i-Teams (Innovation, Medical and Development versions)

New

Interested in how new technologies are commercialised? Looking for some hands-on skills and experience? Want to work in a team with post-graduates from other departments and colleges? Then read on!

"Participating in i-Teams has been one of the best things I did while being in Cambridge.”

By joining an i-Team, you will work for a term with post-graduates from across the University and a dedicated industry mentor. You will investigate the commercial potential and user requirements for a real Cambridge invention, gaining hands-on skills and experience. The programme includes regular group sessions, team meetings and individual work.

Postgraduate students and post-doctoral researchers from any university department.

Anyone can apply to join i-Teams, whether or not you have previous commercial experience. Teams are chosen to have as broad a range of backgrounds as possible, and all your current knowledge and experience may well prove to be useful. The key qualification is to be enthusiastic and willing to try out new approaches.

You gain the hands-on experience and satisfaction of “learning by doing”, working as part of a multi-disciplinary team of 7 on a real project where your ideas and conclusions will influence future directions and outcomes. Skills gained include:

• Brainstorming
• Identify the key commercial benefits of a technology or product innovation
• Identify relevant competitors and potential collaborators
• Identify and contact relevant industry experts
• Use and develop your own network of contacts
• Cold calling and extracting useful information from commercial contacts
• Application of Human-Centred Design, Design Thinking and Lean Startup methodologies to technology commercialisation projects
• Analyse incomplete data from a variety of sources to draw a justifiable conclusion
• Presentation skills (for a non-expert audience)

Final results are presented to a mixed university and industry audience, and back-up materials are also given to the researchers.

Via the i-Teams website http://www.iteamsonline.org

Applications for the Easter term courses will open in mid-February.

Amy Weatherup, i-Teams Programme Director
Berk Dogan & Dr. Lucia Corsini, i-Teams Deputy Programme Directors
Dr. Lara Allen, Centre for Global Equality (Development i-Teams)

Group sessions run from 7-10pm, usually including a lecture or workshop followed by time for team meetings.
Online sessions include some time to meet fellow participants.
In-person sessions are held at the Institute for Manufacturing, with pizza from 6.40pm.

Note that i-Teams will be running online via Zoom for Lent 2021.

• Innovation i-Teams runs on Monday evenings in Michaelmas, Lent and Easter terms
• Medical i-Teams runs on Tuesday evenings in Lent term
• Development i-Teams runs on Tuesday evenings in Michaelmas and Easter terms