CDU welcomes Entrepreneur-in-Residence

CDU staff and students now have access to an Entrepreneur-in-Residence to identify and progress ideas of commercial and social significance.

Dr Dean Alle has led major commercialisation projects with Australian universities and research centres, spinoff and start-up companies, and corporate organisations.

Based at the Darwin Innovation Hub (DIH), a partnership between CDU, the Northern Territory Government, the Paspalis Group and AusIndustry, Dr Alle will work with CDU to identify, assess and progress entrepreneurial opportunities.

He will be available to advise CDU students and staff about the potential viability of commercial and social ideas, commercialisation pathways, fitting a product to market needs, and finance and intellectual property issues.

"Universities are a great source of ideas but often the pitching of those ideas to potential funding sources and avenues for commercialisation isn’t core business for a learning and research institution,” Dr Alle said.

“The aim of the Entrepreneur-in-Residence is to provide a source of advice and encouragement that helps bridge that gap.”

He said CDU’s involvement with the DIH provided an opportunity to link in with workshops and expertise that would help advance ideas.

“With the innovation hub up and running, there is a lot more local advice and support to grow Territory ideas and research,” Dr Alle said.

Dr Alle is available as a sounding board for staff and students to talk through entrepreneurial approaches as well as mentoring. He can be contacted via E: eir@cdu.edu.au or T: 0422 413 754.

For further information visit W: dih.cdu.edu.au/eir.