Weathering the storm: two free workshops for businesses

Events

Events

Weathering the storm: two free workshops for businesses

Tuesday 28 April 2009 at 14:30pm

Workshops

Economic downturn – our academics are here to help

The University of Abertay Dundee, University of Dundee and the Innovation Portal combined forces to show businesses how they can help weather the current economic storm. Delegates who attended this free workshop discovered how academic expertise can give their business a unique competitive advantage.

Team Scotland: Supporting Businesses – mind-mapping session with Jim Mather MSP

Following the academic workshop, Jim Mather MSP, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, worked with delegates to capture current issues facing businesses and the local area and then helped identify the best way forward. Mr Mather captured the audience’s contributions through a “mind-mapping” exercise. He has led over 80 such workshops across the country with participants finding them both invigorating and inspiring.

You can now download the mindmap [Adobe Acrobat PDF - 358.96 KB] created by Mr Mather.

If you are interested in continuing this discussion please contact Jamie Henderson.

Programme

Economic Downturn - Our academics are here to help
Time	Session and Speaker
2.30	Registration & Coffee
3.00	Welcome Dr Allan Taylor, Director of Academic Operations
3.05	How did we get here and what might happen next? Prof Heather Tarbert, Professor of Finance Overview of factors contributing to the current economic financial crisis.
3.25	Univeristy of Abertay Dundee Expertise and Knowledge Transfer Prof Alex Russell, Head of Dundee Business School Expertise, knowledge, research and skills commercially available from Dundee Business School to help regenerate the Tayside and wider Scottish Economy. Click here to download the Business @ Abertay expertise profile. [Adobe Acrobat PDF - 385.73 KB]
3.45	University of Dundee Expertise and Knowledge Transfer Dr Sushil Mohan, Economic Studies Dr Sushil Mohan will discuss the on-going Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project which is currently being undertaken by a local company, JM Henderson, a manufacturer of manless, smokeless, reliable Coke Ovens, under the supervision of Dr Mohan and Dr Catia Montagna. Sushil's talk covered the basics of the KTP programme, the benefits that this particular project is expected to deliver to JM Henderson as it looks at expanding into global markets, and the skills and expertise that the University academic partners are bringing to the project. Sushil covered the challenges that the company and the academic partners face when working together, and gave an honest view of what a company can expect to encounter when dealing with academia.
4.10	The Innovation Portal Jamie Henderson, Manager An introduction to the Innovation Portal and how the Small Grants Scheme can provide funding to allow businesses to explore working with academics.
4.20	An opportunity to engage in discussion A Q&A panel session with the afternoon's speakers.

4.40 - 5.15
Break for refreshments and networking.

Team Scotland: Supporting Businesses - Jim Mather MSP

Time	Session and Speaker
5.15	Welcome Professor John Palfreyman, University of Abertay Dundee Depute Principal (Academic Development)
5.25	Team Scotland: Supporting Businesses – mind-mapping session Jim Mather MSP, Minister for Energy, Enterprise & Tourism
7.00	Session Close Professor John Palfreyman

Speakers

Professor Heather Tarbett
Heather is a professor in Dundee Business School, specialising in financial markets modelling.

Professor Alex Russell
Alex is professor in Petroleum Accounting, and Head of School, Dundee Business School.

Dr Sushil Mohan
Sushil is Director of the MSc International Business at the University of Dundee. His research interests include international trade and development, trade in agricultural and primary commodities, economic development and public policy and fair trade and international development.

Before joining the University's department of economics, Sushil worked for over ten years at key levels in trade promotion agencies in London and India.

Jamie Henderson
Jamie is the manager of the Innovation Portal. The Innovation Portal promotes and fosters productive knowledge transfer between industry and the University of Dundee, University of Abertay Dundee and the Scottish Crop Research Institute.

Professor John Palfreyman
Professor Palfreyman has been Depute Principal (Academic Development) of the University of Abertay Dundee since 2005 and Head of School of Contemporary Sciences since 2001. As Head of School he was closely involved with the development of the Environmental Sciences research group at Abertay and contributed to this group in the field of mycology.

Jim Mather MSP
Mr Mather is the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism. He has led over 80 workshops with business and community groups across the country.

Venue

The workshops were held at the Hannah Maclure Centre, University of Abertay Dundee, Bell Street, Dundee.

Feedback

We asked delegates what they thought of the event. If you attended and did not get around to providing your feedback in the days following the event you can still download the feedback form [Adobe Acrobat PDF - 83.5 KB] and return it to us with your comments.