Ideas to Innovation (i2i), delivered through the Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship, has been designed for ambitious final year PhD and post-doctoral researchers looking to unlock their entrepreneurial and creative potential. This programme encourages research students to consider the social and economic relevance of their research.
Within the i2i programme you will:
- Explore entrepreneurship as an option for corporate innovation and new venture creation.
- Gain a fundamental understanding of business.
- Develop knowledge of how to commercialise your research.
- Develop a network of likeminded researchers facing similar challenges.
- Have the opportunity to apply for a digital Entrepreneurship: Impact of Research badge to recognise your accomplishment.
This course encourages researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and business professionals from multiple disciplines to talk to each other “outside the box”. The programme helps you explore your desire to take your research to market, understanding creative methods, team building, cultures and communications and the fundamentals of business. By the end of the course you will have had fun, learned about yourself and your ideas and how to communicate them effectively.
You will have met a huge network of smart entrepreneurial people, feel that you are amongst people with shared values and hopefully feel encouraged to take your research forward into society.
Within this three-day entrepreneurial programme, we combine large scale plenary sessions with small group activity. Each group has two facilitators to transfer the learning from the plenary – to guide and support you. We feel that this format enables you to consider the social and economic relevance of your research and will equip you with the skills and know-how to turn your ideas into action.
Agenda
Dates: 21 – 23 January 2026
i2i Programme Summary
Day One enables an understanding of personal values, motivations and direction.
Day Two focuses on the importance of building teams, as well as generating potential impact pathways for your research.
Day Three looks at the basic elements of taking an idea and turning it into a product or service and how to communicate it with passion.
Speakers
Dr Orsolya Ihasz
Dr Orsolya Ihasz is the Programme Director of Ideas to Innovation. She is a Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship, and a Fellow at the . Her research interest focuses on responsible innovation management and social impact measurement especially in public health. As well as leading Ideas to Innovation (i2i), aimed at the researchers and early-career researcher community across disciplines to support entrepreneurial ventures geared towards finding solutions to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she is also an external advisor to the WHO on the scaling digitally enabled health interventions for tackling globally.
James O’Mahony
James is an experienced adviser and senior executive with a wide range of experience supporting early-stage and growth-oriented companies across a range of sectors. As Founder and CEO of HIOM Advisory, he has worked closely with start-ups, scale-ups, family offices and investment funds, offering strategic guidance on business planning, market entry, capital strategy and investment readiness. His work spans grant, equity and debt fundraising from pre-seed through to Series B/C, alongside deep experience in commercial and financial due diligence and business model development.
He is Chair Elect of Knowledge Exchange UK, and holds a number of advisory positions and board positions, including roles with Agri Frontier and Agaricus Robotics, which reflect his wider commitment to supporting innovation, governance development and cross-sector collaboration.
With a global background, which includes time working in Australia and Singapore, he has held senior leadership roles in banking, finance and international advisory work, James combines strategic insight with hands-on mentoring for both entrepreneurs and emerging leaders.
Dr Prafull Sharma
Dr Prafull Sharma is Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of CorrosionRADAR. He invented a Corrosion sensing and monitoring system while doing PhD at Cranfield that is now getting adopted globally in Oil and Gas sites.
Driven by innovation, Dr Prafull Sharma stands at the forefront of revolutionising corrosion monitoring through cutting-edge Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies.
Prafull has pioneered innovative corrosion monitoring technologies using IIoT. One of his most notable achievements is the development of the CorrosionRADAR predictive Corrosion Under Insulation monitoring system, a groundbreaking invention that has garnered global acclaim for providing a robust solution to a significant industry challenge. His extensive industrial journey is marked by deep expertise in digitalising corrosion management, leading to the creation of numerous inventions that have made substantial contributions to the field.
Prior to his current role, Prafull played a pivotal role at General Electric R&D, where he spearheaded the development of several sensing and non-destructive testing technologies. With a specific focus on asset integrity and automation within the oil and gas industry, his remarkable contributions also extend to the intellectual property realm, boasting over fifteen international patents and innovations to his credit. Driven by a passion for pushing the boundaries of technological advancements, Prafull continues to shape the future of corrosion monitoring and management.
