Petra Salaric, a doctoral researcher in the School of Design and Creative Arts, was inspired to set up pstaboo, a consultancy specialising in supporting organisations in dealing with taboo topics, after taking part in º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ's Doctoral Innovation Consultant (DInC) programme.
The 14-week in-person programme gives second and third-year postgraduate research students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience consulting on real-world challenges faced by start-up businesses and University spinouts.
Fully funded by the University, students dedicate around 6 hours a week working in the University's business incubator, LUinc., consulting for commercial enterprises with support from the LUInc. team.
Unlike most internships, the DInC programme is tailored exclusively for doctoral researchers. This distinctive focus boosts the university's innovation network by promoting knowledge exchange and fuelling the development of cutting-edge solutions that address real-world challenges.
PhD students learn to understand start-up challenges and are better able to spot potential real-world impacts and commercial applications from their own research. Startup businesses at LUinc. benefit by gaining valuable insights and expertise to support their growth and long-term success.
Inspired by her experience on the programme, and with the support of the University’s business startup accelerator programme, Petra went on to create her own consultancy, pstaboo, from LUinc.
Petra says: “The programme allowed me to see how consultancy works and gave me insights in what it means to run a company, as well as the support needed. Because I was based in the University’s business incubator, I not only had the first-hand experience of supporting two start-up businesses, but I also got to connect and network with other entrepreneurs and learn from their journeys.
The programme was a great push – I got to hear about other opportunities, including the start-up support available through LUinc. – and now, here I am!”
Through workshops, consultancy and research, pstaboo offers specialist support and guidance to companies to help them address sensitive and taboo topics within their organisations and projects. Clients range from smaller startups to universities and global corporations like Nestle.
Since launching the business, Petra has been selected for the Break EU Fellowship aimed at building an international network of female entrepreneurs and was also shortlisted for the Forward Ladies Female Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2023.
Professor Steve Christie, Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for the Doctoral College at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, said: “The DInC programme unlocks the potential of our PhD students to become not just academics, but also innovative thinkers and future business leaders. It showcases the extra value the Doctoral College adds to the PhD experience at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ.
“Petra is testament to the transformative power of the programme, and we are thrilled to see the success she has had with her business."
Petra feels the experience gave her the confidence to make the leap from academia into consultancy. She says: “Often, when you are doing a PhD, it is easy to become engrossed in the work and lose sight of the multitude of skills and knowledge you’ve developed along the way.
When we were tasked with solving real problems for these businesses, we were able to see all the ways we could contribute and the value we could bring. It was amazing to work with such a diverse group of people from around the world, all with different knowledge and expertise.
It gave us the confidence to go more boldly into future roles and job applications, and opened an entire new market which many of us weren’t really considering before the programme.”
Applications for the latest round of the DInC programme are now open and close on 16th February 2024.