A new leadership programme, enabled by the Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) collaborative Knowledge Exchange & Innovation funding, has been launched to bring together directors of research and commercialisation from every university in Scotland.

The initiative, curated by the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE), will focus on leadership, resilience, and navigating change.

Through workshops, guest speakers, and peer learning, participants will explore how to:

• Develop entrepreneurial mindsets and behaviours to strengthen leadership approaches;
• Apply entrepreneurial leadership to seize opportunities, mobilise resources, and inspire teams;
• Build high-performing teams that can respond proactively to change;
• Learn from international entrepreneurial leaders on how to drive innovation and maximise impact.

The programme also aims to strengthen collaboration across Scotland’s universities, fostering trust and building professional networks beyond the formal committee structures.

This comes at a pivotal time for Scottish higher education. Universities have recently published five-year Knowledge Exchange and Innovation strategies, backed by SFC’s
KEIF, which encourage cross-institutional collaboration and greater alignment with national priorities around the economy, society, and environment. Core funding for knowledge exchange remains comparatively small against teaching and research budgets, making innovative leadership approaches essential.

“This programme, supported by the Scottish Funding Council, is about equipping Scotland’s research and innovation leaders with the entrepreneurial mindset and leadership tools needed to navigate change, influence within their institutions, and strengthen collaboration across the sector. It’s also a space for them to step back and focus on their own professional growth at a time of significant transformation.”  Ceri Nursaw, Chief Executive, NCEE

“We’re already well-connected in Scotland, with fairly good relationships across the universities and with policymakers and funders. However, almost all collaborative efforts are geared towards the delivery-end of our system, and we’re not very good at looking after the people and teams at the heart of it all. There’s an expectation that they ‘just get on with it’. This programme is a unique opportunity to instil confidence in our Research and Innovation leaders, and support them, their teams, and their institutions, to evolve in the fast-changing landscape.” Orla Kelly, Knowledge Exchange & Innovation Collaboration Manager, University of the West of Scotland

For a programme for your team contact us at enquiries@ncee.org.uk