My IKEEP project with Albotherm

Through the IKEEP programme, students undertake an intrapreneurial training programme, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to work in industry through subsequent paid project placements with SMEs. 

Afrida, who is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Project Management, recently completed one of our IKEEP project placements with Albotherm and told us about her experience. 


Can you tell us about your IKEEP project?  

A photo of Afrida, smiling in the sunshine and leaning against a stone wall.

I secured a project placement with Albotherm; a start-up specializing in advanced material technology who have developed a groundbreaking solution that adjusts its opacity based on temperature, utilizing sunlight to cool buildings passively during hot weather conditions.  

The focus of my project was to facilitate the commercial market launch of this material and to provide insights into potential market integration for Albotherm’s technology. My responsibilities included exploring three key market segments: skylights for industrial warehouses, office windows, and glass facades for commercial buildings.

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IKEEP project 2024: Our experience working with Bristol Hub

The IKEEP programme offers students the opportunity to gain intrapreneurial training and engage with industry on knowledge exchange projects through a paid team placement with an SME.

The three students who made up the Bristol Hub IKEEP project team

Three undergraduates, Jack, (Economics and Management), Olivia (History and Spanish) and Kristina (Politics) recently completed one of our projects with Bristol Hub.

We spoke to them about what they have gained from the experience.

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How IKEEP can help you become an INTRApreneur

Would you like to develop your Intrapreneurial skills and gain invaluable experience working with entrepreneurs?

Our IKEEP (Intrapreneurial Knowledge Exchange Enterprise Pathway) programme is designed for current students from all disciplines to undertake training and engage with industry on knowledge exchange projects as business advisors.

Students will get the opportunity to develop business model solutions and market awareness whilst enhancing their skills as intrapreneurs and future employees.

IKEEP students attending a training session with Deloitte.

The IKEEP programme includes training in a range of business areas such as managing innovation, business model canvas and leadership strategies. After completing the training, you can apply for a project placement which matches businesses with teams of proactive students to tackle innovative project briefs through flexible 4-week project placements.

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Could you be an INTRApreneur?

Develop your intrapreneurial skills and gain invaluable experience working with inspiring entrepreneurs with IKEEP.

Students involved in the IKEEP programme engage in online training in a range of business areas such as managing innovation, business model canvas and leadership strategies. 

From here, students can apply for a short project placement (a commitment of 70 hours per student, spread flexibly over 4 weeks), working remotely for a regional business or charity as part of an interdisciplinary team of 3 students.  

Some of this year’s IKEEP participants at our IKEEP mingle event.

We spoke with Mansour Alshamsi, a student who has previously participated in IKEEP training and an industry project placement to find out about his experience in the IKEEP programme. 

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My IKEEP project helping to protect children online 

The IKEEP programme offers students free business training and industry experience through a paid team placement with a small enterprise.

Marketing undergraduate Nina tells us about her IKEEP project placement with non-profit Better Together and how it’s inspired her future career plans. 


Nina, can you tell us about your IKEEP project with Better Together?

Marketing student Nina Yang

Better Together offers workshops and resources on online safety, specifically targeting parents, guardians, caregivers, teachers, and other professionals working with children and young people. They also provide workshops tailored to adult internet use.

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From Physics to HR – my IKEEP project

Francisco is a physics postgraduate studying for a PhD in Functional Nanomaterials. He told us about his recent IKEEP (Intrapreneurial Knowledge Exchange Enterprise Pathway) placement, helping Safer Industries to develop their human resources (HR). to develop their human resources (HR). This project ran with funding from Bristol Innovations.

Francisco, can you tell us more about your IKEEP project?  

Safer Industries primarily focuses on services and products for clients to improve their safety and prevent criminal activity.

Physics PhD student Francisco Alvarez del Castillo Manzanos

We were tasked with laying the groundwork for their HR operational guidelines and policies, such as the Employee Lifecycle and Personal Development Programme.

This meant getting to know the company’s culture and goals, along with existing industry standards and best practices, the legal space the company operates within, and a fair bit of reflecting on what our ideal workplace would be and how to bring it about for future employees. 

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Science meets the arts in an IKEEP work placement

Electrical and Electronic Engineering student Tirenioluwa Omigbodun recently took on the challenge of an IKEEP placement with independent arts venue The Bristol Improv Theatre (BIT).

She was part of a student team looking at external factors impacting the theatre so they can adapt and attract new audiences. 

 

Tirenioluwa Omigbodun posing for a selfie in front of the window overlooking Wills Memorial Building on a sunny day in Bristol.

Tirenioluwa, can you tell us about your team placement with Bristol Improv Theatre?

The placement with the Bristol Improv Theatre was on looking at their external environment. The theatre was preparing their 2023/25 business plan and needed a glimpse of the socio-economic environment. We researched their audience profiles, trends within the industry and how the BIT impacts its environment.  

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Aman: My IKEEP experience with a tech start-up

The IKEEP (Intrapreneurial Knowledge Exchange Enterprise Pathway) programme, run by world-leading business incubator SETsquared, offers free online training in entrepreneurship and business skills.

Some students then take on a project with an innovative SME. We caught up with epidemiology postgrad Aman Jat after he finished his IKEEP placement with medical tech start-up Microsol.

Aman Jat at the beach in Cornwall

Aman, can you tell us more about the project you were working on? 

Microsol is a science start-up focused on delivering AI-enabled software products for predicting aerosol properties in respiratory drug delivery. Microsol directly contribute to the advancement of respiratory therapeutics, which is beneficial to society and the economy.

The aim of our project was to plan Microsol’s public launch. A key objective was to develop a marketing campaign, find prospective investors from data and expand their network, as well as enhance their web presence.

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My IKEEP Journey: Project Placement with PyTerra

Hi, I’m Emily! I am a third-year law student and I recently completed a project placement with PyTerra, after following a two-week Intrapreneurial course with IKEEP. I heard about the IKEEP training programme in the Careers Service newsletter, and it seemed like a great way to get interesting work experience. I got offered a 4-week work placement at PyTerra, which is a local ‘FinTech’ (Financial Technology) start-up and app where investors, developers, grant givers and corporates can collaborate to make low carbon housing projects feasible. Essentially, PyTerra’s mission is to generate finance for aggregated low-carbon projects.   (more…)

My SME Internship: Alex – Senmag Robotics


Greetings from a second-year Electrical and Electronic Engineering student. My name is Alex and I completed a month-long SME internship for the company Senmag Robotics. A photo of Alex smiling.

I was tasked with coding demos using the Unity game engine. The demos showcase the functionality and potential applications of the device that the company is developing.

In short, this device is meant to give you three-dimensional precise control and haptic feedback. This allows you to feel virtual objects and effects as if they are physically present.

I carried out my internship remotely, but I did receive a VR headset and one of their devices to play with (and by play, I of course mean responsibly troubleshoot newly written scripts and test added features!). (more…)