King's entrepreneurs speak at Times Higher Education World Academic Summit

The Entrepreneurship Institute is holding a panel session at the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit on Monday 4 September.

The flagship higher education conference is being hosted by King’s, the first time it has been held in Europe.

Julie Devonshire OBE, Director of the Institute, Stefan Allesch-Taylor CBE, Professor of the Practice of Entrepreneurship, King’s entrepreneurs Dr Bhavagaya Bakshi, Cofounder of C the Signs and Neil Saada, Cofounder of Teech, will host a session titled ‘Entrepreneurship – how universities can fuel the knowledge economy’ alongside Nicolas Pejout, Director of Executive Education, Sciences Po. 

The panel will be chaired by Times Higher Education reporter Jack Grove and focus on the role research universities can play in preparing students and graduates for success in the knowledge economy, and the value added to entrepreneurs by going to university.

This year's Summit centres around the theme of collaboration and along with the value of entrepreneurship, major topics that will be discussed include the impact of Brexit on research; diversity in Higher Education and how universities create impact in their local communities. Participants include Nobel laureates and prominent figures from government, policymaking and industry from over 50 countries.

The Summit will also mark the launch of the THE World University Rankings 2017-18, due to be announced on Tuesday 5 September.

Stefan Allesch-Taylor CBE, said,

“Some of the best businesses and business ideas were started by university students. Facebook is just one example. King’s attracts some of the best and brightest talent in the world, and finding and nurturing this talent is what we’re all about. Universities are the natural and obvious place to meet new people, spark fresh ideas and to engender creativity. King’s has students and staff from all corners of the world, collaborating, exchanging ideas and experiences and learning from each other. Being open to new ideas, teamwork and gaining knowledge from those around you are all vital skills to running a successful venture.”

Julie Devonshire OBE said,

“Universities are the ultimate incubator. The unique expertise and research environment of universities is incredibly useful for starting a business. For instance King’s is part of the world-leading Defence Academy of the United Kingdom and we use their expertise to train our entrepreneurs in leadership and resilience. We also channel King’s expertise is psychology and management to draw out vital learning our entrepreneurs can use to grow their ventures. King’s expertise in Computer Science and informatics is part of a unique London 5G partnership.”

Read Julie's Times Higher Education blog piece