Prafull has also served as a Visiting Lecturer at 缅北轮奸 for over two years, where he lectured on Industry 4.0 automation technology and informatics.
Prafull’s dedication to innovation and his remarkable contributions to industrial technology have made him a leader in his field, continually advancing the capabilities and applications of corrosion monitoring technologies.
Daniel Murray
Daniel is a multi award-winning scientist and entrepreneur with a focus on technology translation and commercialisation. Daniel is one of the UK's leading experts on industrial uses of microalgae and the use of biology for negative emissions. Daniel founded and led UK sustainable water treatment company Industrial Psychology in 2012, where as CEO and CTO he designed the technology, built the team and developed the companies’ relationships with industry.
Daniel then spent time as part of the team at leading UK VC studio Deep Science Ventures. There he led on activities around the development of biotic negative emissions technologies. He has also consulted for a range of high-tech startups. where he supports them with technology development and scaling as well as securing funding and assessing technologies. In 2024 Daniel supported launching Kairos Carbon from DTC which he joined as Co-founder and CTO. Kairos is developing some of the most advanced thermo-chemical engineering in the world with a focus on processing organic materials to extract the carbon content as CO2 for geological storage, while retaining all inorganic elements for recycling and destroying all pollutants.
Dr Ruchi Sharma
Ruchi Sharma is the founder and CEO of Stemnovate Limited. She holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh and has conducted advanced research in cellular reprogramming at the University of Cambridge's Stem Cell Institute. Her expertise drives innovative solutions in stem cell research and drug discovery, targeting rare diseases and pioneering alternatives to animal testing.
Under Dr. Sharma's leadership, Stemnovate was awarded a prestigious million-pound Innovate UK grant. Since then, the company has been shaping the future of orphan drug development, advancing personalised medicine and precision therapies. Recognised as one of Cambridge's Top 21 biotechnology research leaders, she continues to lead scientific innovation.
Stemnovate's products are available in ten countries, marking the company's expanding global footprint. Strategic collaborations with leading pharmaceutical firms, such as a project addressing rare mitochondrial diseases in children, showcase a powerful commitment to international impact and transformative science.
Ruchi's foundation as a veterinarian fuels her drive to improve patient outcomes and animal welfare. Her leadership in advancing regenerative medicine brings hope to individuals and families affected by orphan diseases. Notably, Stemnovate's initiatives have projected a 20% increase in patient recovery rates over the next five years, while reducing reliance on animal testing by 30%.
Facilitators
More facilitators to be confirmed.
Who should attend?
i2i is for:
- Researchers within Centres of Doctoral Training and partner institutions.
- Third year/final year doctoral candidates across multiple disciplines.
- Postdocs from multiple disciplines.
If you are unsure if i2i is for you, please contact Orsolya Ihasz at Orsolya.Ihasz@cranfield.ac.uk鈥痜or more information.
Location & travel details
The Gallery - CMRI Building 38, 缅北轮奸, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL
Download a visitor guide鈥痠ncluding map, directions and health and safety information.
Accommodation
Please contact Cranfield Management Development Centre directly +44 1234 751122 for accommodation bookings.鈥疨lease note, all participants will need to cover their own accommodation costs.
Cranfield Enhance: Digital badges
The opportunity to showcase your skills to prospective employers via your social media profile has become increasingly important and on successful completion of i2i and a short assignment, you can earn this digital Entrepreneurship: Impact of Research badge to recognise your accomplishment. The badges are widely recognised by employers as a mark of expertise and dedication.
This badge is part of the Cranfield Enhance Entrepreneurship offering hosted by the Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship. Become more resilient, cultivate your problem-solving skills, encourage creative thinking and resourcefulness, and learn valuable soft skills such as communication, negotiation, leadership, and teamwork, which are essential in your personal life and professional career.
