NISP CONNECT

Innovation into Action

How do we change Northern Ireland’s business culture at scale?

June 2015

The vision

Northern Ireland becomes one of the most entrepreneurial knowledge economies in Europe by 2030

NI Executive Innovation Strategy

Goal: NI becomes one of the top 4 innovation regions in the UK by 2025

It is happening

The blockers

Culture

Talent

Risk Capital

Culture – the challenges

• Entrepreneurship– How do we foster a more widespread culture of

entrepreneurship? (With an emphasis on student from undergrad to post doc on-campus startups)

• SME Ambition / innovation– How to break the BMW syndrome?

• Collaboration– How do we foster a culture of collaboration where

businesses collaborate to compete?

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Why are things as they are?

Entrepreneurship (on-campus)• Entrepreneurship is not seen as a viable

career path• Lack of a visible community in NI when it

comes to creative people coming together to share ideas

• Education system, especially from year 11 onwards

Entrepreneurship: Solutions

1. Education– Society needs to broaden “high achiever” to include entrepreneurship in

addition to the A*– Teach project based learning (Design Thinking) as a skill to all students– Help the curriculum body to identify relevant subjects for GCSE and A-

levels

2. Dedicated physical space– Where people can access creative, collaborative, idea generation in a

“Bank of Invention”– Open up spaces that are closed on weekends and evenings for like-

minded people to meet and collaborate

3. Take entrepreneurship content on-campus– Recruit and empower students to lead and promote– Multi-disciplinary projects: voluntary or modules

COLLABORATION

Why are things as they are?

Collaboration • Lack of trust: they are my competitor, IP• Unclear what the value would be• Fear of just another talking shop• Not celebrated within the wider NI

community

Collaboration: Solutions

1. Safe space (physical and digital)– Focal centres for focused events (content)– Neutral venue, failure ok

2. Champions– To generate the content– Well respected individuals in their field with clear vision to

educate and change something – Without the burden of facilitation

3. Education– Quality entrepreneur role models in schools who inspire– Evangelise benefits to multiple audiences: success stories,

types of collaborative efforts

AMBITION / INNOVATION

Why are things as they are?

Ambition• Risk aversion and lack of confidence• We set the bar of expectation low…..

and fail to reach it• Public sector dependency• Small island syndrome / personal sacrifice

Ambition / Innovation: Solutions

1. Leadership– We need new leaders to emerge and inspire. Create role models by a

greater celebration of success and learning from failure with the many great local CEOs and executives we already have.

– More visible inspirational leadership and action needs to come from Northern Ireland’s existing CEOs, either from existing forums or new

2. Internationalisation– A much greater priority must be placed on nurturing and leveraging

Northern Ireland’s diaspora and the NI Connections project. A lot could be learned from the Irish Republic where a ministerial position for the diaspora has been created. This would would provide a much needed source of leadership mentors for local CEOs and entrepreneurs

3. Education– Introduce problem solving (design thinking) from age 8 to encapsulate

all points and role models with kids

3 MAIN THEMES

What are the most important things that need to happen?

Three themes have emerged across all areas:

1. Safe space– Dedicated physical and digital space where new communities of likeminded

ambitious people can meet and share (content is key)

2. Leadership– need the right champions to lead and create the content without the burden of

facilitation

3. Education– kids: redefine “high achiever” beyond A*. Entrepreneurship as an aspirational

career– We need to help the curriculum body to identify relevant subjects for the

requirement to introduce new GCSE and A-levels– Project based learning (design thinking) must be introduced into the curriculum as

an essential skill for every child to equip them with the tools to be able to innovate – Our new champions need to evangelise the benefits of collaboration,

entrepreneurship to multiple audiences, not just schools

Watch this. It explains everything

ACTION: LETS GET STARTED

Action: Pledges

Safe Space

• NISP CONNECT will design and implement a new

meetups programme, taking the facilitation burden to empower the champions to organise. MeetUps will take a monthly sector focus

• NISP CONNECT will host a lot more entrepreneurship content on campus

• Young Influencers will drive the Bank of Invention initiative• Action: form a group of interested volunteers to define the

physical space ‘asks’ requirements further and present to key stakeholders in regions across NI

Action: Pledges

Education• NISP CONNECT will adapt and expand our Generation Innovation

programme to:– Deliver a big branding / communications project to change aspirations,

making entrepreneurship sexy beyond A* – Expand programming to engage x5 more kids will ambition– Create an impactful experience for careers teachers and school principals

visiting companies at NISP– Develop Founders4schools in collaboration with YENI, Sentinus, W5 etc

• CultureTech will offer organizations the opportunity to provide ‘aspiration changing content’ to their platform of 50,000 young people per year

• Action: form a group of interested volunteers to expand further on the aspirations, project based learning (PBL) and curriculum recommendations and present to key education stakeholders in NI

Action: Pledges

Leadership

NEED: All stakeholders to help identify a new army of champions from each sector and from the student body to help develop the social content to drive new communities in safe spaces

Action: further definition and simplification of what is required

Next steps

• 30th June: Definition of clear asks for all stakeholders• 30th June: Production of 20 page document providing greater

detail• July / Aug / Sept: Presentation of findings to key stakeholders

(Gov bodies, industry organisations, etc)• Aug / Sept: education working group refines requirements• Aug / Sept: physical space working group refines requirements• 22nd Sept: 2015 Knowledge Economy Index publication: Public

presentation of key findings• Dec 2015: a group update on progress. A coalition of the active.• Ongoing: evangelising, recruiting new champions and believers

THANK YOU