DBAA lecturer Rachel Vowles delivered our pilot workshop on networking communications at the UK Metamaterials Early Careers Conference in Manchester. The event, sponsored by UpNano and PepsiCo, was designed to unite early-career researchers from across academia and industry to promote and embed a culture of collaboration. Rachel met a fantastic group of researchers and together they developed compelling narratives to communicate their research with non-academic audiences.

Interested in similar initiatives? Check out our networking opportunities.

Find out more

DBAA in the spotlight at VitaeCon2025

The academic team presented the DBAA project at the Vitae International Researcher Development Conference. Highlighting the barriers, enablers, and motivators shaping researcher engagement with non-academic organisations, the team explored practical, low-cost interventions to improve engagement. 

What we're reading

There's so much amazing work being done across the sector to support postgraduate and early-career researchers to engage beyond academia. Here are some of our favourites from the last month:

Who really makes university-business collaboration happen?: this report from UIIN looks at the importance of individual researchers and industry professionals in driving forward academia-industry collaborations. A great read, and a reminder that the structures of collaboration are only half the picture!
Town and gown: The role of universities in city economies: the Centre for Cities has a new report out looking at the local economic impacts of universities across the UK. We were particularly interested in their findings on spin-out companies, and the role university towns currently play as “nurseries” for innovation, rather than “gardens”.
Social sciences in the region, for the region: the Midlands: a new publication from the Academy of Social Sciences and eight Midlands universities (including project partners Aston University and the University of Warwick) highlights several high-impact examples of social sciences research that engaged with local governments, businesses, and communities, to deliver benefit for local areas.
Industrial Strategy: recent government strategies have led to thinking across the sector about how universities can align with the government’s aims. These examples and case studies, compiled by Universities UK, are a great reminder of the amazing work universities are already doing!

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