Higher Degree Research candidates take their first entrepreneurial step to increase global impact

Three UNSW researchers are the first to complete the new UNSW Entrepreneurial HDR (eHDR) as they build their skills for research translation and global impact. Elena Keller (Medicine), Jason Moore (Law) and Khan Muhammad Talal Ali from Engineering commenced the eHDR in September last year when the program was established.  

The candidates used their thesis topics to discover new stakeholders, find additional funding streams and understand the real-world impact of their research. The eHDR was established by UNSW Founders to support HDRs to broaden the opportunities for themselves and their research and includes six modules based on the lean methodology.  

“I recommend the eHDR Program to anyone who is interested in increasing the real-life impact of their research,” Elena said “It was a great opportunity to think more carefully about the end-users of my research and how my PhD Project can be tweaked to make it more useful to them. Also, the coaching sessions were excellent and helped me improve the way I present my research problem.” 

Since its establishment in September 2020, 350 HDRs signed up to participate in the eHDR. Five of the six modules are available on-demand with the sixth module ‘Research Lean Canvas’ being delivered by UNSW research alumni. On-demand coaching is then available to participants to discuss their ideas and practice communicating their research to different audiences.  

Jason explained "The eHDR has helped me to refine my thinking. This is good for pitching an idea to someone. It’s also good for helping me to explain difficult concepts in my thesis.” 

Our first two successfully completed participants will be issued with their digital badges for the eHDR later this week. If you would like to learn more or sign-up for the eHDR please see details here or reach out to the UNSW Founders team at mcic@unsw.edu.au for a chat.