Innovation UK > News > Innovation UK Vol4-1 > Ulster Innovation delivering business success

Tim Brundle, Director of Innovation, University of Ulster

Ulster has four campuses throughout Northern Ireland, at Coleraine, Jordanstown, Derry and Belfast, as well as Campus One, its virtual campus, providing online learning opportunities.

Each year 6,500 graduates enter the workplace or pursue further study and Ulster has over 132,000 graduates in 116 countries. All programmes have a strong vocational element and the majority offer a period of industrial or professional placement, preparing students for their working lives. The University is renowned for its work in embedding entrepreneurship into the curriculum. An enterprise for life agenda is pursued in order to prepare graduates to think, act and behave entrepreneurially in their careers.

With regard to working with business, Ulster works with companies throughout the world to help them capitalise on business opportunities and prepare for global challenges. Our business and research partner portfolio includes companies such as Boeing, Bombardier Aerospace, BT, GSK, Microsoft, Rolls Royce, and SAP.

Ulster?s World Renowned Centre for Molecular Biosciences on the Coleraine Campus

Tim Brundle, Director of Innovation at Ulster, explains: ?Ulster?s applied cultural heritage for academic and industrial engagement has resulted in integrated support mechanisms for enterprise from idea generation to the marketplace. ?An innovative consultancy policy allows our academics to commit a generous proportion of their time on business assignments thus ensuring connectivity with stakeholders, inclusion of realworld problems into the teaching portfolio, and alignment of research to future business needs. Furthermore, promotion criteria reward staff for working with businesses.?

Tim concludes: ?Ulster also works with academics to commercialise their research. When a route to market has not existed for University knowledge and technology, the University has sought to create it through new venture start-up. We pride ourselves on our fruitful relationships with businesses, through which we have ensured the competitiveness of our clients, the market relevance of our services and opportunities to apply our knowledge.?

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