Resource Overview Commercial Skills for Chemists KKI Associates and the School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh

Interviews of Chemical Industry Partners Procter and Gamble, Afton Chemicals (Ethyl), Ingenza, Syngenta, Sasol, comments from GSK, Selex-Galileo Key findings – potential recruits need to be good at Innovation Working in team based activities Problem solving Working through formal project/process systems Integrating their specialist knowledge with others’ Communication Skills What Makes for Employability? When we were asked to develop commercial skills material by the RSC the first thing we did was to ask some important employers what they look for in their graduate recruits

Interviews of Chemical Industry Partners Procter and Gamble, Afton Chemicals (Ethyl), Ingenza, Syngenta, Sasol, comments from GSK, Selex-Galileo Key findings – potential recruits need to be good at Innovation Working in team based activities Problem solving Working through formal project/process systems Integrating their specialist knowledge with others’ Communication Skills What Makes for Employability?

What would you regard as being the key skills of chemistry graduate recruits ? Employability - comments ‘Its rare that people use more than 10% of the science they know at any time with us. But what we need is for them to understand, interface and interact with people from other disciplines (commercial and technical such as engineers and life scientists)’ ‘We interview hundreds of potential ‘strategic recruits’ each year. Most fail their technical interviews, not because they don’t know their science but because they are not good at applying what they know to problems we might ask about’

5 Modules (approx 5 credits each) Innovation, Project Management, Finance, Chemical Markets, Feasibility Study and Project Pitch Teams of 4-6 students will work to produce defined outputs from each module, with various resources to help them -lectures on video (and handouts) -Interactive team exercises -Templates -Further reading Modules can be done separately, but all ‘hang together’ and could be carried out together Could be run as ongoing activity through a semester, or as a 2 week full-time activity Business skills resources

5 Modules (approx 5 credits each) Innovation, Project Management, Finance, Chemical Markets, Feasibility Study and Project Pitch Teams of 4-6 students will work to produce defined outputs from each module, with various resources to help them -lectures on video (and handouts) -Interactive team exercises -Templates -Further reading Modules can be done separately, but all ‘hang together’ and could be carried out together Could be run as ongoing activity through a semester, or as a 2 week full-time activity Business skills resources Much of the work involves problem-based learning and researching answers

Student teams play the role of a group of technologists working for Mega Chemicals plc. Their task is to evaluate new technologies and recommend which ones MegaChem might wish to take to market. Each module is structured like a real part of the technology project process used by many chemical companies Initially there will be 5 potential projects that MegaChem are interested in Eventually, teams completing the modules will have produced technology assessments, market research, feasibility studies, financial budgets, a project plan, and an assessed ‘pitch’ for one or more of the potential technology projects Overall Task Briefing

5 Potential Projects Zeolite anticorrosive…oxidation catalyst…La/Ac separation ligand Chiral intermediates…lignin/biomass catalyst for jet fuel

5 Potential Projects Zeolite anticorrosive…oxidation catalyst…La/Ac separation ligand Chiral intermediates…lignin/biomass catalyst for jet fuel We will produce more in the future!

Commercial Skills Modules - Overview Module Resources Lecture notes Research papers Journals/book s Videos Task Innovation Elevator Pitch on 5 Case Studies Elevator Pitch on 5 Case Studies P. Man. Finance Research Project schedule for 2 Case Studies DCF budget for 2 Case Studies Feasibility Market report for 2 Case Studies Feasibility Study for 2 Case Studies, 1 business plan presentation

Students given handouts from lectures on innovation, market research, project management, project finance, and feasibility studies given to chemistry students at a UK University in 2012 Parts of these lectures are available as videos There will be interactive workshops or business ‘games’ on market research, project management, and project finance that they may attend individually or as a group There is the Library and the Internet! Student Resources

Paper: Great Mistakes in Technology Commercialisation Journal of Strategic Change, Volume 10, Number 7, pages , John Wiley & Sons, (November 2001) Download here: chemistry/content/filerepository/CMP/00/001/419/Great%20Mistakes.pdfhttp:// chemistry/content/filerepository/CMP/00/001/419/Great%20Mistakes.pdf Book: Winning at New Products, Robert G Cooper Basic Books; 4th edition (28 July 2011) ISBN-13: Journal: Chemistry World, published by Royal Society of Chemistry, all/any editions from 2010 and 2011 There are tutors with notes, hints and guidance! Student ResourcesStudent Resources

