Experiences from University of Oxford

The University of Oxford’s medical sciences division has been using the AIMday format since 2016 and have, to date, run 7 AIMdays in different research themes, including biomedical imaging, antimicrobial resistance healthy ageing. To find out more about how AIMdays fit into our broader SME engagement strategy please follow the link

For our academics, AIMdays provide them with a chance to find out how their knowledge could be used to solve industry challenges. It is also a great way for them to widen their network and to meet potential industrial collaborators and employers. The majority of academics attending the AIMdays are at postdoc level (59%), followed by professors or principal investigators (22%) and finally DPhil students (15%), making it a great opportunity for early-career researchers to get exposure to industry in an informal setting.

Participating companies also benefit by accessing a group of self-selecting researchers with whom there may be potential collaborative opportunities. In particular, the AIMday format provides a low barrier route for SMEs to engage with a wide range of academics and clinicians at the University.

There is no cost to participants, apart from their time. This, together with the assurance that companies will be meeting academics with common interests, is a great incentive for SMEs, who often have limited time and flexibility.

“Excellent event! We received tangible, practical advice on some of the technical challenges we are facing for our early stage antibacterial programmes”.

For more information please contact Amira Burshan amira.burshan@medsci.ox.ac.uk