Lumen Autumn 2017 - Flipbook - Page 11
story by Kelly Brown
T
he new ThincLab Adelaide will
further the University’s efforts
to stimulate innovation and
entrepreneurship in South Australia,
by providing our entrepreneurs with
the resources to create and sustain
successful new businesses.
As a young, aspiring entrepreneur,
Noel Lindsay left school to set up his first
small business at age 16. Initially it was a
roaring success, he had found a market
for his innovation, a business partner
and they were making good money –
but the success didn’t last. Noel lacked
the management skills to sustain the
business, and soon after it closed down.
Now a Professor and the Director of
the Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation
and Innovation Centre (ECIC) and ProVice Chancellor (Entrepreneurship) at
the University of Adelaide, this early
experience taught Noel what every
budding entrepreneur needs to learn
– in addition to a cracking idea, you
need business knowledge and skills
to be successful.
ThincLab Adelaide has been established
to provide entrepreneurs with everything
they need to incubate, grow and
execute their ideas. This purpose-built
innovation hub on North Terrace will offer
entrepreneurship courses from bachelor
level through to post-graduate; mentoring
through the Australian eChallenge
program; a prototyping lab including 3D
printers; commercialisation expertise;
networking with overseas entrepreneurs;
and a business incubator.
“Someone may be thinking, ‘I’d like to
go into business but I’m not sure what I
would like to do’, so we can help them
with creative workshops to generate
ideas,” says Professor Lindsay.
“Others may come along with a great
idea but want to develop it further, create
a prototype, learn how to pitch to an
investor, or commercialise their idea.
“ThincLab is geared to provide the full
range of support that an entrepreneur
needs,” he says.
A key feature of ThincLab is the
business incubator. This is where
students, alumni, start-up companies
and research teams will take up tenancy
in the space for a period of time, and
work side-by-side as they develop
their business ideas.
“ThincLab is great opportunity to build
bridges and encourage collaboration
between our students and researchers,
alumni and industry,” says Noel.
“The incubator provides the interface
for these groups to mee – to learn from
each other, to exchange ideas and
perspectives, all with a view to developing
a multidisciplinary approach to best
grow an idea.”
Participants in the incubator will be
tenants at ThincLab for approximately
three months. In addition to supporting
each other, they will have access to
academics and high achieving students,
connection to venture capitalists and
investors, mentoring, workshops and
events, meeting rooms and boardroom
facilities, and the prototyping lab and
design studio.
The prototyping lab and design studio
will include state-of-the-art, industry-spec
3D printers and fabrication technology for
the creation of prototypes.
“The 3D printers can print with rigid
as well as very pliable rubbery plastics.
We even have a printer of interest to
space researchers, which is capable
of producing components suitable for
sending into space,” says Noel.
In addition to helping innovators develop
ideas and the skills to start a business,
an accelerator program is available to
entrepreneurs who already have an idea
and would like to fast-track its growth.
Through the Australian eChallenge
program, participants can work with
experienced business mentors, attend
specialised workshops, connect with
the University’s research community
and pitch their ideas to investors and
other businesses.
“We currently have around 50 mentors
who will be part of ThincLab, many of
whom have been with us for a long time –
these are very experienced entrepreneurs,
professionals and state government
people,” says Noel.
In addition to the Australian eChallenge
program, the accelerator program can
help entrepreneurs identify funding
sources, approach investors and
negotiate with confidence. There are also
opportunities to partner with academics or
licence early-stage technologies through
Adelaide Enterprise, the University’s
commercial arm.
ThincLab Adelaide
has been established to
provide entrepreneurs
with everything they need
to incubate, grow and
execute their ideas.
As well as its breadth of resources,
what makes ThincLab Adelaide unique is
the added layer of learning from overseas
entrepreneurs involved in other ThincLabs.
“Whether it’s France, South Africa,
Europe or Asia, we have study tours
where participants can spend time with
international entrepreneurs and participate
in internships,” says Noel.
“Through our international connections,
we can also help our researchers set up in
other locations, and we can help overseas
researchers aligned with the University’s
and the state’s strategic objectives to
co-locate here.”
ThincLab Adelaide will be facilitated
by Noel and his team at ECIC, who
bring academic as well as many years of
practical experience in entrepreneurship
to the table.
‘I’m a ‘pracademic’, and so are most
of my team at ECIC – I’ve owned many
start-ups over the years. It would be hard
to teach someone about entrepreneurship
if you haven’t experienced it
yourself,” says Noel.
“One of the things I love is transferring
my passion and experience in this area
to other people, and giving them the
support to help them develop new ideas.
ThincLab will provide greater opportunities
to do that.”
For more information on ThincLab or to
express interest in being involved see:
ecic.adelaide.edu.au/research/ThincLab/
or email: ThincLab@adelaide.edu.au
Left: Professor Noel Lindsay
Photo by Russell Millard
The University of Adelaide | Alumni Magazine 9
