The Challenge
A University of Glasgow Business Engagement Survey in 2017 showed one of the biggest challenges identified by Social Science research and teaching staff to engage with business was the lack of networking opportunities.
The Solution
the Univeristy of Glasgow hosted four Gaitherin events, between September 2018 – March 2019, aimed to facilitate relationships between academics and local businesses of all sizes. The goal of the Gaitherin is ultimately to forge connections that organically lead to collaborative opportunities. The Gaitherin take the form of 2-hour evening events, with plenty of snacks and opportunity to network at the beginning and end. Each event is thematically focused; including a short 15 minute keynote speech, and opportunities for any attendee to pitch ideas to the group for feedback or areas of collaboration.
The Gaitherin is an on-going event series, the topics in our 2018/19 sessions included:
- September- Internationalisation of Scottish SMEs
- November- Precision Medicine in Scotland
- January- Brexit: What this Means for Scottish Universities & Business
- March- Developing the Scottish LegalTech Ecosystem.
The Outcome
- 116 members of the business community attending from around the central belt of Scotland
- 50 staff/academics attended from across Scottish Universities
17 businesses or professional organisations & 10 University academics presented either a keynote or rapid-fire pitch The Gaitherin creates a space for academics, professionals and entrepreneurs from all disciplines, industries and interests to come together and talk about their innovative ideas. It acts as a critical springboard for partnerships to form and new ideas to be heard.
