The Cambridge Integrated Knowledge Centre (CIKC) is funding places worth £10,500 on the 2007 Ignite programme for aspiring entrepreneurs run by the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (CfEL) based at Judge Business School. The places will be open to University of Cambridge Physics and Engineering students, along with selected industrial partners.

Mark Leadbeater, Programme Manager for the CIKC said; “Core to the CIKC’s remit is facilitation of technology transfer by bringing commercial skills, in strategy, marketing and business planning to early stage technology. CfEL is a perfect partner to deliver this objective through Ignite and CIKC is very pleased to be able to sponsor 5 places for students on this years programme. The unique blend of teaching sessions and mentoring from leading innovators offered by Ignite will enable those with business ideas based on the new technologies being developed in the university to accelerate the next steps to commercialisation.”

The CIKC has recently been set up with funding from the EPSRC to develop advanced manufacturing technologies based on new macromolecular materials systems, for example polymer electronics or advanced liquid crystals, and to create valid commercial exploitation models for these innovations. CIKC brings together the main research activities in Cambridge in molecular and macromolecular materials - in the Electrical Engineering Division (in particular, the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics, CAPE) and in the Cavendish Laboratory. It also draws on the expertise of the Judge Business School, the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (CfEL), the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) and the Centre for Business Research (CBR), to create innovative knowledge exchange activities spanning business research, training and specific exploitation.

Combining world-class research with a strong partnership with business, CIKC will engage with industrial partners to shape and prioritise the work programme, allow the secondment of researchers from industry and from other universities for knowledge exchange, and will enable the provision of pilot manufacturing lines for prototyping. The Mission of the Centre is to provide the business and technical expertise and infrastructure to enable those with exploitable concepts to achieve commercial success.

“This collaboration with CIKC is a great opportunity for us to foster innovation at the University of Cambridge”, stated CfEL Programme Manager, Yupar Myint. “The aim to enable and accelerate the commercialisation of technology through building appropriate business skills is a perfect fit with Ignite. The CIKC support is a significant bonus for the programme and will ensure a high quality of delegates and technology ideas. We hope we can continue to develop the relationship in the future for the benefit of the Cambridge community and beyond.”

Ignite will run from 8th to 14th July 2007 at Judge Business School, Cambridge. Further information can be found on the CfEL web site at http://www.cfel.jbs.cam.ac.uk. If you think you or your business would benefit from Ignite and are interested in applying, please contact the Programme Manager at CfEL on 01223 766900. It is advisable to apply soon as the deadline for completed applications is 28th May 2007.