Building Connections and Careers: Highlights from the DICE Network+ ECR Community Event

Connecting Research with Industry

A highlight of the day was a visit to Intelligent Energy, where our ECRs had the opportunity to learn more about hydrogen fuel cell technology and see how technology moves from development through to testing and application.

The visit offered a valuable chance to engage directly with industry and think about how research can connect with real-world challenges and opportunities.

From Research Ideas to Impact

ECRs also took part in an interactive DICE Research Commons workshop led by Dr Lirong Liu and Dr Jenna Bowen.

The session explored how shared, interoperable digital assets, including open datasets, digital twins, AI algorithms and data standards, can help lower barriers to multi-stakeholder research and support collaboration between academia, industry and policy.

Participants then worked in groups to identify circular economy challenges and consider what shared digital tools or data structures could help address them, while also thinking about the industry and policy barriers that might affect real-world adoption.

The afternoon continued with a session on IP and commercialisation from Dr Nick Gostick, Head of IP Management and Commercialisation at Loughborough University. The session explored how researchers can develop impact and commercial opportunities from their work, including IP protection, customer discovery, market research, business model development and routes such as licensing and spin-outs.

The day then moved into a career panel with Dr Oliver Fisher, Dr Adriano Randi, Professor Nacho Martin-Fabiani and Dr Lirong Liu, exploring how ECRs can navigate interdisciplinary careers, build networks and think about the wider impact of their research.

What Our ECRs Took Away

Reflections from the day highlighted a few clear themes.

The Intelligent Energy visit stood out as a particular highlight, with several attendees valuing the opportunity to see technology development in practice and identify potential links between their research and industry.

ECRs also spoke positively about the chance to meet researchers at different career stages, exchange ideas and make new connections. Several attendees identified potential future collaborations with people they met during the event.

The career and commercialisation sessions also encouraged attendees to think more broadly about what comes next, from planning ahead and building networks to understanding how academic research can move towards practical and commercial applications.

“It was also a good opportunity to meet ECRs at different career stages, learn about their research, and exchange ideas and experiences.” – Xin Yee Tai

“The event was insightful since it could bring me some lessons on the commercialisation of academic ideas and research. This is important for my future career planning.” –  Haoxuan Deng

“The trip to Intelligent Energy was highly relevant to my own research and very interesting to see the production process in practice.” – Thorin Daniel

Across the reflections, attendees consistently highlighted the value of combining industry exposure, practical career insights and opportunities to build new research connections in one day.

Looking ahead

The event reflects the wider ambition of the DICE Network+ ECR Community: creating opportunities for Early Career Researchers to connect across disciplines and sectors, build practical skills and explore new routes to research impact.

The connections made during the day, and the potential collaborations already emerging from them, show the value of bringing ECRs together with industry, researchers and different perspectives beyond their immediate fields.

The DICE Network+ will continue creating opportunities for our ECR community to connect, collaborate and develop their research and careers across digital innovation and the circular economy.