Dr Orla Kelly

Global Entrepreneurship Case Studies - Scottish Funding Council

This #GlobalEntrepreneurshipWeek we’re showcasing some of the work of Scotland’s universities in working with industry and driving innovation.

Earlier this year every university in Scotland received £5,000 from SFC to support entrepreneurial ambitions.

www.sfc.ac.uk/research-inn...

And lots more besides.

I’m not an Enterprise Educator, but I do work with plenty of them across Scotland, and I find myself in rooms with power to influence the discourse on Enterprise Education, so this was a really valuable week for me.

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(5) Dave Jarman’s closing talk on Disruption, reflecting on his own professional experience and observations across the sector, and contemplating whether we can now, or ever will, consider Enterprise Education as mainstream. A great provocation to end the formal conference!

... With investment from Scot Gov going into Entrepreneurial Campus projects in Scotland’s Colleges as we speak, I think this is the right time to share some insights between Northern Ireland and Scotland.

To follow up!

(4) Expanding networks with great conversation. As an example, I had the privilege of sitting beside Catherine Shipman, MBE at dinner, and saw her pick up two highly commended awards for her enterprising work at South Eastern Regional College...

(3) Seeing the Centre for Entrepreneurship, @dundeeuni.bsky.social pick up the Entrepreneurship Catalyst Award. Tremendous recognition of their work, particularly special given the significant challenges the wider university has faced this past year. Not a trivial thing, well done team!

(2) Great pleasure watching Bonnie Hacking (St Andrews) lead an interactive session on curating entrepreneurial ecosystems, with Ross Tuffee and I riding her coattails to talk about Connect-Ed Network, and the legacy of Mark Logan’s STER and Scot Gov’s Entrepreneurial Campus Blueprint.

(1) Ecosystem Tour around Manchester – getting to see the impacts of public and private investment into spaces and infrastructure, and provoking interesting conversation about the need for creativity and bolder ambition alongside any injection of cash to have true impact in our communities.

Highlights of #IEEC2025 for me...

Spend 90 seconds with me in Manchester...

I spent the week at the busy IEEC2025 - International Enterprise Educators Conference - hosted by @manmetuni.bsky.social

(This video has no sound!)

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A recording of the session, and other useful things, will be available through Connect-Ed Network -- find out more on LinkedIn or visit www.connect-ed.network

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I know fairly little about international students recruitment, and the challenges graduates face if they want to remain in the UK, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to bring this panel together

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There was acknowledgement of recent policy changes in Australia, Canada, and ongoing challenges in USA, that shows that the UK isn't alone with its difficult/unwelcoming environment for international students, staff, and their families

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A Senior Policy Officer from Universities Scotland offered some damning insight into the hefty cost of the process in the UK, compared to other nations.

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On the panel we had a founder who has spent £50k jumping through hurdles to transition through Student Visa, Skilled Worker Visa, and now on a Global Talent Visa, who is leading his global business from Glasgow. £50,000 🤯
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The network is mainly for the enterprise support people that work in Scotland's HE system, whether that's employed by a university, or an external expert that's brought in as an external advisor, mentor, Professor of Practice, Entrepreneur in Residence, etc
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Fortuitous timing, but yesterday as UK Gov published their White Paper on immigration, we held a panel discussion "Exploring the landscape for international founders", as part of the Connect-Ed Network www.connect-ed.network
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Day tripping to Aberdeen today for a Connect-Ed meeting on entrepreneurial ecosystems, an international perspective.

First leg of the journey is a train to Dundee, a journey I used to do multiple times a week for several years.
I'm no longer a regular commuter... I miss it, and I don't miss it!

Path under a tree with pink blossoms, sun in blue sky

A short 5 mile walk today, through very bonnie Stirling, gearing up for the Glasgow Kiltwalk on Sunday - raising money for Social Bite to support their mission to end homelessness. Any and all donations welcome! 🙏 www.justgiving.com/page/orla-st...

Dundee University to cut 632 jobs to plug £35m deficit The University and College Union condemned the

The numbers here are staggering. Decimate literally means 1 in 10, but this is double that. Hard to rationalise, it'll be devastating for the city.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A tree trunk covered in ivy, bare branches (no leaves) over a still, wide river. River bank in distance. Overcast sky.

Go touch some grass!

I don't really have time for this today, too much to do... which is all the more reason to get out for a wee half hour round the river.

You can't drink from an empty cup, etc etc etc

Season 2 of the Academic Adventures podcast is here! To celebrate #IWD2025 we're delighted to welcome Prof Gillian Fleming from @mintventures.bsky.social for a great convo about supporting women-led businesses and female entrepreneurs.
Listen here www.convergechallenge.com/the-academic....

Screenshot of NYT Spelling Bee game, with word "HOGMANAY" and pop up "Not on word list"

The Scots of this world will be outraged at today's @nytimes.com Spelling Bee.

Also, the word gammon is not on the word list 🤷🏻‍♀️

Those are now the only two words I can see.

... Wrapped up my day with excellent session on Design Thinking from Fraser Bruce, DJCAD, as part of the Connect-Ed network

Hosted by the @timeshighered.bsky.social Outstanding Entrepreneurial University, no less!

Off to Dundee today. I used to do this three times per week, and its now £34.80 return on the train 🫠

Grateful for moderately reliable train WiFi so I could join a call, not so keen on finishing that call in a freezing cold Dundee train station.

...

What a year! Hopefully some good things on the horizon for you all

Canal with still water reflecting cloudy sky and bare trees. Narrow path with grass verge to the right.

A meeting at Heriot Watt today means a dander along the canal. Preferred mode of transport!

I was a bit of an excited kid getting my sleeper train back to Scotland last night!

I'm looking forward to the next iterations of the programme, some online and some in person.
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Ceri and Lesley at NCEE were excellent facilitators, but we also benefited from input from various different senior leaders (at VC or other exec team level) - brilliantly candid, leading to open and interesting discussions.
(Venue and food at Saïd Business School was great too!)
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This week, I had an eye-opening few days on the NCEE Entrepreneurial University Leaders programme. Valuable to bring me out of my Scottish KE&I bubble, and engage with a cohort of people working across HE - legal, careers, IT, estates, executive support, plus learning & teaching and research
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