Masterclasses and Industrial Workshops

An exciting opportunity for AAPS students to join a workshop on venture capital and deep tech investments, run by Octopus Ventures, with SAMBa and ART-AI CDT students also attending. 

Octopus Ventures are one of the largest and most active venture capital investors in Europe. They offered this workshop to engage with our students early in their careers, to start thinking about entrepreneurship and start-ups as viable career opportunities.  Octopus have made a public pledge that by 2027 50% of all businesses which pitch to them will be led or co-led by a woman, and have resolved to apply similarly ambitious goals to other measures of diversity over the coming years. 

The format for the workshop was

• Introduction to Venture Capital, Deep Tech investing, and how it intersects with academia/spin-outs.
• Exercise: Group work. Groups of 3-5 students pick a research topic and work together to present a business model

A workshop organised in conjunction with ART-AI and SAMBa CDTs to explore the importance of Responsible Research and Innovation and what it means to researchers. The session included collaboration and networking to discuss ethics and social issues around research. This discussion was supported by presentations and a panel made of experts in different disciplines.

ThinkWrite delivered a workshop on Conference Abstracts and Posters, the objectives of the session were for attendees to learn how to identify the readers and decision-makers that they need to consider when planning the abstract and poster for a conference, how to determine the key message of their abstract and poster, write the abstract quickly and concisely, recognise elements of design that can grab attention of attendees, create imaginative posters that communicates their research efficiently and prepare to present their work professionally at a conference.

As part of AAPS CDT students training programme, we run annual allyship and inclusion sessions. These sessions are run by an external company enei.org.uk and cover topics such as:

• Understanding the equality act and how it applies in the workplace
• Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace - how to address and prevent these issues
• Inclusive Behaviour and Leadership - strategies for implementing within your team
• Active Allyship

These sessions offer valuable insights and practical tools for creating a more inclusive and supportive work and research environment.