FEMM Hub holds Partner Connect Workshop
As the FEMM Hub approaches its midway point, we held a Creativity@Home event with our industry partners to explore key areas for focus in the second phase of our seven-year programme.
Held at the AMRC’s Knowledge Transfer Centre in Catcliffe, our Partner Connect Workshop made use of the Centre for Facilitation’s creative approach to sharing and generating discussions on topics considered important by our industry partners.
Preparation for the workshop started in advance of the in-person meeting using an online application which enabled partners to submit the challenges they have. These were then grouped together in themes which were explored jointly with FEMM’s Grand Challenge lead investigators to draw out how the challenge might begin to be addressed.
FEMM researchers left behind the traditional academic poster format, instead using a layout designed to highlight the key message of what they have achieved so far. Rather than a traditional poster walk and talk, the session provided the opportunity for the researchers to quiz industry partners on what relevance and possibilities the theme could have in their sector.
After lunch, energy levels were raised through a couple of ‘creative burst’ exercises encouraging innovative thought with and without constraints and there was further time to identify connection with specific posters.
The final session of the day used an agenda set by attendees to examine in more detail those topics which they felt could make an impact in phase two of the programme. Seven different issues were raised, which led to further discussion on potential collaboration activities. Feedback from the workshop has been very positive and the output from the discussions has been captured to inform further directions with our advisory boards.
To find out more about our Creativity@Home workshop, or our facilitation partners, please contact femmhub@sheffield.ac.uk.