Do our degree programmes already promote entrepreneurship?

Yes, to some extent. Many bioscience programmes already include transferable and employability skills and there is some overlap with entrepreneurial skills. For instance many bioscience programmes teach career skills, time management and self motivation skills. Neil Moreland (in Entrepreneurship and higher education: an employability perspective) argues that entrepreneurship can be seen as a "subset" of employability and so when employability is promoted to students aspects of entrepreneurship are also promoted, however he also says that "if this is to lead to self-employment, more is needed. Students need to understand what it means to be self employed, what sources of help are available and where the main pitfalls lie"

Business schools have been teaching modules in innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship for several decades. However, it is only recently that such modules are being offered to, or integrated within bioscience degrees. One good example is a module in scientific enterprise at Durham University, which aims to combine studying a scientific process or topic in detail with introducing students to the key processes of business start up. Another is a module entitled “Entrepreneurship and New Ventures” which is offered through the Imperial College Entrepreneurship Centre. The University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne offers it's Bioscience students a module titled "Business for the Bioscientist" to develop business awareness in bioscience graduates. The two enterprise CETLs funded by HEFCE, the Institute for Enterprise, and the White Rose Centre for Excellence in the Teaching and Learning of Enterprise support and promote enterprise within existing degree curricula and in new courses.

Some universities are also starting to offer Masters programmes in entrepreneurship and enterprise, for example the University of Cambridge offers a Masters in Bioscience Enterprise, which aims to teach life science graduates the skills needed to run both entrepreneurial and corporate activities and further their knowledge of biotechnology.

The key to this is seeing entrepreneurship as a set of skills to facilitate and manage change or just “making a difference”. Many entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial skills would be skills that you want to develop in students, for example:

• Strong and effective communication skills
• Able to be good team players
• Self motivated and able to motivate others
• Innovation skills and creativity
• Leadership abilities
• Inquisitiveness
• Problem solving skills
• Strong management and organisational skills
• Analytical skills

And many of these skills will already be promoted within degree curricula. For example communication skills through oral and written presentations, team work in lab, tutorial and fieldwork projects and analytical skills through data analysis.

So, do employers want entrepreneurs?

Resources:

The Higher Education Academy provides some useful guidelines on teaching entrepreneurial skills, this includes the 'Supporting Entrepreneurial skills Matrix', linking materials and tools for teaching entrepreneurship.

The UKSEC (UK Science Enterprise Centres) runs various events on enterprise and entrepreneurship.

Dr Pauric McGowan outlines The need for Entrepreneurship in the Curriculum in an article in the Bioscience Bulletin (Volume 14, Spring 2005).