Building the capacity of researchers in Newton Fund countries with expert coaching and mentoring
Challenge
The Leaders in Innovation Fellowships Programme (LIF) is the leading global programme to build entrepreneurship capacity. The programme has trained nearly 950 entrepreneurs from 17 countries around the world since 2014. Funded by the Newton Fund and managed by the Royal Academy of Engineering (the Academy), and support from local partners, LIF is designed to build a global community of entrepreneurs and help commercialise innovations that address the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals.
Approach
The Academy has engaged Oxentia as a delivery partner to provide expert coaching and mentoring to cohorts of leading innovators from 16 Newton Fund partner countries. In the first instance, Oxentia provides specialised coaching support to the delegates, as part of an intensive two-week training programme, helping them develop new business strategies, and improve their business plans and investment pitches.
The programme includes training modules, ‘group activity’ based case studies where the LIF fellows have opportunity to apply the skills they learned to real-life challenges, as well as mentoring by experienced technology transfer coaches and serial entrepreneurs. After the two-week training programme, LIF fellows return to their respective countries and then receive ongoing follow-on support for several months to help advance their projects towards commercialisation, as well as participating in tailored follow-on events in their own country.
Impact
