PdOC for Entrepreneurs
Cambridge is world-renowned for its research, but it also houses one of the world’s most productive entrepreneurial ecosystems. In 2015, a group of entrepreneurial postdocs came together in a concerted effort to maximise the entrepreneurial and business potential of Cambridge’s world-leading researchers.
A brief timeline of Cambridge postdoc community’s entrepreneurial journey
How PdOC can support you to make your first move?
PdOC have formed an entrepreneurial sub-committee to provide some entrepreneurship focussed events and communications to all postdocs in Cambridge. As part of this new collection of activity for PdOC, an Entrepreneurial Officer has been appointed in the 2023/2024 management committee. If you are interested in contributing to the sub-committee, or helping with planning entrepreneurship events for postdocs, please email contact@pdoc.cam.ac.uk
Please have a look at our Entrepreneurial Guide for further information.
Do you think your research can be commercialised? Or do you have an idea separate from your research, but unsure how to navigate?
Email us to meet with with PdOC’s entrepreneurial officer for an informal chat to learn about the different SME-related resources within and beyond Cambridge’s ecosystem.
Are you already a founder and want to scale up your venture? Here is how PdOC can help.
- Make an introduction to an Innovation and Growth Specialist of Innovate UK EDGE – “Bespoke support that grows and scales innovative businesses” to explore eligible SME funding mechanisms from Innovate UK, UKRI, etc.
For more information, visit Innovate UK EDGE
- Connect you to SME focused resources and funding offered by the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority. Work with a Growth Adviser for 1-to-1 Growth Coaching and Advice, Access to talents and skill development, Grant funding, Equity Finance etc.
For more information, visit Growth Works
- Engage with Health Innovation East - “we help innovators navigate complex systems, generate value propositions, support healthcare providers to adopt innovations into practice and provide a framework to adopt and scale projects at a national level”.
For more information, visit Health Innovation East
- Submit an expression of interest to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to be informed about latest SME funding opportunities, and benefit from their expert partnering service to obtain end-user feedback, engage with stakeholders, pitch to key opinion leaders.
For more information, visit NIHR
- Make an introduction to consultants for scouting international funding schemes and bilateral calls for SME’s. Examples include:
- We are also happy to connect postdocs and early career researchers to suitable professional services for setting up a business. Some non-exhaustive steps to set up a business include: company registration, bank account opening, tax and financials, contracts for employment and collaboration, hiring, pensions.
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