Commercialisation Associate (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences)

Salary, circa £36,000 depending on experience

Based on the West Cambridge site, Madingley Road

Sitting at the heart of Europe’s most successful technology cluster, Cambridge Enterprise is the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge. Our mission is to help University of Cambridge innovators, experts and entrepreneurs make their ideas and concepts more commercially successful for the benefit of society, the UK economy and the University.

Our Commercialisation Associates play a key role in helping researchers develop their ideas, technologies and inventions into opportunities that are attractive to industry and investors.

The role:

The variety of the role is remarkable; working within the Technology Transfer (TT) team, you will guide academics as they move from frontier research towards application through the commercialisation of their ideas and inventions. Researchers from across the arts, humanities and social sciences disciplines are supported by Cambridge Enterprise in creating valuable, high-impact interventions in a wide variety of sectors, including culture and the arts, finance and economics, government and policy, digital technology, business, global sustainable development, creative industries, education, built environment, health and wellbeing.

You will help identify the value of innovations and identify applications. You will aid the researchers to transform their research into services and products that can bridge the gap between academic publication and tangible real-world application. You will protect ideas through intellectual property (IP) management and licencing, help to create business plans and carry out early market research, and will read and draft contracts.

Arts, humanities and social sciences is an exciting, growing area of activity within Cambridge Enterprise. A key aspect of the role will be to meet with academics who may be new to commercialisation, to promote Cambridge Enterprise through our outreach and training programmes, and to champion the value of innovative, impact-led approaches and of industry collaboration.

You will find the breadth and variety of the work and the range of projects (from fledgling idea through to licensed technology, and from first entrepreneurial steps to company creation) stimulating and engaging.  And working at heart of Europe’s most successful innovation cluster, you will be working with cutting-edge technologies, impactful interventions, and the next great ideas, able to help these discoveries make a difference in the world.

For more information, read the full Job Profile , and visit our case studies webpage to read some of our commercialisation success stories.

Your skills:

Your background is in any humanities or social science discipline and you should have an understanding of a research/innovation environment. You may have knowledge of software and data innovations; alternatively you may have experience in the area of social innovation, open innovation, or social enterprise. You have an interest in entrepreneurship and intellectual property. Perhaps you already have skills in market research, business development, or knowledge exchange. You may have experience in a non-academic business, commercial or third sector environment and should feel comfortable moving between these worlds.

You have excellent organisation skills and can handle and prioritise a number of projects simultaneously. You demonstrate high levels of initiative and creative problem-solving. You have highly-developed communication and presentation skills and are a strong networker. You are customer focussed and understand the challenges which our researchers face. Your IT skills are proficient and you keep accurate records.

Benefits:

Continuous development is key to the role. You will have on-the-job mentoring by some of the most experienced TT professionals in the world, as well as access to a raft of internal and external training courses including the UK TT industry’s ‘gold standard’ courses run by PraxisAuril, with opportunities to focus your training in areas relevant to arts, humanities and social sciences such as software, social enterprise and policy innovation.

Working for a subsidiary of the University of Cambridge, you will be offered a competitive salary with performance related pay, generous holiday, a University pension and a flexible working environment.   

The University of Cambridge and Cambridge Enterprise value diversity and are committed to equality of opportunity .

Our office base is at the Hauser Forum, West Cambridge Site. We offer hybrid working, and the post holder will expect to work in-person for about 2 days per week.

We will hold a two—stage interview process, with the first interview taking place online, and a second in-person at our Cambridge office.

Closing date for this position is:       Sunday 8th January 2023

First interview will be held:               Wednesday 18th January 2023

Second interview will be held:          Tuesday 24th January 2023

Please complete the short application form below. You will be asked to attach a copy of your CV and a cover letter explaining your reasons for applying and your fit for the role.