Dr Elinor Vettraino, Head Coach and Programme Leader for Business and Enterprise at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), was one of five team coaches selected to support the development of social innovation in projects in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
The SITEL project (Social Innovation through Team Entrepreneurial Learning) created by the University of Westminster and funded by the British Council, was an intensive Trans and Multi-Disciplinary five day workshop designed to foster an eco-system for developing resilient social enterprise through entrepreneurship education.
The focus of the programme was to provide opportunities for early career researchers from both Malaysia and the UK to learn from each other and explore opportunities for building long-lasting research connections to explore solutions to social innovation challenges in the area. Dr Vettraino was delighted to be involved in the project:
“It was a privilege to be asked to coach a team in this project and to have the opportunity to add real value to research in the region which will lead to real action.”
The project Dr Vettraino was involved with was an agro-tourism farm-stay located close to Mount Kinabalu. Research into the challenges for the local community indicated the need for technology to support the development of irrigation systems, as well as training to support the youth of the area to stay and continue to work in the community. Dr Vettraino added that the future applications of the project team’s efforts created exciting avenues for community development:
“Funding is available to take forward some of the project ideas that were generated during the programme and it is fantastic to have been involved in genuine development of opportunities for the people in the area.”
Dr Vettraino is head of the Business and Enterprise area at BGU. You can find more information on the exciting opportunities offered by BGU’s Business courses on our website or by contacting our Enquiries Team.