“Balancing Roles” – Seminar on the Researcher’s Role as an Entrepreneur

Becoming both a researcher and an entrepreneur is not only about taking on a new role – it also means managing the relationship between the roles themselves: how they relate to one another, to one’s own research, and to the expectations of others both within and outside academia. On 7 November, UU Innovation is hosting a seminar where five researchers from the humanities and social sciences will share their experiences of balancing research and entrepreneurship.

The discussion will be moderated by Mathias Blob from UU Innovation, a business advisor with a particular focus on supporting the societal impact of research in the humanities and social sciences. He notes that UU Innovation often meets researchers who are just at the beginning of this journey.

“It’s exciting, but also challenging. Questions of responsibility, identity and transparency quickly become central. At the same time, there is a great need to discuss these issues openly, to build confidence and find sustainable ways forward,” he says.

Companies as tools for societal impact

The seminar will draw on stories from researchers who have started companies as a way to ensure their research has the best possible conditions to make an impact in society. The conversation will explore both the opportunities that arise when research results are put into practice and the dilemmas that may follow.

One of the panellists is Elin Bjarnegård, Professor of Political Science and one of Sweden’s leading experts on gender and corruption. She leads a new research environment on sexual corruption at the Department of Government. Together with three research colleagues, she has founded BLEC, a company designed to translate research into practical change work. She looks forward to contributing to the discussion – and learning from others’ experiences.

“I’m right in the middle of the process of understanding what it means to hold together our research within the research environment and our practical change work through BLEC – and at the same time to keep apart the roles of research leader and entrepreneur. For my own sake, but also for the legitimacy of both activities. It’s not simple, but it’s exciting and important,” she says.

The seminar will take place at the Humanities Theatre and will include a panel discussion followed by informal conversation and networking.

Sara Gredemark