Across Europe, researchers are increasingly being asked to take their research out of the lab and bring it into the "real" world. Sometimes that means commercialising an innovative technology, communicating their research or inserting it into government policy, but it is never easy. People who are very skilled at operating within an academic environment suddenly find themselves forced to come to terms with different skill-sets required to operate in a non-academic environment, such as networking or business plan writing.
The organisers will give two very brief introductions, highlighting issues which we have come across in their work with researchers exploring employment opportunities in non-academic contexts. Barbara will discuss the questions from her perspective of someone advising and training academic entrepreneurs, while Dom, whose expertise lies in the science communication/education sector, will look at things from the point of view of an employer.
The introductory remarks will lead into a moderated group discussion which will take up the bulk of the session. Participants will share their experiences of situations where they or colleagues have entered into the commercial world successfully and unsuccessfully.
The organisers together with the participants will develop some "rules" for researchers who are looking for employment in non-academic fields, be it business, science communication or the public sector. And at the end of the session, these will be brought together to create a whole group "wiki" set of guidelines.