Trial Week Modules Task Innovation Elevator Pitch on 5 Case Studies Elevator Pitch on 5 Case Studies Project Management Project Finance Market Research Project schedule for 2 Case Studies DCF budget for 2 Case Studies Market report for 2 Case Studies Feasibility Study for 2 Case Studies, 1 business plan presentation Feasibility Monday Tuesday WednesdayThursday Friday Briefing

Trial Week Modules Interactive ‘Games’ Project Management Project Finance Market Research ‘Leaning Tower of Pasta’ Business plan presentation Feasibility Monday Tuesday WednesdayThursday Friday ‘Chemistry Stock Market’ ‘SmithChem & Minigas’

Trial Week Modules Interactive ‘Games’ Business plan presentation Monday Tuesday WednesdayThursday Friday ‘Chemistry Stock Market’ – introduces facts about the markets for the case studies

Trial Week Modules Interactive ‘Games’ Business plan presentation Monday Tuesday WednesdayThursday Friday ‘Leaning Tower of Pasta’ – project management and team building game

Trial Week Monday Tuesday WednesdayThursday Friday Watch on Youtube Business plan presentation

Trial Week Students Issues/ Conclusions Student Comments and Conclusions That was much harder than a normal week! (But it was so much fun!) Material seemed to work well - students learned a lot Students felt tasks generally fair, but need to be told to use tutors - its OK to ask for help! the second time we had to build the tower helped us understand the weaving of a team and the value of allocating work individually I understand the difference between profit and cash flow!

Trial Week Lecturer Comments and Conclusions importance of allowing sufficient time for activities recognise that this is very challenging for some students – particularly location and sifting of information – very different from normal style of studying provide time for reflection by students about what they have learned and achieved You get a high level and quality of interaction with students both during and after the exercise – it’s thought provoking for them

We think the material (all 5 modules) could be between 20 and 30 credits Give a team mark for each module We have provided comments on where the Pass/fail Pass/distinction boundaries should be – finer scoring is up to you! Each team is asked to suggest whether any members should be individually marked up or down Team gets distinction, but ‘free-loader’ gets pass Team gets pass, but outstanding contributor gets distinction If you really need them, we have provided examples of class exams Assessment and Marking Suggestions

F.A.Q. Will there be resistance from some academics to putting skills in the curriculum ? Will there be resistance from some academics to putting skills in the curriculum ? Will the materials stay current and not date? Will the materials stay current and not date? How will you deliver the modules to other HEI’s after the development phase? How will you deliver the modules to other HEI’s after the development phase? How will the courses be assessed or marked? How will the courses be assessed or marked? How will you know if the modules have been successful? How will you know if the modules have been successful? Will they work with non-native English speakers? Will they work with non-native English speakers?

Transport – fuel cells batteries (enough Li?), H 2 storage CH 4 emissions (& clean-up in atmosphere) Substitutes for rare earth magnets PV - efficiency, a-Si/ μ c-Si, CdTe CCS – CO 2 absorption, reservoir chemistry Power Transmission – spikes and troughs in supply, super-conductors Building insulation – 40% UK CO 2 from buildings Glass - Temperature control or energy gain? Nitrogen fixation Methane Methanol conversion Chemical description of AGW Cheaper ways to clean/distill water Challenges for chemistry Is there room in the syllabus for all this commercial skills stuff? Well, how do we have impact in the real world if there isn’t? I find that using chemistry in context helps me learn the science better and write better grant applications So long as it helps me get a job! Back

Extensive Tutors Notes Finance module – workbook assessment, finance model assignment, or exam. Individual scoring PM, Business model modules, closed PBL assessed for depth in problem – solving Scored as individual or team Innovation, Market analysis modules, open PBL, assessed for research and presentation Assessed as team – option to allocate extra points within team Course Assessment Back

Key lesson in innovation refers to invention of transistor in 1950! Business model case study has lasted 10 years C/PBL problems will be put in context of 21 st century challenges in energy, water etc, should be current for many years Lifetime of Materials Innovation Invention Back

We have devised tutor notes for each of the 5 modules and particularly for the interactive exercises We would consider being involved as ‘judges’ for student presentations or external examiners We have a ‘train the tutors’ workshop that can be used as a two day exercise for post-grads, post-docs, and other staff Gets them to do some of the main tasks required by students in the modules Meets requirements of Vitae and EPSRC for post-grad skills training Transferability Back

Feedback from students and staff Take-up by Universities Feedback from employers Recruitment outcomes for students Career outcomes Role models/visible success Managers Entrepreneurs Success Criteria Back

Yes! Only native English speaker is the old guy at the front… Working with non native speakers Back