Westminster Business School (WBS) has hosted the inaugural Future Ready Forum at the University’s new home for careers and enterprise, Zone29. The event brought together businesses, charities and organisations with academic experts to explore research-backed solutions to real-world challenges.
The inaugural event took place on 23 June at the University’s new Zone29 building to showcase how collaboration opportunities at Westminster can help organisations to unlock innovation and solve real-world challenges.
The Future Ready Forum welcomed attendees from a wide range of sectors who were invited to connect with research specialists working across key areas including artificial intelligence, data and analytics, organisational resilience, productivity and growth, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and responsible business, consumer behaviour and market expansion, and inclusive entrepreneurship.
Participants had the opportunity to meet academics with hands-on experience in tackling strategic business challenges, gaining insight into how research expertise can help organisations stay ahead in a rapidly changing world. Attendees were encouraged to share their own organisational challenges and explore opportunities for future collaboration with WBS experts, strengthening links between academia and industry.
Attendees were also introduced to funding routes and collaboration models such as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and innovation grants that support getting researchers work in a range of organisations.
Collaborations like these form a key ambition of Zone29 as a sector-leading space in facilitating connections between a university and industry. Zone29 makes it easy for industry to engage with diverse talent, access courses to upskill their workforce and connect with research experts.
About the event Anna Christodoulou, Senior Knowledge Exchange Manager, said: "Future Ready is a new initiative that we piloted to bring together academia and industry to explore current challenges and ways to build resilience for the future. We had many interesting discussions, particularly about AI, and developing the skills to integrate it smoothly, but also about identifying and cultivating strengths that are uniquely human, like critical thinking and creativity. A common theme that emerged was that to be future-ready, collaboration is key. Many thanks to the Research and Knowledge Exchange team who co-developed this exciting programme, Victoria Patrick, our Westminster Business School Research College Manager and Alistair McShee, our Knowledge Exchange Manager. We will continue with more Future Ready events in the new academic year, so stay tuned!"
Carline Deal, Managing Director at Bonum iDeas, added: “It was a genuinely inspiring afternoon at Zone29 and I left with a real sense of possibility. The conversations around collaboration and partnership resonated strongly with where we are as a business and I very much hope to attend future events. As a Westminster alumna, it was particularly meaningful to be back in the room and to see the University's commitment to bridging academia and industry in such a tangible way.”
This event contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University has used the SDGs to help guide its strategic priorities, supporting students and colleagues to contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive society.
Find out more about Zone29 at the University of Westminster.
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