Business Development Executive for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences When did you start at Edinburgh Innovations (EI)?I started in October 2021. How would you explain your job to an alien? I would put on Materia Primoris (theme tune to X-Files) and say that I facilitate partnerships between the University of Edinburgh (academics) and external partners. The truth is out there! What did you do before EI? Before joining EI, I worked in international development for 10+ years, doing business development and project management. What’s the best thing about working at EI/the University of Edinburgh (UoE)? It would be hard to pinpoint one thing, but my favourites (so far) are: working with and learning from brilliant and kind colleagues flexible hours a sense of purpose beautiful University spaces and venues we get to work from the coffee machine at Murchison House office banter and comradery What's your favourite project that you’ve worked on?At Edinburgh Innovations we can take a paid day of leave to volunteer and make a difference in our local community. Colleagues from the Social Responsibility & Sustainability team organise several volunteering opportunities each year, where we get to support partners such as: Lauriston Farm - a 100-acre agroecology urban farm that is focussed on local food growing, biodiversity, and community building in North-West Edinburgh; Fresh Start - a charity that works to end the cycle of homelessness; West Lothian School Uniform Bank – A volunteer-led group that improves the lives of children and families in West Lothian experiencing financial hardship by providing them with a school uniform and other clothing and equipment required for the school day. Volunteering days are always meaningful. In addition to the fantastic feeling of being able to give back to the community, they also result in spontaneous team building. What does innovation mean to you? It means coming up with novel solutions to solve existing or future problems. From fashioning out a last-minute Book Day school costume out of paperclips and cereal boxes to AI doing your taxes – innovation is all around us. If you had one more hour in the day how would you spend it? I’d go out for more runs. What piece of advice has stuck with you? An old Bosnian proverb “Ko radi taj i griješi” that translates along the lines of: “The only people who never make mistakes are those who don’t do anything.” Fear of making mistakes should not hold us back from trying out new things and innovating. Afterall, a mistake can be an excellent lesson! What would you really like to work on at EI/UoE?Again, it would be hard to choose one from the vast research portfolio at the University of Edinburgh. From tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, countering poverty premium and financial vulnerability, building a better social system for those who need it, advancing healthcare to using AI for good – to mention a few. I would love to support any initiative that would contribute to leaving a better world for the next generation. Feeling inspired? Take the next step with Engage - Our online learning programme focuses on the ‘how to’ of external engagement and a practical first step in collaborating with external organisations.Sign up to our Unlocking Innovation newsletter - Be inspired by our innovators, discover the support and resources available to you and celebrate the latest innovation success stories.Contact us - If you have an idea and want to drive innovation from your research, meet the team ready to support you on your innovation journey. This article was published on 2024-12-19
