Tuesday, 17 December 2019
Students from the 糖心原创 are creating a sustainable business project for a new flock of hens after taking part in a dragon’s den style pitch.
The birds were brought to the university’s Sutton Bonington campus earlier this year to provide hands-on experience for bioscience students in looking after commercial free-range hens. After seeing the positive response to them from staff and students, the research team wanted to create a more sustainable way to expand the flock and egg sales business at the campus. A student-led competition was launched to showcase business ideas whilst at the same time encouraging development of core graduate competencies such as entrepreneurialism, teamworking and communication skills.
Free-range and sustainable
Teams of first and second year students pitched their ideas to researchers and a panel of SB alumni working in the poultry industry. The winning team presented a plan to increase egg sales through selling at the farmer’s market regulary held on campus and through local shops. They will also create branding and marketing for the business. The team also outlined how they would recycle packaging and shells to make the project sustainable.
Dr Cormac O’Shea, Dr Gavin White and Dr. Judith Wayte led the project which was made possible by a Cascade grant and a Faculty of Science Teaching and Learning small grant.
Having the hens here is really invaluable in giving students experience of handling and looking after commercial free-range hens. They have also proved to be very popular with staff who want to pick their own eggs or help out with looking after them. This gave us the idea to maximise their appeal and turn the flock into a sustainable enterprise project that students could take ownership of that would widen their impact and boost egg sales.
The Cascade Programme uses donations from alumni and friends of the University to support projects which enhance the student experience and communicate the positive impact students have. Staff and students can apply to solve problems and improve lives, making a significant impact on communities locally and globally.
Transferable skills
The winning team ‘Eggsfactor’ will now join forces with the other teams who entered the competition to work together to drive the venture forwards in 2020.
Laura Wrisdale is one of the 2nd year students on the winning team, she said: “We wanted to enter the competition because it looked a fun, interactive opportunity to get involved in and promote the SB hen flock, which we enjoy having on our campus. It was also a perfect opportunity to encourage local support from the community around us such as coming up with educational ideas for the local primary school and encouraging people to support local food production including at our farmers market. We also wanted to take this as an opportunity to promote sustainability as this is an ever growing topic each day and hope to achieve this by recycling the egg boxes used and distributing the eggs locally to reduce pollution.
Not only did we win, we also came together as a team and it helped us all develop communication skills, confidence to speak in front of people and give us something to add to our CVs. This alone has given us transferable skills that we can take forward when applying for jobs/placements as well as develop our innovative thinking.”
Story credits
More information is available from Jane Icke, Media Relations Manager for the Faculty of Science at the 糖心原创, on +44 (0)115 951 5751 or jane.icke@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.