As part of South East Technological University’s (SETU’s) TEAM Academy programme which aims to provide its postgraduate community with an opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skillset, a successful postgraduate seminar titled the Motivation for Business, was recently held in Kilkenny.
An invited group of 45 guests including postgraduate students, academic staff, industry representatives, and entrepreneurs, participated in discussions around ways to channel postgraduate entrepreneurial ambition using industry challenges as a catalyst to create awareness and experiential learning within an entrepreneurial environment.
The Motivation for Business seminar was held at Willie Duggan Lighting in Kilkenny, a newly established co-creative space which hosts a series of studios that use light to enhance the creativity process from a cross-section of industries where visualisation is a core skill. Managing Director, Willie Duggan, shared the story of his family's business spanning three generations and how the company uses innovation to allow their business to grow and expand. Willie spoke about their motivation for the development of their co-creative space as part of their entrepreneurship ecosystem initiative.
The seminar was facilitated by the Rebel School, a London-based organisation supporting early stage start-ups. Speaking from an international context, they presented to the group sharing their unique approach to entrepreneurial education. Attendees then participated in a number of group workshops which explored the two specific themes of ‘The Primary needs of Society’; and ‘The Role of Pioneering Postgraduates in addressing these needs’. Each group presented their findings, resulting in an engaging and stimulating discussion that concluded the day’s agenda.
Peadar Casey, Enterprise Development Manager for TEAM Rural, commented, "This business seminar has provided a very valuable opportunity to facilitate collaborative discussion around societal challenges and keeping postgraduate learning in line with opportunities to exercise their education and individual ambition. Knowledge exchange between education, research, industry and socio-ecosystem stakeholders is a pollination process, where spreading the seeds of possibility is the first step in a process of creating societal impact."
Speaking about the programme, Brian Ogilvie, Head of Research and Commercialisation Support at SETU in Carlow said, “SETU’s TEAM Academy’s Motivation for Business seminar has served as a positive platform for knowledge-sharing amongst a diverse range of stakeholders who are invested in further embedding entrepreneurship within the region. We have seen the unique value that postgraduates can bring to this process and the benefits that all can gain through facilitated collaboration.”
The TEAM Academy is a pilot initiative funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) that encourages postgraduate students to use entrepreneurial thinking to deliver societal impact through appropriate business models.
Photo Caption: Attendees of SETU TEAM Academy’s seminar on Motivation for Business, held at Willie Duggan Lighting co-creative space in Kilkenny, including SETU postgraduate students, academic staff, and industry experts.