{"id":54220,"date":"2025-12-29T10:37:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T03:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/?p=54220"},"modified":"2026-01-21T11:57:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T04:57:01","slug":"building-an-entrepreneurship-mindset-for-researchers-at-oucru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/2025\/12\/29\/building-an-entrepreneurship-mindset-for-researchers-at-oucru\/","title":{"rendered":"Building an entrepreneurship mindset for researchers at OUCRU\u00c2\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From 2\u00e2\u20ac\u201c4 December 2025, OUCRU hosted a three-day participatory workshop, Building an Entrepreneurship Mindset for Researchers<\/em>, bringing together early-career researchers and professional staff from Vietnam, Indonesia and Nepal. The workshop marked an important milestone in OUCRU\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Translational Research programme<\/strong>, which aims to strengthen the pathway from scientific discovery to real-world impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designed and delivered in collaboration with Impact Hub Asia Pacific<\/strong>, the training introduced participants to entrepreneurship not as a business pursuit, but as a mindset<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u201done grounded in curiosity, empathy, creativity and action. Through hands-on activities, group reflection and practical tools, participants were encouraged to reimagine their role as researchers who can actively shape solutions within healthcare systems and beyond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From research questions to real-world impact<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the three days, the workshop followed a clear learning journey. Participants began by exploring why entrepreneurship matters for researchers<\/em>, challenging common misconceptions and reflecting on how their work could create broader societal value. Sessions highlighted the role of scientists in innovation ecosystems and showcased regional examples of healthcare entrepreneurship, including insights from guest speaker Francis Nguyen<\/strong>, Founder of OneMedic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second day focused on tools for innovation<\/em>, introducing design thinking, user empathy and problem framing. Through role-play, case studies and prototyping exercises, participants worked in teams to better understand user needs and redesign patient journeys\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbridging the gap between academic research and lived experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the final day, attention shifted to pathways from research to impact<\/em>. Participants practised storytelling and pitching, learned how to articulate ideas clearly to non-specialist audiences, and were introduced to simple frameworks such as the Lean Canvas to help turn early ideas into actionable plans. The programme concluded with reflections on next steps and the support available within OUCRU to accompany researchers on their translational journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image courtesy of Impact Hub<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Learning by doing<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A defining feature of the workshop was its experiential approach. Rather than lectures, sessions were built around dialogue, experimentation and peer learning\u00e2\u20ac\u201dcreating a safe space for participants to test ideas, reflect on failure, and build confidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Melanie Mossard, Chief Impact Officer, Impact Hub. Image courtesy of Impact Hub<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We designed the training as a journey: starting with the bigger \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcwhy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhy entrepreneurship and impact matter in research\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthen moving into tools focused on empathy-building and design thinking, and finally closing with more concrete frameworks such as storytelling and simple ways to map early ideas into something shareable,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Melanie Mossard<\/strong>, Impact Hub Asia Pacific. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We intentionally made the process as practical and experiential as possible, so participants could learn by doing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Participants echoed the value of this mindset shift, particularly for those at early stages of their careers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aastha Ghimire, Medical Officer at OUCRU Nepal. Image courtesy of Impact Hub<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where I come from, there is an abundance of problems\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand where there are problems, there are opportunities,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d shared Aastha Ghimire<\/strong>, Medical Officer at OUCRU Nepal.  \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In the future, whenever I encounter a problem, I want to ask: is anyone doing something about this? If yes, what can I add or improve? If no, what can I start? That mindset is what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m taking home.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Part of OUCRU’s Translational Research Programme<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This workshop is part of OUCRU\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Translational Research programme<\/strong>, which aims to strengthen the integration of innovation and impact-driven thinking across OUCRU\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s research culture. The programme supports researchers to move promising ideas beyond discovery by building translational skills, confidence and practical pathways to impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through collaboration with the Oxford Translational Research Office (TRO)<\/strong>, Oxford University Innovation (OUI)<\/strong>, the Impact Hub network in Asia<\/strong>, and local Entrepreneurs in Residence, the programme provides strategic funding and tailored support for early-stage translational projects. Together, these efforts are developing a new generation of researchers equipped to translate scientific excellence into tangible health benefits for communities in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OUCRU hosted a three-day participatory workshop on Building an Entrepreneurship Mindset for Researchers, equipping early-career researchers from Vietnam, Indonesia and Nepal with practical tools to translate research into real-world impact.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":54257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,144],"tags":[828],"class_list":["post-54220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-ho-chi-minh","tag-translational-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54220"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54361,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54220\/revisions\/54361"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}